Posted: 3/25/21 | March 25th, 2021
Slightly more than a year ago, I flew home from Paris with the desire to do one thing: stay in place. I cleared my travel schedule, signed up for dating apps, and joined numerous social clubs in Austin with two goals in mind. I wanted to: (a) find a girlfriend and (b) expand my social circle and make new friends in Austin.
I wanted to settle down and build a life for myself in the city. It was going to be a time when I planted some roots.
Then the coronavirus hit, and though I was still not traveling, I couldn’t do any of that settling-down socializing stuff because, well, everything was closed because of COVID.
Like most of you, in the past year, I’ve sat home a lot, read a lot, and cooked a lot — and was bored a lot. I’ve gone through bouts of “I’m going to make it through!” and sheer madness. It’s like this SNL skit (the video is only available in the US):
I did “travel” some. I drove home to see my parents in Boston and had a few weeks in Maine.
I spent six weeks in Mexico in an abortive attempt to live there for the winter.
But, mostly, I was alone in my apartment.
That’s not to say nothing good happened.
In the past year, a lot has happened on this website that wouldn’t have if it weren’t for COVID: We slowed down and reassessed our goals. We slimmed down our company, got a handle on our finances, and became thriftier. We started virtual events since we couldn’t do in-person events — and they are such a hit that we’ll keep doing them.
Though we had to cancel it this year, I feel good about where we are with the future of TravelCon, and about where we are at in general when travel returns.
And on a personal level, I got a lot better at cooking, learned to sleep better, cut down my alcohol consumption, and read a lot more than I normally do.
But here’s the thing: I never truly understood the phrase “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” until now.
Travel — an integral part of my life, my career, my identity — was ripped away from me. So much of what I took for granted was gone quicker than those via Thanos’ snap.
I may be an introvert, but travel is where I get to play the part extrovert — it’s the other side of this Gemini’s soul.
Before, I could go out in the world, be the extrovert, and then retreat to my house to books, Netflix, and my cozy introverted nature.
COVID took that away from me and, as a consequence, I felt a bit listless and empty over the last year.
But now, thanks to the vaccine, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I’m ready to no longer take things like travel, friends, and family for granted.
The pandemic has changed a lot about how I view life. While I still want to settle down here in Austin, right now, I have some living to do!
Last year, the pandemic shut down the hostel I co-own in Austin. After a year of being empty, the building is finally being sold, which coincides with my apartment’s lease ending.
So I’m selling my stuff, getting vaccinated (50% of the way there), putting the few things I’m keeping in storage, getting in my car, and driving until I lose the road. My general plan is to road-trip around the United States until the end of May, journey home to see my parents again, then, hopefully, head to the Middle East and Europe before coming back to Austin in September.
Specifically, there are a lot of national parks I haven’t been to yet that I want to see. I’ll drive west to the Grand Canyon, then up into Utah, visit all the parks there, then up to Boise, over to Portland, and down the coast to San Diego, where I’ll leave my car with a friend and fly to Boston.
From there, I’d like to do Oman and Israel before going to Greece then trekking around the Balkans.
On the first part of the road trip, I mostly don’t plan on seeing people. In fact, I won’t run into friends until I hit Salt Lake City. Before that, it’ll be just me, lots of podcasts, takeaway food, and the great outdoors! Even though I long to hang out with people and hug strangers, I’ll wait until more of us are vaccinated for that.
But it’s all up in the air depending on what’s open and vaccination rates.
Sure, it could all go to shit and none of it could happen. The pandemic has taught us that you never know what tomorrow brings. But there’s trip planning in my life again and the knowledge that some travel will be possible soon.
It will be good to get out there again. To see the world, to meet people, to write stories again. I had planned to write another book this year, but because of COVID, that plan is shelved until next year. Then again, maybe a new book will come out of this experience. Who knows?
You never know where the road — or the world — will take you, right?
So off I go on a new adventure, with gratitude for the ability to do that again and a larger appreciation for nature, my friends, family, and life in general.
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Rachelle
I’ll make sure to wave at your general direction when you make it up here to SLC!
Veronika
Bon voyage, Matt! Fingers crossed you get to do all of that including the Middle East and Europe.
