Chances are you’ve had to cancel vacation plans this year. You probably felt bummed about it – and guilty for mourning lost trips while the COVID-19 pandemic has caused others to lose much more. It turns out that disappointment about canceled trips goes beyond feeling sad.

The “Flight to Nowhere” is becoming a phenomenon. The idea of getting on a plane with no destination, flying for several hours and then returning to the same airport is gaining traction worldwide. In fact, Australia’s Qantas Airlines recently offered such a flight, and it sold out in 10 minutes.

Travel photos aren’t just about where we have visited. When it seems like the pandemic has shrunk our world to our living rooms, they reflect what makes travel important, whether that means experiencing far-flung destinations or sharing time with family and friends.

I couldn't believe what I was visualizing after stepping off the Mount Rainier Gondola. A stranger confirmed what I experienced. "It just doesn't look real," the gentleman from Brooklyn said. "The only other place I've been to where it's just too beautiful to believe is Hawaii."

In the early days of the pandemic, New York was the focal point of the outbreak's wrath. After shutting down for months to flatten the growth curve of the novel coronavirus, the city is opening up again for residents and visitors alike.

A first glimpse of Crater Lake in Oregon is rather difficult to top. It is dazzlingly blue, almost falsely so. You can see nearly all of it from the many roadside vantage points. And when your eyes scan its surface, no one is tubing. No fishing boats. Not even a kayak.