The year of COVID-19 has brought so many changes in our lives. The coronavirus has altered so many areas of our routines including traveling within our borders and abroad.

This, perhaps, should be the year we can all forget. With the multitude of disruptions, challenges, and restrictions, this unforgivable year of COVID-19 is, thankfully, about to end. We’re on to the next one.

Among the many areas that were heavily affected during this year of COVID-19 is the transport and travel sector. Below then is a rundown of the highlights.

Worldwide traveling came to an abrupt standstill

During the start of this year of COVID-19, travel to and from Wuhan, China—the origin of the coronavirus—was halted. Eventually, countries closed their borders to all other countries especially those that had numerous cases of the disease. To control widespread transmission, lockdowns and quarantine protocols were initiated, as well.

Airlines suddenly had to stop their daily trip schedules. Maritime travel followed suit as cruise ships slowly became teeming grounds of infection. Experts posit that the travel industry will take years before it gains back the losses it incurred during this year of COVID-19.

Micro-transport began to emerge

Due to the necessity of controlling the spread of the virus, regular public transportation had to be stopped. People had to make do with other travel alternatives. Those who had private vehicles got to rely on them while others who had scooters and bicycles were forced to rely on these implements.

People who did not have their own vehicles had to walk on foot as not many were open to sharing their private rides to strangers. This abrupt change in commuting trends heavily resulted in heavier road traffic and the government must find a way to ease this problem.

The increase in border checks

Because of the increased need to halt the spread of the coronavirus, another trend that emerged during this year of COVID-19 is the increase in border checks. Be it domestic or abroad travel, borders were tightened and various requirements emerged. Several areas within the country required COVID-19 testing for visitors and some kind of quarantine protocols. Many countries adopted the same safety protocols especially in their maritime ports and airports.

Better equipped communities.

Around the world, people experienced the lack and insufficiency of supplies. Disinfectants, medications, and food implements became increasingly unavailable as people flocked to the stores, draining them of the much-needed supplies. Panic-buying became a worldwide phenomenon. Thus, governments had to encourage and limit the number of products allowed per individual so that more people can benefit from the stocks available. There is a need for communities to become more self-reliant in terms of produce so that during such instances of emergency, residents are assured of food security, among others.

Increase in cashless transactions

During this year of COVID-19, people became even more dependent on the internet for purchases. Due to the need to follow social distancing mandates, people were forced to rely on the internet, prioritizing cashless transactions or online purchasing. Businesses had to limit their opening hours, as well, as many employees were instructed to do work-from-home (WFH) arrangements. In effect, WFH arrangements and internet purchases are both due also to the lack of ready public transportation.

Traveling costs a lot of money. You spend so much on airline tickets and lodging as well as getting to your destination and visiting all the amazing sites you went there to see. Rarely do you plan on saving enough money to buy souvenirs to remember your trip by. You don’t want to skimp on your lodging or flight just so you can buy some souvenirs. You want to make sure you’re staying somewhere safe and that you make it to that lodging safely and in one piece. So spend all of your money on traveling safely then use these tips to take home some free or practically free souvenirs that are great mementos from your fantastic vacation that you can hold onto for a lifetime.

Photos

You’re going to take photos when you’re on a trip and those evoke much more memories than some small tchotchke you buy at a souvenir shop. A refrigerator magnet is not worth 1,000 words. In fact, it’s worth about 2 words, refrigerator, and magnet. A photo, however, reminds you of your fantastic trip and there is usually a far more interesting story behind it than the refrigerator magnet. People will much rather look at your photos than your magnets and your trip will seem a whole lot more interesting when you show them that. Also, thanks to your cell phone, taking pictures is absolutely free! Now that’s a good souvenir!

Postcards

Postcards are like photos that have been taken by somebody else and already printed for your convenience. Postcards aren’t free but they cost hardly anything and they’re sturdy so there’s a strong chance they’ll survive the trip back home. If you buy a vase or something glass then odds are it’ll break when you attempt to transport it home, but a postcard is very hard to break on accident and the designs in foreign countries are very cool and often very different to what you can find back home.

Sand and Seashells

Talk about cheap! Filling a zip lock bag with sand and shells is the cheapest souvenir possible. You may feel a little funny spending a day on your vacation scooping sand into a bag, but once you get home and throw the sand and shells in a jar you will be left with a beautiful memento from your trip that will surely be the envy of all of your friends.

Ticket Stubs

You’re going to go see these wonderful sites and shows while on vacation anyway. So why not save your ticket stubs so you have a free souvenir to not only remember your amazing trip to the museum or theater or concert but to remember your entire trip as well. Ticket stubs make great mementos and are often linked with some of the most memorable parts of your trip. So save the stubs and bring them home and you will have a ton of great memories around the house. All of these souvenirs are way more meaningful than ones you can buy in stores and they’re something you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

You love living in the city, but that doesn’t mean you never want to spend your time doing some epic adventures in beautiful nature. The problem is it’s hard to know where the beautiful nature is. If you want to eat a gyro at 3 am you know exactly where to go, but if you want to ride your bike next to a babbling brook you’re clueless. The truth is every city has great public parks that are close enough for you to get there within a half-days drive. No, this isn’t some terrible public park that is just a dumpster surrounded by grass, we’re talking some seriously radical outdoor adventures in some incredibly scenic surroundings.

If you’ve got the itch to get outside the city and enjoy some wilderness try one of these city adjacent outdoor adventures.

Near Atlanta: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

You only have to drive three hours outside of Atlanta to hit the Great Smoky Mountains, National Park. You will find yourself right at the Tennessee-North Carolina border and at the front of a huge park that’s over 500,000 acres. You can hike for 800 miles in this park which also includes part of the Appalachian Trail so you should be able to get your hiking fix. Heads up, this park is also within a three-hour drive of Chattanooga, Nashville, Tellico Lake, Knoxville, and Charlotte so if you live in any of the surrounding cities, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great option for you to get out in the wilderness.

Near Albuquerque: Sandia Mountains

Albuquerque is actually bordered by the Sandia Mountains on the eastern side, so they should be pretty easy to find. Once you get there, you will find plenty of trails to bike or hike on. If you’re looking to get in the water then hop in the Rio Grande that runs directly through the city and hop on a paddleboard or a kayak and get your adventure on. New Mexico is full of fantastic options for outdoor activities that are easily accessible no matter where you live, so if these two options don’t thrill you then you should have no problem finding another one that is extremely close.

Near Seattle: Mount Rainier National Park

If you live in Seattle then you are less than 90 miles away from the breathtaking Mount Rainier. You can enjoy the many beautiful wildflowers on some amazing day hikes, or if you’re really looking to test yourself you can even hike to the summit of Mount Rainier in an epic three-day adventure. Just make sure you’re in good enough shape first or else this trip will be a total nightmare.

Near Las Vegas: Valley of Fire State Park

If you’ve lost all your money in Vegas then maybe it’s time to try the financially stable activity that is hiking in the beautiful 40,000-acre park known as Valley of Fire State Park. You can hit some of the 25 miles of hiking trails and then when the night hits you can stare at the unbelievable Milky Way that shines brightly through the darkness of this beautiful natural park.