In 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and travel came to a screeching halt. Since returning to the U.S. from Africa, I’ve remained stateside and delayed planning additional travel for my safety and the safety of others. And still, I’m anxiously awaiting the day when travel can resume. In the meantime, I’ve drawn up a list of countries I’ll return to first when travel restrictions lift.

1. Italy 

When I think of the end of COVID-19, I think of spending a month in Italy. I want to eat Neapolitan pizza, travel up the Amalfi Coast, and visit tiny local Italian towns. Italy always offers some of my favorite travel experiences with warm weather and delicious food, and it feels like an escape from the last year of social distancing and self-isolating.

And yet, it is not lost on me that Italy was one of the first countries that was severely impacted by COVID-19. It saw early spikes in its numbers, overflowing hospitals, and hurting families.

I’m not quite sure what I can expect from post-pandemic Italy travels, but I’m optimistic that it will be somewhat similar to some of my favorite travel memories of 2018 and 2019. I await the day that I can eat my favorite pizza in Naples, travel by train without fear of contracting or spreading a virus, and breathe life into the economy through responsible tourism.

Eating pizza at Pizzeria L’Antica da Michele in Naples (March 2018)

2. New Zealand

When asked where I would live outside of the United States, New Zealand always tops the list. I fell in love with the scenery and the friendly locals when I first visited the country in May 2019, and I seriously considered returning for ski season in the months following. As I am no longer traveling full-time, I foresee extended trips and vacations as being my path to international travel moving forward. A week here, two weeks three. I left New Zealand with so much left to explore, and I’d love to return to either island in the future to dig deeper.

Visiting Milford Sound on the South Island of New Zealand (May 2019)

3. Canada

There are numerous times during the pandemic that I wished that the Canadian border was open. For years, I’ve longed to visit Niagara Falls from the Canadian side and combine it with a trip to Toronto. I feel confident that this will be a long weekend trip that I do fairly soon after the world opens up and the U.S.-Canadian border restriction lifts.

Standing on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver (August 2016)

4. South Africa

Given that I visited here in February 2020, I’m even a little surprised that South Africa so readily made the list. And yet, it’s one of the countries I’ve so often thought about during quarantine. I find myself thinking about the places I went to and the locations I would revisit.

Specifically, Cape Town and Stellenbosch appeal to me, and I could see myself revisiting before exploring a nearby country like Namibia or Botswana. I find that trips that combine old and new destinations allow me to revisit past locations without feeling like I’ve seen it all. I inevitably learn something new about the previous location (regardless of how many times I’ve been) but quench my travel thirst by counting that new country.

Posing with the Cape of Good Hope Sign (February 2020)

5. France

Anyone who knows me knows I have no great love for France. In fact, I’d put it at the top of the list as one of the most difficult countries to travel in for a non-native speaker. That said, I know I’ll return to France soon after the pandemic “ends” (whatever that means) because one of my closest friends currently lives in Paris (shoutout Caroline!).

If there’s ever a time to visit France, it’s when you can travel with friends AND when those friends can speak the language. I’m fortunate to have both, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of that. There are also some beautiful areas of France that I’d love to travel to – Normandy is one of them!

Standing on the Garonne River in Toulouse at sunset (November 2019)

6. Turkey

I traveled to Turkey in October 2019, and it was gorgeous. The country lies right in the center of Asia and Europe, and I was traveling between the two at the time. I was coming from Asia and heading into Europe in a round-the-world adventure. I was in Turkey for around 10 days, but it just wasn’t enough to enjoy all the sites the country holds. I missed out on seeing Pamukkale, or the “cotton castle.” That, coupled with my boyfriend’s deep desire to visit the country for the first time, will likely result in a trip to Turkey in the next couple of years.

Twirling in front of Galata Tower in Istanbul (October 2019)

7. Thailand

I had a fantastic time in Thailand in July 2019 when I went during my post-grad travels, but there’s one attraction I wish I could have seen: the annual lantern festival called Loi Krathong. This lantern festival is celebrated across the country, but the best views are in Chiang Mai, a city that I loved. Because the lantern festival typically takes place in November, I’d love to go to Thailand for this event after the pandemic has ended and then head over to the Philippines once the rainy season has ended. I feel like this would be the perfect kick-off to a Southeast Asian adventure.

