Even in the Face of Surging Omicron, We See the Power of Travel

Pent-Up Demand?

That’s so Spring 2021.

Now it’s more like, Pandemic Be Damned.

At a time when the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is surging around the world, including the United States, many experts figured travel would again take a big hit.

Instead, we are seeing what the power of travel is truly like.

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AAA Travel estimates that more than 109 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the Christmas holiday period from Thursday, December 23, 2021 to January 2, 2022. That’s 92 percent of the total number of people who traveled during the holidays in 2019, yet another clear sign that travel is back.

Moreover, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has had five consecutive days of processing more than 2 million passengers from Thursday to Monday, December 16-20. The post-pandemic record is seven straight days of 2 million+ per day set during the Thanksgiving holiday period last month. With four more travel days until Christmas Day, it’s a good bet air travel will break that consecutive day mark.

To reiterate, at a point in time when COVID-19 positive cases are setting records as well, it would be easy to tuck tail and just ride it out.

We’re not.

Oh, some might call it irresponsible or throwing caution to the wind. And they wouldn’t be wrong. There’s something to be said for playing it safe, avoiding big public gatherings, and wearing a mask.

But there’s also something to be said for living your life, and travel is a big part of almost everybody’s life. This whole pandemic experience has challenged us all and made us question a lot of things about the way we live and the way we travel. it’s made us think more logically, but it’s also made us think more critically.

Case in point – in my beloved New York City, they are shutting down Broadway shows on a temporary basis and have canceled all remaining performances of the famous Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.

Yet I can’t help but wonder … The stipulation for Broadway’s return back in August was that all performers must be vaccinated, all audience members must be vaccinated, and masks must be worn by the audience at all times. Am I missing something here? Did I somehow misread the mantra about following the science?

I don’t know how this is all going to play out, but I do know this – in an odd way, it’s an affirmation of the huge role that travel plays in our lives. It’s part of who we are. It’s not a throwaway component of how we all interact, it’s an absolutely vital element of our well-being.

And right now, not even Omicron is apparently going to quell that.

Pandemic Be Damned.