COVID-weary Clevelanders share their post-pandemic travel plans for 2021

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Their bags aren’t packed just yet. But these travelers are eager to hit the road again.

And go where? Everywhere and anywhere – to Austria and Alaska, Maui and Mont St. Michel.

Stuck at home for the past 10 months, Cleveland travelers have compiled long lists of places they want to visit when the world is safe again. We asked readers to share their travel plans for 2021, and we heard from dozens of would-be wanderers with an overflowing suitcase of pent-up demand.

Their destinations were all over the map – from Antarctica to Albania, Cincinnati to California.

But some themes emerged.

Many readers said their travel plans revolved around visiting family – children and grandchildren, sisters and cousins, who, in some cases, haven’t been seen in nearly a year.

“We have not seen our adult daughters or other family since last Christmas, so the No. 1 goal is to visit and hug,” wrote Mary Kobelt of Geneva.

Here is a selection of reader responses:

Last year, we booked what we hoped would be the vacation of a lifetime: A Viking river cruise on the Rhine River. Of course, that cruise was canceled and fortunately Viking promptly refunded our total cost. However, that did not reduce our disappointment in not taking the trip. So, being the eternal optimists that we are, we rebooked with Viking again for the summer of 2021. Because of some Viking perks, we will have two extra nights in Amsterdam, then sail through Germany, France and disembark in Basel, Switzerland. Fingers crossed!

— Rick and Carol Chandler, Broadview Heights

In 2021, my husband and I hope to travel to Maui. We were there in July 2019 for our honeymoon and feel that Maui is one of the most beautiful, magical places we have ever visited. We had planned to return this holiday season for New Year’s Eve and my husband’s 40th birthday, but those plans have been postponed. Many people have told us that Maui during New Year’s Eve is wonderful and it is the best time of year to see the whales. Hopefully, we will get to return safely in 2021/2022!

— Kate Gillespy Bowers, Willowick

We went on our 36th cruise on the new Sky Princess in January. We had not traveled in four years due to health problems. We did almost nothing and enjoyed it immensely. We were so satisfied, we were going to sign up for another one right away. Thank God we didn’t. I can’t imagine being trapped on a ship for ages. First, we always get an inside room because we don’t need an outside room. Second, we always bring extra medicine but we don’t bring enough for months!

Anyhow, we would like to go back to Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Washington — especially Alaska. We have friends in North Pole and last time they took my husband fishing on a state lake on their boat. It was a huge lake and they were they only ones there! We would like to take back-to-back cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. My husband thinks we should be signing up for the cruise, but I am nervous about the timeframe for the end of this virus.

—C. Festor, Bay Village

My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this past October; just the two of us at home in front of the TV. Our plans for a return trip to Zion National Park in Utah were put on hold. We’ve been to Zion, Bryce and Escalante a number of times, but for our 50th we had planned to hike the Subway and the Narrows again. We also entered the lottery system in an attempt to “win” a chance to hike The Wave (on the Utah-Arizona border). Hopefully, this summer will see us celebrating our 51st year together in Utah.

—Robert Evans, Hinckley

I am hoping to take my son to his favorite vacation destination, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in August. When I postponed last summer’s trip, I explained to my son, who has Down syndrome, that there was a scary sickness going around and to stay safe we would have a staycation at home. Although he was disappointed, we managed to have a fun summer here at home in “Playa Backyarda.” Except for two necessary medical appointments, we have not had any direct contact with anyone outside of our home since March 17, 2020. It’s been a long haul of living in isolation. My son has been a trooper throughout this ordeal and is looking forward to returning to Playa del Carmen so he can finally visit with his friends there, eat authentic Mexican food and enjoy that beautiful Caribbean Sea. I am simply looking forward to breathing a big sigh of relief knowing we survived the pandemic.

—Susan Hickman, Tipp City

We have a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas to the Caribbean in November 2021. We also have an Amtrak trip to San Francisco that has been moved to May 2021. Both of these dates were changed from earlier dates because we were worried about traveling during the pandemic. We cannot wait to get out of the house and enjoy being somewhere else. We travel every year at least twice. Over the summer, we did drive to Pymatuning State Park and had our own little cabin away from others, so we did at least get away for a short time close to home. But in 2021, we are about to really go bonkers on vacation once we get our vaccinations. And when around others, we still plan to mask up and social distance the best we can.

—Keith and Barbara Jones, Euclid

Our family is planning to travel to the United Kingdom in September 2021. We originally had a trip planned to England and Scotland for May 2020 that was obviously canceled. Our goal is to re-create part of our honeymoon (May 2015) with stops in Liverpool, the Lake District and Scotland. We are hoping that the restrictions will be moderate, we’ll be vaccinated, and we’ll feel comfortable traveling by then.

We’re adding a slight twist to our story — we’re expecting our 2nd child in early March, so they will be around 6 months old when we travel. We are hoping there aren’t any restrictions on children traveling since they may not have access to the vaccine right away. Despite the uncertainties that still exist, we’re optimistic we’ll be traveling abroad once again and making new memories with our growing family!

—Brian Burk, Lakewood

After my three sisters and I had a wonderful time on our 2018 “Sisters Trip” to Paris to celebrate one sister’s ovarian cancer remission, we were set to do another to Venice and Rome in May this year. Alas, the pandemic had other plans. In October, my sister then learned that her cancer had returned, so she is undergoing another round of chemotherapy through February, as she and we all hope that we can reschedule our trip for 2021 if the stars align. As I teach, it would have to happen before mid-August, as I can’t take a holiday during the semester. Fingers crossed that my sister’s chemo triggers remission, that we can all get vaccinated by spring, and that Italy opens up again by summer!

—Deborah Geier, University Heights

My husband and I plan to go to Tirana, Albania in 2021.

My love of travel has taken me all over the world, but there are few places as dear to me as Albania. A few years ago, I met my husband in the quaint mountain village of Lepushe while solo traveling in the Northern Albanian Alps. My husband embodies the best qualities of Albanian culture: kind, generous, family-oriented. He is from the southeastern city of Korce but grew up in the capital city of Tirana. At the time of our serendipitous encounter, he was managing a summer program for children in Lepushe and nearby villages for the nonprofit Balkans Peace Park Project. I impulsively canceled my travel plans and joined him as a volunteer for the last 2 weeks of the summer before returning to the U.S. Over the next 2 years, I spent every vacation day in Albania to be with him. My mom even joined on my final trip before my then-fiance received his U.S. visa. He arrived in America this past March only hours before we closed our borders to most of Europe, and we wed this past summer in an intimate, socially distanced ceremony outside my grandmother’s house in Avon Lake. Unfortunately, most of his family was not able to attend in‑person due to the pandemic. But 2021 offers hope for a family reunion; we are planning a belated wedding reception in Tirana for this fall – and we’re taking my whole family with us!

—Abby and Jonid Sula, Avon Lake

About 5 years ago, instead of buying a second home, my wife Martha and I decided to “put aside for travel” each month what would have been the monthly mortgage payment. Thus, each year, we have a fun-sized travel budget. As we have both recently eclipsed the 60-year-old milestone, Martha and I plan to live out this travel dream, each year venturing off to cities/countries on our “puckett” list, maybe even into our 80s!

Most recently, when I traveled internationally for work, Martha joined me. In early 2019, I had business in Madrid and we parlayed that into a week in Spain, enjoying Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona. In February 2020, I was off to Vienna, Martha again joined and we added Bratislava and Budapest to the itinerary. We were on our way to Singapore and Bali in March when COVID shut us down.

As soon as COVID travel bans are lifted, we have our sights set on Greece and her majestic islands. We’re excited to explore Athens, Olympus and Larisa and have not yet decided which islands are calling.

In addition to our international travel, we like to spend as much time as possible with our five children and grandchildren, so we annually try to book a home on a beach or a lake and live by the motto, “If you rent it, they will come.”

—David and Martha Puckett, Hudson

Family, family, family… We have not seen our adult daughters or other family since last Christmas, so the No. 1 goal is to visit and hug. One daughter is a botanist in the Mojave Preserve and lives in Las Vegas. No casinos, but definitely a show or two and hiking in the desert. Our other daughter is finishing a PhD in Seattle so checking out museum offerings in the city and pursuing a week rental at Mount Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula. While the kids work, we can get on a bus ($1 a day) and get the feel of the city and the people or ride the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

My brother lost his home in the Thomas Fire, Ventura, California, and has finally moved into his rebuilt home so we are anxious to be there, bike on the beach, enjoy downtown Ventura, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria. I have a cousin in Palos Verdes and plan to walk along the spectacular ocean views. Another cousin is in San Diego and a favorite trip is taking Amtrak from Ventura to San Diego and then more ocean views, especially Cabrillo National Monument.

Yes, it’s the “retired teachers’ travel plan” — stay with family — and really experience life in a different city.

—Mary Kobelt, Geneva

We hope to take the kids to Disney World once things go back to normal. We were supposed to go to Disney at the end of March 2020 and then postponed our trip for June. Then we decided to cancel it altogether because of the uncertainty. Our kids love Disney and we can’t wait to have our magical trip with them! Hopefully soon!

—Jessica Moore, Cleveland

On these cold, snowy winter nights, my husband and I sit in front of our fireplace playing a “remember where we were last year” game. A year ago, and for many winter breaks before that, we were in Jerusalem having adventures with four of our six grandchildren, who live there. We might be in the Negev exploring the remains of an ancient city. We could be spending a night in a yurt at an organic farm. Or maybe we’d be weaving our way through the Old City, stopping to have some hummus or praying at the Western Wall. Perhaps we’d be at their apartment making latkes while nibbling on the decorated sufganiyot (doughnuts), which are everywhere during Hanukkah. No matter where we were or what we were doing, we would be celebrating the love we have for our amazing grandchildren.

Where will we go when we are able to travel again? To our grandson’s Bar Mitzvah on July 2. To make the trip even more special, we hope to be heading to Jerusalem with our Cleveland family, including two grandsons who are loyal members of the Cousins’ Club. We’re wishing on stars, crossing our fingers and toes, and even praying a bit that our dream will come true.

—Gail Arnoff and George Woideck, Shaker Heights

We are on the wait list for three days at the Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge for September 2021; we had three days CONFIRMED in September ’20 and I need say nothing more about the cancellation. Once September is confirmed, we shall do Bryce and Zion followed by several days in Vegas including Boulder Dam and Lake Meade.

Option 2: If the national parks are a bust, this option is the northern beaches of OBX, specifically Corolla. Since we’ve vacationed on the Outer Banks for many years, there is a certain magic for us. Your mind, body and soul are refreshed especially if you have several good books and great java.

Option 3 is Bremen, Germany, since two grandchildren have been there since November 2019 along with mom and dad. Zooming is not the same for us, but the 2-year-old grandson enjoys kissing the screen – the closer he gets, the easier it is to count his teeth. We had planned to go in May ’21 but that does not seem doable, especially with no definitive answers regarding the vaccines in Ohio. Our German daughter-in-law says the Christmas Markets are a fun time – this would be a family trip to Bremen and the Christmas markets in mid-December ’21.

—Terrence and Adrienne Dziak, Lakewood

Hopefully, the world will reopen in 2021 and families and friends can be reunited and travelers can once again explore to their heart’s desire. As for myself, the first place I want to travel to is the Netherlands so I can finally meet my great niece who turned a year old last summer. From there, I want to go to Belfast and meet my pen pal who I started writing to when I was in elementary school (many years ago, I might add!). We wrote for about 12 years, then life happened — she got married and I was off to college, and we lost touch. However, with the help of the internet, I was able to find her after all of these years. It would be so wonderful to finally meet her and her family.

—Lillian Gathers, Parma

My husband and I moved to Cleveland 3.5 years ago from the San Francisco Bay area. Health issues, unpacking and a lack of knowledge of how to maneuver the area complicated our first year, during which we found ourselves laughing at the name Shaker HEIGHTS when the only thing “high” to us was the upper tilt to our driveway. Then we discovered downtown Cleveland being DOWN and found Ohio City, the Cuyahoga River and Lake Eerie, along with a variety of neighborhoods and antique shops.

Friends pointed us to other places, giving us tours of Cleveland and Shaker Heights during a snowy Christmas and AsiaTown for the best Chinese food Cleveland has to offer. Suggestions led us to the beauty of Chagrin Falls then Cuyahoga Valley National Park, taking a visiting friend to ride the steam train. Finally we ventured out on our own to the east, west and south. We saw small old towns, college communities, open farmland and glorious forests … and the place I want to revisit first: Oberlin. The pandemic began with being forced to cancel reservations there.

We stayed at the Hotel in Oberlin, a clean, carefully run hotel, perfect for two “old” people with disabilities. We wandered the aisles of the Ben Franklin and ate at the same places the locals did. We hunted books at the twice-yearly Friends of the Library sale. And driving both directions meant seeing a slice of Ohio that makes me happy to be here.

—Charlotte Cook, Shaker Heights

I had planned a driving trip through Ontario to find my ancestors’ home in London, Ontario, before the pandemic. Crossing Lake Erie on the ferry, I would drive to London. Then drive to Hamilton and fly to Nova Scotia. After touring Nova Scotia, I would fly back to Hamilton. And then I would drive down to Buffalo and return back to Cleveland.

I also want to go to the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Belgium. I have a friend in Belgium who I met on Facebook that I want to see in person. So I would fly to Belgium, take the train to see my friend, then take a train across the English Channel through the Chunnel. I want to go on a tour, particularly to the city of Bath, England, where my third great-grandfather and his family lived.

—Susan Clark, Willowick

Our son and family moved from the hectic L.A. life to Bozeman, Montana. As they traveled there, they sent us beautiful pictures along the way. Once we’re vaccinated and feel safe, my wife and I are driving there, stopping along the way to see the beautiful historic sites. Can’t wait.

