Finding My Love for Travel in a Pandemic

 My love for travel began in 2020 when I got to experience my first cruise ever. Now, I had traveled before, but never on a cruise or to a different country. My first cruise was set to sail during March of 2020. Of course, this was the beginning of the biggest change of everyone's lives. We left for our cruise with little knowledge of how this pandemic would affect us. With little to no service, we had no idea what was waiting for us when we arrived back home. This didn't affect our time on the cruise. We had a blast, and we felt safe as everything was kept very clean, and there were several protocols in place to help keep everyone as healthy as possible. We enjoyed what would be our last cruise for a while.

We arrived back in port after about a week away. As we arrived, our phones all started going off. Everyone was letting us know how bad it had gotten. I had been told I had to pack up my dorm and finish the rest of my college career online. That in itself was a challenge.

However, the biggest change for me was not being allowed to leave home. As much as I found myself to be an introvert, I missed the socialization. My cruise was the last time I had seen anyone outside of my immediate family. It got to be difficult. Especially since I had just had my first cruise and I really enjoyed it. 

This cruise was special to me in many ways. I got to experience it with family, but more importantly got to experience one cruise with my uncle. My uncle was an avid cruiser and everyone in my family had gotten to do a cruise with him. Well, this was my first cruise with him, and I got to share a room with him. This trip was special to me, because, not only were we dealing with the pandemic, but I also lost my uncle in the same year.

Because the pandemic occurred right after our cruise, I didn't get to see my uncle very much before he passed. Especially because he was in the hospital and visitors weren't really allowed. So, that cruise became more special to me as it was really the last time I got to spend much time with him before he passed.

Even though I lost one of the best people in the world, and I miss him more than anything, I am thankful for what his loss has taught me. Now I try to live my life to the fullest. 

Not only did I gain a new perspective on life, but I also gained a love for traveling and seeing different parts of the world. I am forever grateful for what he has taught me about life. I miss him more than anything and wish he could be here to travel with us. 

Now I travel as often as I can. Even when money is tight, I find a way to make it work so that I can have those memories with people. 

Never take your life for granted, because you never know when it will be the last time you see someone. Life is short and fragile, and it is important to keep those you love close.