Sally Upton
Thanks for the article Matt. Why will you be going to Oman, though? That is one of the most repressive countries in the world. Definitely not a good place for women, or tourists for that matter.
NomadicMatt
Oman is very safe to go there for tourists. My friends are from there and I know lots of people who have visited. They have some excellent hikes and beaches to explore.
Chelsea
Hey Matt,
Can I ask why you’ve chosen to visit Europe right now? The USA has been doing fairly well with vaccinations but most countries are struggling with the beginning of a third wave. My loved ones can’t even leave their homes or see their kids, and as much as we all want to hit the road again, doesn’t it seem like a better plan to stick to the USA for the time being?
Dale
Simple answer: USA is boring, EU is awesome.
Dorrie
EU is boring right now. Everything is closed.
NomadicMatt
My current plan is to get to Europe in July so I hope by then it will be ok. I’ll be around the US until early June and then, when my road trip is done, will reassess things based on the current situation! It’s all tentative right now.
Pati
And I thought you have settled, it sounded at times lol Travel is a drug, I understand it now. I was also planning to go to Greece but as I haven’t travelled solo to South America, this is my next destination. Looking forward to reading your stories from the road.
Gava H
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing amazing tips.
Since you resumed traveling, I’ll request you to add Uganda on your travel bucket list, it is an amazing destination with variety of adventures to offer.
Spending $50 per day on a Uganda Safari gives you a more than a budget experience. Think about it
NomadicMatt
It’s already on my bucket list! 🙂
LG
I don’t think Europe in the summer is going to be feasible tbh. We’re in a bad way over here
NomadicMatt
We’ll see. It’s all tentative right now. I think many countries in Europe will open up to vaccinated tourists. But time will tell!
Molly
Good luck Matt! The contra pulls of the open road and settling down tug at my very own heartstrings. I hope you have the most fulfilling trip and please detour through New York City and say a quick hello to those of us in travel withdrawals!
Jamie Williams
Tone deaf.
NomadicMatt
Thanks for such an insightful comment.
Sarayu
Hello Matt!
When you meander around the Balkan, I strongly recommend planning to hit up Guca Trumpet Festival if it happens this year! One of my favorite travel experiences!
zhed_be
Lol, same here, it’s a good balancing act, head out into the world and then retreat back to cozy comfort of books, music, movies and other stuff. The pandemic has highlighted the things that truly matters in life. Good luck, enjoy, and stay safe on your travels!
Yalda M
Great article! I’m in the same boat as you. I went to Miami and was on cloud 9. Beach, sunshine, good food, nightlife and meeting new people – what more could my Sagittarius soul want? I’d love to road trip in the West Coast. I’ve been to 27 states and 15 countries. Italy is calling my name though, I’m hoping cases drop and borders open so that I can work from there for a couple of weeks. You should look into Albania – I was reading up on it yesterday (just in case Italy doesn’t work out). Enjoy your adventures – keep it spontaneous! 😉
Florian Wilhelm Dirnberger
Hello from Germany there (I am from Nuremberg, Bavaria).
I just recently discovered your blog. I like your genuine articles and I sympathize a lot with your situation.
Things seem to get really worse in Germany right now. And In regards to carefree travel, one has to calculate rather with months than with weeks.
I was lucky to travel quite a lot last year in January and in summer and fall (Slovakia, Lithuania and Italy). I am grateful for that.
But when you are single, meeting new people appears indeed like a hopeless endeavour at the moment (apart from using dating apps which I detest).
Sitting isolated at home all day with that excess of conveniences/distractions at one’s disposal is comfortable and many secretly enjoy it I guess, but that cannot be the natural order of things.
So we all look forward to the post-covid era, and I hope for further insightful and helpful articles on this blog.
Desi Pritchard
Hello Matt,
I know you have visited Portland before and love it. I would suggest that you are prepared for a change- Portland has suffered greatly with the riots.
I would advise to take some time and travel south to Oregon City, where I live, and the Willamette Valley. It is beautiful and downtown OC has some great places to eat. There are some wonderful places to kayak.
Our beaches are also amazing and can be done in a day trip.
Let me know if you need any tips or help while you are here. Enjoy the trip!