TRAVEL NEWS

The states are starting to reopen. But is it wise to venture out?

[Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article that originally ran on May 19.] As the United States begins to relax its shelter-in-place orders and some emerge from their homes, many are counting the days when we can get back out there and travel, even if it’s by car to a neighboring community or state. But as we know, a very different landscape awaits out there than the one we left earlier this winter at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. There are things travelers must consider that we never did before, including social distancing and personal sanitization. The big question is: Is it safe to travel in the United States? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pretty clear in its stance. It’s recommended that you stay home as much as possible, especially if your trip is not essential. Social distancing still needs to be practiced, especially if you are in a higher risk category or an older adult. You shouldn’t travel if you feel sick, or travel with someone who is sick. And you need to protect yourself and others by knowing how to prevent the virus from spreading.  Perhaps the most hopeful advice comes from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. According to him, summer travel “can be in the cards.” He urges caution, since we risk COVID-19 spreading rapidly if proper precautions are not taken. “When infections start to rear their heads again,” he says, “we have to put in place a very aggressive and effective way to identify, isolate, contact trace, and make sure we don’t have those spikes we have now.” As long as we’re aware that “getting back to normal is not like a light switch that you turn on and off,” he says, we should be able to get back to some sort of normalcy. So the answer is: We’re not quite there yet. The best thing to do is pay attention to the several-phase reopening plans that each state has developed, outlining when hotels, restaurants, retail businesses, outdoor areas, etc., should be open for business and what precautions they must take. Some states are freer than others—and that’s something to consider. Do you really want to be on a beach where social distancing guidelines aren’t being maintained? It’s a whole new world that we’ll be navigating, literally. The guidelines are fast-changing and it’s hard to keep up, but here’s where they stand today, state by state.

History junkies, right this way.

There’s a reason 14.7 million people visit the pyramids each year, 10 million people journey to St. Peter’s Basilica, and over seven million take in Athens’ Parthenon: aside from the fact that they’re architecturally stunning, these destinations are also old. Very, very, old. There’s a mystical, thrilling quality to stepping foot on the same grounds as individuals who were there centuries before. If you get the goosebumps finding out the doorway you just walked through dates back to the 17th century or the stained glass in the window is circa Gothic period, then the next leg of your journey as a history junkie should be the world’s oldest shops. Dissimilar to cathedrals and ancient temples, it’s arduous to track down shops that have been in continuous operation for centuries. Fires, earthquakes, world wars, financial instability, and just about every other issue that business owners encounter make staying open for several lifetimes a huge feat. Thankfully, some have managed to do it and they offer a diverse smattering of objects ranging from the traditional book shop to the odd (but wonderful) pickle stand. Here are 20 of the world’s oldest shops from around the world.

The lockdown is putting quite a few things in perspective, these images not included.

Photos are important. Generally speaking, yes, but specifically to us here at Fodor’s as we rely on striking, quality images that’ll inspire you to see the world every time you gaze upon them. Our standards are high, and because of this, we peruse photography stock websites for beautiful images of people, places, and things to help bring our work to life. With that said, there have been more than a few occasions where we have encountered photographs on the aforementioned websites that, well…don’t really make sense. And to be honest, the nonsensicalness is at times so overpowering that it needs a place of its own. A place to call home. And what better home for such mystifying imagery than a dedicated article? In addition to looking at bizarre photos, we have added a few questions, answers, and observations that might help both you, reader, and us, try to make sense of the chaos.

Not everyone can have those T-Rex, leading-man good looks.

We all feel a reflexive awww when we think about the dinosaurs who roamed the earth millions of years before human beings came in from stage left. Their majestic size and impossible anatomy sets our imagination alight, wondering how it must feel to see a brachiosaurus reaching up to eat the leaves of a tree or a carnosaur brutally dispatching its quarry. But not all dinosaurs were lucky enough to get the Spielberg treatment. These evolutionary mulligans had great ideas, like huge arms and fringed bones, but they ultimately didn’t work out. While I salute their adventurous experimental spirit, I’m still going to roast them in a listicle.

You think we have it bad…

COVID-19 may be the first pandemic that we’ve personally experienced, but global outbreaks of disease have been around since the beginning of time. While they’ve devastated populations, they’ve also altered world history, spawned management techniques (hello, social distancing), and even provided lessons—most importantly that life does go on. Here’s a look at some of the world’s most infamous plagues and pandemics, and how each one finally got out of the mess.