Over the past few weeks my husband and I have started to look ahead and make some plans for travel in the next year. Even while the coronavirus surges in some parts of the country and the EU may bar U.S. citizens from entering its borders in the coming week, we’ve decided to broaden our horizons literally and figuratively. While we aren’t contemplating any major international travel or cruises just yet, we’re certainly open to looking at some of the great travel deals out there right now and helping the travel industry bounce back.

Living where we do, we’ve got great options for day trips and weekend getaways, from Crater Lake National Park (just 90 minutes away) and whitewater rafting to jet boating and the redwoods. Because we’ve entered Phase 2 of reopening here, we also already visited some of our local wineries for some wine tasting.

Over a year ago we reserved a week’s stay for this August in one of our favorite places, the Northern Oregon coast, in Seaside. We enjoyed a similar stay two summers ago with our grandsons, and all of us are looking forward to a repeat of days playing in the waves and sand and evenings watching the sun set over the Pacific.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to maintain our tradition of visiting Walla Walla, Washington, in November for the Fall Release Weekend.   It’s an opportunity to try old favorites and new discoveries while sharing the experience with longtime friends from Portland.   We’ve already booked our hotel for that experience as well as the Spring Release event in May of 2021. We really missed this spring’s trip and can’t wait to get back to one of our favorite wine regions.

Our first air travel right now is planned for January, when our nephew will be getting married in Dallas, Texas. We both have Alaska Airlines credit cards and need to take advantage of those companion fare benefits that have been languishing for many months. I look forward to once again seeing this view as we return to PDX from a distant place.

Mt. Hood, Oregon

We’re contemplating a return to Maui, Hawai’i, in April or May, again taking advantage of the companion fares and all kinds of accommodation deals to be found on line. Having first visited there five years ago, we look forward to returning for some snorkeling and taking in the lush vegetation and beautiful seascapes.

We hope by next July that most travel will have resumed, and we’ll toast that milestone with a trip to San Diego for a friend’s son’s wedding, which originally was to have been celebrated this month. Here’s hoping you’re itching to #ComeBacktoTravel and are making your own plans to stretch your wings.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor