I thought
2020 was going to be a year of perfect clarity. A year when we could look back with
hindsight on all that we learned, and as travelers, all that we saw, and glean
from it lessons that would move us forward in life. This is after all, what travel
does to those who are paying attention. And it is the definition of 2020
vision. Instead, I have thus far learned something far more meaningful, as
events this year kept me mostly indoors looking at the four walls in my home and
my coffee colored carpet. I had much to think about during our period of
lockdown and slow reopening, which was intensified by nationwide civil unrest
and early curfew in Los Angeles and other major cities.
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| Photos: Jann Segal |
OAT travelers just cannot stay away from travel and sharing
their love of both travel and Overseas Adventure Travel trips. On April 29, 35 OAT travelers met for
the first time all at once via Zoom. The invitation to join the Zoom meeting was made in the Facebook group Friends of
OAT Traveler Discussion Group (not sponsored by OAT). The meeting was
successful, and everyone was enthusiastic about meeting regularly on Zoom and
focusing on discussion topics. One popular suggestion was to have a topic per continent
per week, and let everyone share their experiences on various OAT trips , Africa
or Asia for instance, and the trips they enjoyed the most. This Zoom social gathering both let people become engaged with the thought of
future travel, and it provided some much needed "travel therapy “ at a time when travel
isn’t an option.
