I hate flying. I hated it when I averaged more than one flight per week a couple years ago, and I hate it today. I’ve also been absurdly careful about Covid, to the annoyance of just about everyone around me. So, even after a month or so of being fully vaccinated, even with the even less stringent CDC guidelines, the prospect of voluntarily going to the airport, getting on a plane and flying anywhere is...not appealing.

But I did it late last week. I flew into LaGuardia, Raph picked me up in the Bug and we drove half an hour so I could drive another Bug, pictured above. It seemed low-risk, and high reward.

And, though I did encounter many of the usual airport annoyances, I was home by dinner and I got to drive a car with 1500HP. I also got to hang with Raph and Kristen Lee for a few. They say “hi”.

Plenty of people kept boarding airplanes, right on through the pandemic. Some were rolling the dice to visit family, some had to work, and others just didn’t want to interrupt their vacation plans and risked it for a poolside Daiquiri.

But now that things are opening back up, the numbers are starting to look better, I’d imagine people will be looking to make up for a year or so at home with some travel. Europe has reopened to vaccinated Americans and a lot other places are cautiously welcoming foreign travelers. What will it take to get you back on a plane, or at least on a road trip? A bucket list item? Paying a long overdue visit to friends and family? Or, if you never stopped traveling, tell us why. Unless you’re one of those weirdos who gets off on not wearing a mask when people ask you to. If that’s you, just...try to figure out how to relax.