“I just want to go on a trip, no matter where,” says Lydiane St-Onge, a frequent traveler who recounts her experiences on her Lydiane Around the World site and on her Facebook page. “It’s not just the destination that matters, it’s the idea of getting away from it all. “
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Lydiane St-Onge, captured live atop Gray Mountain, British Columbia in 2019.
However, she notes that she will choose her next destination based on the rules related to COVID-19.
“I want to see what the situation is in those countries, what is required of Canadians,” she explains. I will try to go to countries where I feel that the population is predominantly vaccinated, to avoid transmitting the virus myself, even if I am doubly vaccinated. ”
For much the same reasons, Michel Legault, a frequent traveler who has visited more than a hundred countries, has decided to exclude a certain number of continents for the next year, which limits his choices. “I don’t want to venture into Asia,” he says. As far as Africa is concerned, I had looked to Morocco, but there were outbreaks. It cooled me down quite a bit. He therefore envisions South America and, above all, Europe.
Same story with Lydiane St-Onge. “Europe is not far away and it is certain,” she says. It’s a destination that I usually put aside to go to more special destinations, off the beaten track. Maybe I would allow myself to go back to the beautiful cities of Europe. ”
Options for travelers
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHEL LEGAULT
Michel Legault has visited more than a hundred countries, including Jordan.
Loïc Di Dio, deputy director of the Voyageurs du Monde Canada agency, maintains that there are still many choices available to travelers.
“We started from a period when we could barely leave Montreal,” he recalls. Then, we were able to travel to Quebec, Canada. Then, the quarantine was lifted for vaccinated travelers, and there are more and more possible destinations. The desire to travel is so strong that the choice we have today is enough, we manage to find something. “
At Voyageurs du monde, what attracts the most, for the moment, is Europe and Africa, he notes: “After that, we have requests for trips all over the planet. , but our job is to manage to refocus certain projects according to today’s realities. Country handsets should be avoided, which could be complex and require testing while traveling. ”
When choosing a destination, you normally take your budget and the climate at the destination into consideration. The vaccination level is now an important criterion, notes Mr. Di Dio.
If the immunization level at a destination is high, there is a good chance that the trip will happen. What we want to avoid are disappointments for our travelers, we want to avoid further cancellations.
Loïc Di Dio, deputy director of the Voyageurs du monde Canada agency
The art of making choices
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, PRESS ARCHIVES
Venice. Still beautiful.
Even with these criteria in hand, some travelers will have difficulty making a choice. In a book called Get out of indecision, published by Septembre éditeur, Isabelle Falardeau, psychologist now retired, describes some types of people who struggle to make decisions.
There is in particular the perfectionist, who is afraid of making a mistake and choosing the “wrong” destination. “It is a mistake to think that a perfect solution exists”, recalls Mme Falardeau.
There is also the anxiety, who fears loss of control. “I think the pandemic has exacerbated this fear of the unknown,” says Mme Falardeau. People went out less, they were less exposed to the unknown. ”
There is also the one who is afraid of displeasing: all his friends go on cruises, but he is less interested in it. In short, the context also plays a role in decision-making: it is more difficult to make a choice when there are a multitude of possibilities. Before making a decision, you must first know yourself, know what you like.
Thus, Michel Legault’s travels often revolve around hiking or sea kayaking. Lydiane St-Onge also favors outdoor activities. “If there are mountains not too far, if there is the sea not too far, it will call me more,” she says.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Many Quebecers will turn to Europe in 2022. The Louvre will undoubtedly be on the list of places to visit.
Once you know what you like, you can make a list of the destinations considered and write the advantages and disadvantages of each, suggests Isabelle Falardeau. This good old method still works just as well.
“Our brain is not able to retain several pieces of information at the same time,” she says. Our mind is like a spotlight: if I think of Florida, its vaccination rate, I forget something else. ”
We can give a weighting to the various criteria: cost, travel time, etc. But we shouldn’t over-rationalize either. “After weighing the pros and cons, you have to listen to your heart,” says Mme Falardeau. Thus, the results point towards Florida, but we are disappointed. Basically, we dreamed of Italy. We must then trust each other. “
Call to all
Do you want to travel soon, you have a destination in mind, but you have questions related to health measures, the vaccination rate, the epidemiological situation on site? Write U.S ! We will answer your questions in a later article.
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