Planning a bucket list trip soon? I am! If you are, you may want to check your annual travel policy or the box you check off when purchasing an airline ticket to make sure the policy covers COVID since not all companies provide this coverage. Vaccines are 88%-90% effective which means you can still catch the virus while traveling and wind up in a hospital although its fair say you won’t die … that’s the good news. The bad news…..
Are you itching to get on a plane and go international soon? Maybe this summer, now that many countries have opened their borders. May I suggest Portugal? Whether you go for a week, two or three it will still not be enough to fully appreciate this magnificent country full of vintage castles, beautiful coastlines, daunting vineyards, and sooo much history. Whether you get there through the Lisbon, Porto or Faro Airport, all three offer a variety of ground transportation to get you to your destinations. Here are my favorite picks and why….
In the last year, Bansky has been consistently in the news starting with the loss of a two-year court fight in September 2020 over the trademark rights of one of his iconic artworks known as the “Flower Thrower”. In October 2020, amid the pandemic, his “Show me the Monet” painting sold for 10 million. In March 2021 he auctioned “Game Changer” that sold for 22 million donating all the proceeds to a health care charity in response to the COVID crisis. This summer Banksy is back in the news with plenty of ads about an immersive exhibition on his life and art coming to major cities in the US slated for NYC from June- November 2021.
I recently started to travel domestically and noticed how crowded the airports are becoming. Airport security lines including the TSA PreCheck program I subscribe to are experiencing long lines. I also noticed the recent installation of CLEAR stations at several airports, a privately held security service that allows you to skip to the front of the security line much faster that the TSA PreCheck program. I decided to explore whether this would be a worthy investment as well as checking to see that all of my required travel documents for both domestic and international flights are updated.
After several years of lost travel, we may be feeling a bit rusty about getting back into the swing of things.
During the first week of May, the annual Frieze Art Fair was back in New York City with a lot less pomp than usual. The Frieze Art Fair in NYC happens to be one of my favorite shows. They also sponsor a show in Los Angeles, London and now Seoul. The Frieze Art Fair features an extensive list of local and international contemporary art galleries, and commissioned artists’ projects, as well as variety of art education forums and a magazine . This year it was not held at Randall’s Island since the number of galleries was down to about 1/3 and mostly US based. International galleries were missing and clearly the difference was apparent as much of the art work was not as diverse or excitingly. Restrictions to get in were…..
Podcasts are the new thing to binge on. They are the perfect companion for your next long ride, plane trip, daily walks or running trails. I discovered podcasts as an alternative to channel surfing and to embellish my daily walks, thanks to COVID. Just one minor problem to contend with…there are thousands of podcasts to choose from and never enough time to listen to those on your playlist. As summer approaches there are more opportunities to be outdoors as restrictions are lifted. It safe to assume that many of us plan to getaway so why not try adding podcasts to your daily or weekly routine and travels?
Podcasts have become a recent wave for listening to conversations on just about anything. No surprise to learn that these two iconic personalities, former President Obama and Bruce Springsteen (the Boss), would engage in this new venture with a little help from Spotify and their genuine friendship. These are two people that I truly admire, and so not listening was never an option. Putting aside whatever your politics are, I found their dialogue, insights, and the ride down memory lane super entertaining. If you are a Boomer, it will definitely resonate with you, if not, it becomes a lens to view contemporary history, worthy of your time. Here is what I most enjoyed about the podcast….
As more of us get vaccinated in the US, we are hoping we can reach some level of herd immunity by the summer. Recognizing it may take much longer, many of us are tired of being cooped up and are planning to travel, anyway. As more vacation destinations are opening, and restrictions are being lifted, there is a growing desire to book that flight soon. Here are some facts and tips to consider as we both make travel plans for 2021……
Before I knew the world was going to shut down, I had already planned to launch my blog on my birthday in March and with some consternation there really was no turning back. A year later, I celebrate my blog’s first anniversary with a great deal of optimism. Not fully understanding what I was committing to, one unexpected benefit has been the sharpening of my discipline skills to stay on course. The pandemic clearly played a role in derailing many of the topics that I was hoping to cover through my travels. Nonetheless, I feel a sense of accomplishment as I share with you the ups and downs of committing to a blog, lessons learned, and next steps into the future.
