By Larry Olmsted

More than two-thirds of Americans (approximately 70%) take vacations annually. After 18 months of severe impact from COVID-19, pent up demand has led to record bookings for many higher-end tour operators and travel companies for 2022, when many consumers hope for normalcy, or at least safety, while traveling.

One lesson we have learned from the pandemic is that the future is unpredictable, and anything can happen. Hopefully this will be the last major pandemic, but it certainly was not the first, and who knows what other natural disasters lay ahead? The effects of the coronavirus on travel are not just cancellations and postponements, but for many, a new realization that life is short, and dreams should not be put off. For most of us, there are regular vacations and “someday” vacations, as in “someday I’ll go to Australia and New Zealand for four weeks,” or “someday I’ll go to the Superbowl.”

Many expert travel agents and advisors I’ve talked to have told me about a discernible shift in attitudes among their clients, who are re-prioritizing their travel lists, and moving “someday” to “as soon as possible” … continue reading

Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is the author of “Real Food, Fake Food.” He is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com. His newest book is“Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happer, Healthier, and More Understanding.”