Opinion: Travel through a pandemic lens

I have just returned to the editor’s chair after two weeks of vacation.

It was lovely and refreshing to take a break, for sure.

Not that I went — well — anywhere.

We are tapped out financially due to my husband’s lay off during the pandemic, truth be told.

Reflecting on folks’ ability to travel through a pandemic lens, Carolina Cambre, associate professor at Concordia University in Montréal, notes that the virus continued to spread through travel.

“The mutations and variants are here in Canada because people did continue to travel, and because so many leaders prioritized the economy over their people, only to learn that without the people, the economy would crash anyway,” she said.

And what of the status signalling of travel that we all engage in when we post our journeys?

For some, the “look where I can go,” type posts that filled social media pre-COVID were replaced with “look where I have been” throw-back posts.

Of course, I am not saying that those posting intended to show off.

Likely not.

And I certainly do it too, when I travel.

Depending on where you go, travel also can be very humbling and makes humans more worldly and compassionate, ideally.

But let’s be honest, as with posts that highlight a person’s appearance, there’s a bit of an exclusionary quality to the display of said travel through social media.

“We saw this travel-as-status signaling manifest pre-pandemic with the spring break trips, the cruise travel, and the niche and exclusive group trips like safaris,” Cambre said, while stressing travel does not itself create a class divide.

“People in these different socioeconomic status levels might feel that prioritizing certain kinds of travel makes them either look more successful, when they share stories and photos of it, or feel rewarded for their hard work. However, it is possible that people go into debt for travel or find other ways to make it seem as if they travel more than they do. Because evidence of travel, especially to exclusive resorts, or exotic locations, signals a kind of social status. But I would be clear that it does not in and of itself create the divides, these pre-exist the travel,” she said.

Restrictions during the pandemic did not create a more level travel playing field. In fact, quite the opposite.

“Those with multiple citizenships, or passports, and with multiple homes — a summer house in Costa Rica, for example — still managed to take their vacations in even more exclusive ways. There were always ways of getting around travel restrictions,” she said, referencing former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips who faked that he was home while in the Caribbean and folks who travelled to vaccine shop.

“How many people were floating around on their yachts to get away from the pandemic,” she queried.

Cambre said she thinks processing of lessons of the pandemic will take a long time and include grieving and reflection on our collective loss and tragedy.

“Within this grieving, anger will emerge at the realization of how pre-existing inequalities were exacerbated and caused disproportionate suffering amongst people and calls for a recalibration of societal inequities may surface. More and more data will emerge about loss of life and livelihood impacting poorer communities, underrepresented groups and women in asymmetrical ways. Calls for social justice stand to gain urgency.”

I am not quite sure that will be the case, but I hope so.

Meanwhile, I will be right here, saving up for a trip — somewhere.