Covid started spreading around the world in February and March of 2020, shutting down the travel industry. In the almost two years since, students have been fearing getting on planes while simultaneously craving to get back into traveling and escape their normal worlds. 

Now that the world is starting to open up again, people are dreaming of where they might go. A common desired destination students urge to travel to is the state of Hawaii. Freshman Lainey Berman was excited for her trip until it got canceled due to Covid, and was upset about missing out on the beautiful sights. Sophomores RJ Cui and Georgina Kaddu concur and wish they could go to see the island’s chickens. “The water is so clear in Hawaii and the fruit is very fresh,” junior Jordana Dinallo, who has been to Hawaii, said. 

While students have missed out on formerly planned vacations, the vaccination and Covid policies have allowed other students to visit their dream places. Last summer, sophomore Jenna Heitmann was able to go on a family trip to Greece. “I loved experiencing the Greek culture and the great food as well as the beautiful architecture,” Heitmann said.

Not being able to travel has also caused students to miss out on crucial time with friends and family. Dinallo said her dream vacation is to visit Whales as she has missed out on seeing her best friend. “I hope to finally see my family that lives in China again, especially my grandparents. I’ve missed getting to eat all their different food while not being able to travel,” Cui said. 

While students dream about traveling to all of these places, they are still worried about Covid. As case numbers fluctuate and mask mandates constantly shift, there is still so much unknown about what is to come. “I’ll be nervous just in general about Covid coming back, [but] I’m excited about, in the future, not having to wear a mask on the plane. And just be able to go out and not ruin my makeup with a mask on,” Kaddu said. 

Whether it’s a train ride, a trip on the subway, or just a bus ride to school, traveling is a key part of people’s day-to-day lives. Since the start of Covid, students have been nervous about being around others in a tight space. Dinallo said, once numbers go down, “I’m looking forward to being able to travel without having a mask on my face.”

Not being able to travel has likewise caused students to miss out on being able to see the way that different people live, learn new things and meet new people. This can have detrimental effects on student’s social abilities, and cause students to lose character-building experiences. “I love how traveling is an amazing life-lasting experience and you get [to be] exposed to all new things around you like culture, food, and the environment,”  Heitmann said.