When the Covid-19 pandemic reached numerous countries around the world last spring, the travel industry took a huge hit.
As areas underwent lockdowns and people started quarantining, airlines and hotels lost a lot of business since there wasn’t a huge need for these businesses.
Even going out into the community presented numerous threats due to the risks of infection.
“My family planned a summer trip to Vietnam, but it was canceled because of Covid,” junior Victoria Nguyen said.
However, recently things have started to shape up for these businesses.
“The travel industry is recovering as numbers continue to decline for Covid cases,” business teacher Gina Consumano said.
An increase in travelling can even be seen in some states.
“I did recently go to Florida and there were a lot of travelers,” junior Jenna Cappello said.
Many people are beginning to make summer travel plans and even some for the upcoming spring break.
There are people that will be travelling to other states or to the many countries that are opening up again.
“My extended family in Texas is planning a road trip to come and visit us in Virginia this spring break,” Nguyen said.
Some of the students and faculty at AHS who have made plans to travel internationally for spring break are Learning disabilities teacher James Bryant, junior Sajal Khan, and junior Kyle Ho.
Ho will be keeping his travels close as he crosses the border to Canada, while Bryant and Khan will journey to the continents of Europe and Africa.
Even though these three will be going abroad, they will still take many precautions to ensure that they will stay safe on their trips while still having fun.

Learning disabilities teacher James Bryant travels to Uganda

Learning disabilities teacher James Bryant is planning on spending his spring break in Uganda, where he will be exploring the beautiful country by himself.
This will be his first time ever travelling to Uganda. In the past he has visited Africa before, but only for a brief amount of time.
When asked how long he plans to stay in Uganda for, he jokingly replied, “I may never return…,” Bryant said.
In Uganda, Bryant has a full schedule of activities planned, which will all require him to spend a lot of time outdoors in nature.
“I will trek to see the primates, sail the lakes, and see the national parks and wildlife,” Bryant said.
He wants to see the gorillas, golden monkeys, and chimpanzees.
On his trek he will also be able to see other animals besides primates.
“There are also lions that climb trees, giraffes, elephants, hippos, and many more,” Bryant said
Bryant also hopes to do a lot of sightseeing while he is on his trip.
“Murchison Falls NP, Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP, and Lake Mburo NP [Places he plans to see],” Bryant said.
Along the way to Uganda, Bryant will be making a pit stop at a popular tourist city in South Africa.
“I will also have a stopover in Cape Town, South Africa, since I used miles to book the trip,” Bryant said.
In Cape Town, he plans on spending some time in the sea with more animals.
“In Cape Town, I want to cage dive with the sharks, snorkel with the seals, and see the penguins,” Bryant said.
He also wants to go sightseeing in Cape Town as well.
“I want to see Tabletop Mountain, Shark Alley, near Gansbaai, the spot every Shark Week features in South Africa, and the penguin colony,” Bryant said.
Two aspects of his trip that Bryant is looking forward to the most is his safari and spending time with the sharks.
Although travelling to a new country during the pandemic can be worrying for some, Bryant doesn’t feel as concerned.
“Africa has done the best of any continent during this pandemic,” Bryant said. “I am more concerned about going to a grocery store in Northern Virginia than I am about going to Africa.”

Junior Sajal Khan travels across the Atlantic Ocean to London

Junior Sajal Khan plans to spend her spring break in the great city of London in the United Kingdom.
She will be travelling there with her mom and sister.
Khan will leave for London on Mar. 28 and spend two weeks enjoying her time there.
She has previously been to London in the past so this isn’t her first time visiting the city.
“I went to London before in the 4th grade,” Khan said.
The main reason for her trip was to visit her cousin, so on her trip, she hopes to be able to spend some quality time with her cousin.
“I look forward to spending time with my cousin that I haven’t seen in years and exploring the beautiful sights of London,” Khan said.
In addition to spending time with her cousin, she also hopes to do a lot of sightseeing all over the city.
The places on her list are the London Eye, London Dungeon, London Bridge, and castle.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the London Eye the most because the view from the top would look so pretty,” Khan said. “I also plan on seeing France from the London Eye.”
One aspect of her trip that she anticipates the most is being able to be worry free.
“I look forward to relaxing and not having to worry about school work the most,” Khan said.
Another activity that Khan hopes to do in London is spend the day shopping.
“We’re probably going to go shopping a lot because my mom, sister, and I love to buy new clothes,” Khan said.
Even though Khan is very excited for her vacation, one thing that she is not looking forward to as much is the possible quarantine.
“We’ll probably have to quarantine for awhile so it might get boring,” Khan said.
Despite the new obstacles that come with travelling due to the pandemic, Khan doesn’t seem to be worried much about the new policies and restrictions.
“I don’t have many concerns, since we will be social distancing and wearing masks,” Khan said.
Khan has also travelled abroad during the pandemic before so that also helps her feel less worried.
“I recently went to Pakistan and everything went okay,” Khan said.

Junior Kyle Ho goes on a family road trip to Toronto, Canada

Junior Kyle Ho has plans to spend his spring break in the country up north, Canada.
He has been to Canada once in the past before to visit his mom’s friend, and will be doing so again.
“My mom wants to visit her old friend from high school who lives in Toronto,” Ho said.
Ho will be driving up to Canada with his parents and brother instead of getting there by plane.
On his way to Toronto, there is a chance that Ho and his family will also stop by New York City along the way.
His family is still discussing the possibility of staying in New York City for a day to enjoy themselves before heading back on the road to Canada.
“I want to go to some shoe stores and also try new foods,” Ho said.
They also plan to make a second stop to visit a famous sight that almost anyone who drives to Canada likes to stop at.
“We’re also going to stop at Niagara Falls and maybe go on a boat tour,” Ho said.
On his trip, he hopes to do some sightseeing.
“My mom’s friend wanted to take us to the Entertainment District,” Ho said. “We’ll probably go to some museums and just browse around the district.”
He originally also had plans to go see the famous CN Tower in the Entertainment District, but his plans were put to a stop after he found out the CN tower would be closed due to the pandemic.
“It’s a shame we won’t get to go,” Ho said.
One part of the trip that Ho is anticipating the most is being able to buy some Canadian snacks to take home with him.
“I love ketchup chips so I’m going to buy a few bags to take home,” Ho said.
In regards to travelling during the pandemic, Ho is not heavily concerned about it.
Since he is travelling by car to Canada, it will be a little safer than if he were to travel by plane.
“I’m not that worried since we’re going in our own car and not to an airport,” Ho said. “But we’ll still wear masks and social distance when we go out.”
His family along with the family of his mom’s friend will also be getting tested before seeing each other.