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I was back in LBI for a brief moment (and a sunset or two), and then it was back on another plane to California. What has it been like to travel during/post-Covid? I’ll say it has been crowded! All of my planes have been completely full. No social distancing in sight.

In some ways it’s nice to return to the feeling of normal travel. In other ways it leaves me wondering if we’ve opened the floodgates too soon. It’s like there were all of these immediate limitations that didn’t fully make sense, and now the lifting of restrictions makes even less.

I was surprised to hear that we’d be going to an in-person conference for work, but happy since I’ve definitely got the bug after a full year off from traveling. I thought about staying in LA between trips, but I also like going home and unpacking my bags for a few days.

California was much warmer this time. The desert already gets up to 80 and 90 during the day. Luckily, the conference was mornings-only and we had the afternoons off to roam free.

I definitely didn’t spend much time in the room (or get much work done on the computer). The JW Marriott had a ton of options for activities: fitness classes, walking and hiking trails, bikes to rent, swimming pools, and a gym.

We took a bike ride through a nice park, past the flamingos and all different sized turtles.

It was tough to adjust to the Pacific Time Zone, which also made it hard to stay up past 9pm. But I was always up early (like way too early, at 4:30am) to get a sunrise walk or a workout in.

I was sad to leave the desert! I wouldn’t want to be there come summer, but I’m dreaming of a painting class or a yoga retreat there someday. Now I’m fighting jet lag on the other side and struggling to fall asleep before midnight and wake up at 7! It’s funny how quickly our bodies adapt.

No more trips to California in the very near future, but I’ll be going to Colorado next week. See you again soon, travel life!