I guess this story starts in August of 1992, when I was randomly assigned into a work group at UCCS that included a whip smart, crazy beautiful and driven woman. We struck a friendship, then more, then suddenly we are planning our 25th anniversary celebration. We talked about it for years, then landed on the idea of a photo safari in Africa (I am an enthusiastic hobby photographer, and spent the pandemic acquiring gear and knowledge and practicing).

Heather is an amazing travel agent, and went wild finding all the coolest stuff for our trip in June 2020. Then… COVID. It was clear we would have to reschedule – we thought, to October 2020. Nope. March 2021? Nope. September 2021? Along came the Delta Variant. Lots of anguish ensues. Studying trends, debating what’s the safe thing, the right thing? I was firmly for rescheduling, again – but Heather had had enough, and there are some compelling reasons to go forward.

First, we just don’t know the future. Many things could happen in the next year that make the trip impossible. Second, the economy in Africa is reeling – tourism is hugely important to the people who live where we are going. This ties directly to the animals – people have to eat and tourism beats poaching. Third, the lack of tourists now will make the experiences more special – less human disruption to animals, plenty of capacity at the sites we are going to. And finally, with full vaccination and good precautions, our meaningful risks are relatively low.

This is not pre pandemic travel, to be sure. We will have to take and pass Covid tests basically continuously on the trip, and a failed test will mean weeks of quarantine and an end to the trip. We will be contact traced through the trip, adding tons of paperwork. Some sites will be closed to us, as will most cultural experiences, because of the virus. We will see how it goes. Luckily we are both very experienced travelers and are going in eyes open.

If you are considering big travel right now, I hope we can paint a useful picture of what it is like to be out in the world right now.

Ultimately we are taking a leap of faith together. Time to hold hands, and jump!