I’ve always loved air travel. I think of airports as cosmic waystations – portals to alternative realities. The red rocks of Sedona wait behind one door, Manhattan’s skyscrapers beyond another. One hallway leads to Asia, another offers Europe’s capitals. It’s intoxicating – or it was, before the pandemic trapped us all at home.
This spring, I decided it might be ok to get on a plane again – to take a trip purely for pleasure. So in mid-April, Steve and I flew to San Diego for a family visit with our grown kids. We were vaccinated, boosted and masked. Most of our fellow passengers were masked and everyone seemed pretty considerate – keeping a bit of distance when waiting in line, not crowding into the gate area. The trip was great – nothing beats seeing our kids, and San Diego is a playground of a city. But the day before we were due back home, a Florida judge struck down the CDC’s travel mask mandate. By morning, the major airlines had dropped all mask requirements. And suddenly, it was a whole new world.
At the airport, there were almost no masks in sight and the mood was elated. Gleeful, even. “Thank god for that judge,” said an elderly woman to her even older husband, standing in the security line. Behind them was a guy who kept coughing. In front of them, a kid with a runny nose. I understood how she felt – no one likes wearing a mask – but I kept thinking that rather than celebrating our new COVID-related rights and personal freedom, shouldn’t we be considering our ethical responsibilities as travelers?
What would it mean to travel without doing harm? To protect the places and people we visit?
A few years ago, we tackled some of those questions in a show called “How To Be An Ethical Traveler.” Right now, it feels more relevant than ever. I hope you enjoy it.
–Anne