Bathing elephants in Chiang Mai at Maerim Elephant Sanctuary (July 2019)

8. The Philippines

Ah, the Philippines. When I think about my original trip to the Philippines in August 2019, I’m sorely disappointed. The people in this country were so genuine and kind, and the weather was simply awful. The end of my trip to Vietnam got rained out due to a typhoon in the area, and the weather didn’t improve when I got to Manila. Fortunately, or so I thought, I was headed out to Coron (in Palawan) shortly after I arrived.

I got on the plane and fell asleep in my normal travel fashion. When I woke up about an hour and a half later, I was confused. The flight was only supposed to be about 45 minutes, and I had clearly missed all the in-flight announcements.

Not long after I woke up, the plane landed back in Manila, and we were (once again) told that, due to weather, the plane was unable to land in Coron. We could either be rescheduled or refunded. Due to the way my trip was scheduled, I wasn’t able to reschedule.

So, I ended up spending the next 5 days in Manila with bad weather. I worked, got my teeth cleaned (thanks dental tourism!), and took a local tour via Airbnb experiences, but I ultimately felt a little cheated. I don’t feel like I truly saw the Philippines in all its glory, and I’d like to return to do the trip justice. As the best time to visit the Philippines is December to January, this would line up nicely.

Posing in front of the Rizal Monument in Manila (August 2019)

9. “China”

Alright, politically and diplomatically, this is only a technicality. I’ve visited Beijing under China’s visa-free transit policy. However, in the future, I’ve interested in going to Hong Kong. Hong Kong exists as a Special Administrative Region controlled by The People’s Republic and doesn’t qualify as its own country (yet). It’s a system that exists as “one country, two systems” that allows for the coexistence of socialism and capitalism under mainland China.

I had tickets booked to go to Hong Kong in September 2019 but canceled them after some of the riots were located at the airport. I’d love to make the trip while I return to Asia for the Philippines and Thailand.

Visiting the Great Wall of China (September 2019)

10. Uganda

Perhaps putting this one in the top 10 is wishful thinking. A trip back to Uganda would be a big trip and almost certainly be combined with countries in the surrounding area. However, much like the Philippines, Uganda is a country that I look at and feel a little bit cheated by, or maybe the world cheated me.

I didn’t see mountain gorillas or even travel away from where the airport was located. In those couple of days I had in Uganda, I barely left the hotel and had little opportunity for local activities. No other tourists were in the area, and the rain fell heavily.

On March 16, 2020, I flew from Entebbe to Cairo to JFK to return to the United States just days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. I left feeling as though I’d need to go back for it to “count.” I’ve felt bummed for nearly a year that this was my final international experience. I didn’t exactly go out on a bang, but I also remember those days of uncertainly and just wanting to get home. I only hope that I’m able to see Uganda in its true beauty one day, so I know that my memories of it at the start of the pandemic are not what it’s truly like.

Taking in the beautiful landscape of Entebbe — even in the pouring rain. This is one of the only photos I have of my time in Uganda. (March 2020)

Bonus: Germany

I wrote this entire blog before I realized that I had left out a country that I absolutely see on my top 10 list, but I couldn’t decide which to knock off. Alas, I’ll just tack one more on as a “bonus.”

In October 2020, I had a big bucket list item I hoped to check off: Oktoberfest in Munich. Unfortunately, the event was canceled in the spring as COVID-19 raged. Nonetheless, in the next couple of years, I intend to experience Oktoberfest. I hope to go when I’m still young because I’m not sure that experience will age well with my hyped-up expectations.

Eating a pretzel on the street in Berlin (May 2018)

Final Thoughts

Did you enjoy returning to the world of travel amid COVID-19? Come back soon! Check out next week’s blog on Top 10 Countries I’ll Visit Post COVID-19.