Podcast: Six Feet From Normal — Episode 5

As COVID-19 freezes entire populations in place, the travel industry has been especially hard hit. Analysis from Tourism Economics shows $157 billion in losses for the U.S. travel economy, with four states seeing losses exceeding 90 percent.

This week, we hear from travelers about how the pandemic has affected them. Lee Abbamonte is the youngest person who has visited every country, making his living by posting travel content and analyzing tourism trends. He’s been stuck in New York City for quarantine, and we caught up with him to discuss how he has been coping and talk to about the future of travel.

Next, we hear from Claire Polders, a Dutch author who was forced to cut her worldwide travels short when the pandemic hit. She decided to hunker down in Vietnam rather than return to Europe, and she shares her experience of waiting out the virus in the seaside town of Hoi An.

Finally, we speak with Kenneth Jordan, who leads trips abroad for students. As he juggles the logistics of cancelling trips with the uncertainty of when they can be rescheduled, he is also trying to ease the disappointment of the young people he works with.

Thanks for listening. Be sure to share this episode with family and friends.