Since March 2020, the world of travel has changed tremendously, and COVID-19 has impacted all our lives. For us private plane owners, we basically have been stuck at home or in our state or within the United States. Slowly, with the widespread use of the vaccines, the world of travel has opened. And since we fly our own planes, we can go wherever we want whenever we want by following the normal regulations, including the new Covid requirements. It’s just another layer of preparation. Traveling is coming back strong and the capability of our airplanes open many new destinations.
Since the onset of Covid, we have planned and looked at organizing our ninth journey around the world. Usually, we launch in May in order to return to the United States just in time for AirVenture in Oshkosh in late July.
For 2022, the program is ready, destinations are set, and we are in contact with our different partners and with different authorities. However, as we move forward, there’s still a big unknown—what is happening in the Far East? The Chinese, who kind of control that part of the world, have not reopened their borders. As of December 1, Taipei, Macao, and Hong Kong are still closed. Korea, Japan, the Philippines have also closed again.
So, as a decision-maker, can I engage based on this information and commit to operating the trip in 2022? The answer is no. We need to find an alternate. There are still many places that I would personally want to explore, visit, and enjoy.
Paddle boarding on Koko Island in the Seychelles
After taking a closer look at the Indian Ocean, I realized our journey around the world could go all the way up to India, and then head south. Yes, I have been to the Maldives and that was a very exciting destination, but even farther south we have places like Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion. Checking the distances between all of these airports closely, I realized a journey can be made with the airplanes we fly.
Dream hotels like the One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives, the Six Senses Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles, Nosy Be in Madagascar, and the Beachcomber in Mauritius are on our exploration roster.
After reaching Reunion, we cross over to Africa. We will be visiting Kruger Park in South Africa two experience one of their new hotels called Train on the Bridge, following up with a stop in Cape Town to recharge in a large town offering shopping, etc. For the return home legs, we have a stop in Namibia to visit the big sand dunes in Sossusvlei Valley, then on to Sao Tome and Principe, which are just on the Equator below the convergent zone, where during the hurricane season, most of the storms start, then follow the coastline through Dakar, then the Canaries, a little jump into Morocco, then on to Menorca in the Balearic Islands, and then London before flying back home.
Train on the Bridge hotel in Kruger Shalati
As soon as the journey was announced, we received a lot of interest to the point that at this time we have a second journey opening with still some space available.
AS I write this, the new Covid variant Omicron is starting to spread. We don’t yet know how dangerous the Omicron variant is, and we won’t know for several weeks. Scientists also must determine how the variant will respond to the vaccines and treatments. If it’s more virulent, we will have a delta-level impact on travel, hospitality, and the rest of the economy. It can also be just a tiny bump in the road. We just don’t know yet.
Instead of us trying to predict the unknown or speculate without enough information, let’s do something else instead: Take a deep breath, step back, and focus on some grounded truths.
Everyone is tired of this pandemic and ready to move on, but the pandemic is not done yet. We will continue to see Covid variants. Most will fade into the background, while some may be more serious.
More vaccination treatments are every day being developed and released. Unfortunately, we are going to have to adapt our lives, and we have been adapting to the virus for nearly two years. I’m sure we will continue to get better at it.
Life is a gift and every day is a victory in some way, so let’s share that and enjoy our flying and our airplanes to reach these faraway destinations.
Air Journey founder Thierry Pouille has visited 172 countries and landed in more than 95 in his or Air Journey participants airplanes. For more information on guided flying tours, see www.airjourney.com.
