No, you do not have my permission to travel
Daily COVID-19 cases just broke a record. You need to stay home.
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Here's a number to consider before you book another trip: 142,906.
That's the number of new COVID-19 infections in the United States yesterday.
And I mention this number because some of you, dear readers, think this number is meaningless -- either a hoax or a hypothetical that doesn't apply to you.
But the deadly coronavirus is no hoax, and it does apply to you.
Don't go anywhere
For the record:
What does this chart tell you?
Stay home.
Seriously, don't travel anywhere now. Cancel your travel plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's if you can.
Wait for the vaccine.
No exceptions
I've been getting a lot of emails from readers who are asking me how to travel safely during the second wave. Well, bad news: There's no safe way to travel. Every method of travel -- trains, planes, automobiles -- has its own risks.
The only way to avoid those risks is to stay home.
I realize that this is an unpopular thing to say. And frankly, I'm dreading what happens tomorrow, because I have a story in USA Today that suggests recommending travel may even be unethical.
The travel agents are going to come for me. How do I know? Because I asked the American Society of Travel Advisors for a comment on the article and it refused -- the first time it's ever done that.
Maybe I should turn off my phone tomorrow.
What's the rush?
Did you hear about the SeaDream Yacht Club in Barbados? Passengers are stranded there today after someone on board tested positive for coronavirus. Why were they cruising? Have they lost their minds?
As reader and travel advisor Dan Presser notes, "What's the rush?"
(Dan is still talking to me -- for now.)
I know it's been a long pandemic and we're tired of sitting at home and doing nothing. But with daily infection rates through the roof and a vaccine just around the corner hopefully, it makes sense to wait just a little bit longer.
That's especially true if you have plans to visit a relative in a high-risk category during the holidays. Your actions could hurt or even kill them.
Of course, not everyone is listening to that sensible advice. Here's a new survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, released just this afternoon. Almost a third of Americans are traveling for Thanksgiving anyway. (Insert turkey pun here.)
Permission denied
So to all of you who think that recent coverage on my consumer advocacy site that offers travel advice somehow gives you permission for anything but nonessential travel -- let me clear that up.
You do not have my permission to travel.
Some people have to travel, and I'm writing my stories for them now. The rest of us have to protect ourselves. This is more important than website traffic, ad revenues, or referrals.
Please, please, please stay home if you can. Do a Zoom Thanksgiving. I love all of my readers and want them to live to see 2021.
What are your thoughts? The comments are open. You can always send me your confidential memos, data and news tips. I’m at elliottc@gmail.com.
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Who died and made you king?
I respectfully disagree... this is a very complicated issue. It's a dynamic issue and risks differ by age and ethnicity. This is about personal risk. A small group has a high risk, most people have low risk.
I studied the NYC data recently, link below... New York City has 8 mm people. Currently 20,000 have lost their lives due to COVID. Truly awful with 689,000 job losses as of Sept (link below). The bulk of deaths are for people over 65. Of this group 80% had pre-exiting conditions. My point is that we cannot continue to shut travel or any economic activity to to protect the minority...
People at most risk should take additional protection while the rest of the nation takes steps to conitnue their lives. For example, we know that being near someone without a maks for extended periods of time will increase your likelihood of getting COVID (CDC link below) but adults over the age of 65 continue to think that its safe to eat indoors or outdoors at a restaurant because a government say its safe. Adults need to use common sense. It doesn't mean you shut a restaurant down, it means that certain people should be staying home or doing takeout.
Travel is a large economic engine for thousands. People have lost their livelihood, their businesses.... We are talking about billions of dollars. As you have documented, the big companies like airlines will get bailed out but what about the small successful tour operator in Jackson Hole with 10 guides, the mom/pop eateries in New York City or the independent small hotel owner in upstate New York? Trust me, PPP was a joke. How are these people going to survive? The vaccine might help, it might not... The call for a shut down of travel is an economic hit for millions of Americans
For the record, I own a travel agency with 20 advisors. Our business is off 65% from 2019, 2021 will be the same. We talk with clients realistically about the risks & help them make a decision. We advise and listen to their concerns. In the last 8 weeks we continue to field an uptick in calls from clients who want to travel... Some, not all, accept the personal risks for the reward of visiting loved ones or experiencing something new. Someone just returned from Rwanda.
If you want to continue to shut down travel, how are people going to survive? Are you willing to adopt a small business and pay their rent to survive or to keep an employee? Are you willing to pay for someones health insurance after they lost their job? Are you willing to adopt a family so that they can pay their rent and mortgage so they can survive? Are you willing to take your time to tutor a disadvantage youth who is stuck at home lerning? Are you willing to adopt a family so that they can put food on the table? Are you willing to man a suicide hotline to help mitigate the higher rates of suicide and anxiety? These are REAL issues for REAL Ameircans whose lives have been upended because of the continued call not to travel.
Please note I agree that we all have a personal responsibility to our communities. Everyone has a duty to wear our masks indoors and when you can't social distance and washing our hands.
Chris, you are a great journalist, maybe you can start writing about the personal stories in the travel world about people who have been effected differently? Put a personal connection to the destruction that has occurred. I think you will find amazing stories of survival, heartache and more.
Thanks for giving me a space to rant. I am not a writer but i hope the above makes some sense and adds to this incredibly dynamic and complex issue.
CDC Website on how COVID Spreads
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html
NYC Health Department Website with Data
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/deciding-to-go-out.html?fbclid=IwAR1DjU4oEOuDiO2liYg8qIEy1nltDhGD2Y1HQ07VdCuARSvzEzeXvCeqHOI
NYC Job Losses Article
https://www.thecity.nyc/economy/2020/9/17/21444441/nyc-unemployment-pain-far-worse-than-nation