—Earl and Nanci Stein, Orange Village

When travel is safe again, we have only one destination in mind — Maissau, Austria. Our only daughter Brianna (a North Olmsted girl) became engaged on Easter 2020 to a wonderful Austrian, Dr. Thomas Winkler. They have been living and working in Stockholm, Sweden, but Maissau is his hometown. Wedding plans are underway for a castle wedding in the Maissau area — minus a specific date due to COVID.

Maissau is a lovely village about 40 minutes outside of Vienna. I was thrilled to visit there in the summer of 2019. The photo shows a fun nearby cruise on what I called “the not quite blue Danube” river. I can’t wait to travel there this year with her Dad for this special event. Fingers crossed!

—Noreen Joslyn, North Olmsted

First, I will hug every person I can possibly hug. Then I will have to rent a car, as I do not have one, so I can visit my brother and his very seriously ill wife. Then, I will drive to the ferry boat to Put-in-Bay and visit my sister.

Then, off to points west to see America! Yellowstone, Sequoia and ALL parks in between.

On the way, I will visit a nephew in Colorado and my beautiful, newly-pregnant goddaughter/niece in San Francisco. On the way, I will count my blessings for living in America and having survived COVID.

—Rob Toth, Lakewood

When things get better, I want to go to Antarctica. Months to travel there are limited to December, January and February and they are 21-day or more cruises. It’s the only continent I have not traveled to. A plus is I would leave from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and return to Santiago, Chile — both cities in countries I have not visited. Only South America country I had visited was Peru.

—Howard Lieber, Solon

My wife and I made plans to travel in September 2021 to Barcelona, Spain. And in November 2021, to Hilton La Romana in Dominican Republic.

—Edward Rabinovich, Reminderville

My husband and I are retired and planned on becoming snowbirds, spending two months at the Alabama Gulf Coast, but COVID and hurricanes changed all that. We will be going instead to Panama City, Florida, for a brief respite then heading west to California via the Platte River in Nebraska.

The Platte River is the stopover for the annual migration of over 500,000 sandhill cranes. The timing of this event is usually during March through April of each year. It’s quite a sight to see and hear and we’re looking forward to enjoying this event. Then it’s on to visit my sister in San Diego, my son and his fiancé in Upland, California, and then take in the redwoods and sequoias in northern California. We’ll be driving and staying as COVID safe as possible, always washing our hands and masking up.

—Linda Elk, Vermilion

My first significant trip in the fall of 2021 is going to be to Churchill, Manitoba, to see the community of polar bears that winter there. Tours are managed very carefully with both the safety and well-being of the tourist and the polar bear in mind. Churchill is situated on the Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba and is on a path traveled by polar bears for centuries. And with any luck, maybe see some northern lights. I am hoping to get some great pictures of wildlife and the landscape.

— Kevin Ryan, Westlake

My friend and I are looking forward to spending a week at the John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. The school offers a variety of arts, music, cooking and other classes in a peaceful setting in the mountains.

We have attended twice and always return home rejuvenated. The first picture is the dining hall and the second depicts the landscape.

— Rebecca Tweedle, Fairview Park

I have Ireland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe planned for 2121 — all bucket list items. Ireland in March for St. Paddy’s Day and South Africa and Zimbabwe in September for my birthday. Cross your fingers and your toes too!

— Amberly Markham, Akron

As a professional travel advisor, I also do plenty of personal travel and can speak to my own travel plans that were interrupted by COVID. Taking advantage of flexible rebooking policies with my travel suppliers, I was able to rebook a personal trip to French Polynesia that was supposed to be in June 2020 for this coming, and I have already rescheduled our March 2021 trip to New Zealand for March 2022. I am also working on a return trip to South Africa for next year and currently dealing with availability limitations at the best safari lodges for late 2021. This is something I keep stressing to clients that due to a full year of trips being pushed back, plus all the new trips getting scheduled due to pent-up demand for future travel, availability is becoming an issue at some popular destinations even in late 2021 and 2022!

—Leah Molinari, Rocky River

We are originally from Strongsville and North Olmsted and now live in Carmel, Indiana, for 35 years. Our plan for August is a 50-year wedding anniversary trip to Iceland, Scotland and England. Really looking forward to it!!

—Jerry and Dolly (Rudd) Hughes, Indiana

The first trip will be to visit friends in Maryland then a trip into Washington, D.C. to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A trip that was canceled this year, but a definite for fall 2021, will be taking the RV to Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and the Museum of the Mountain Man. With two other couples, we’re planning a December trip to Williamsburg to stay in an original house as we did in 2017 (photos attached). Also, a trip to Kings Island with the granddaughters to try out the new RV campground. Last, a trip to Italy in February 2022.

—Mark Grimm, North Royalton

My family and I plan to go to England and Scotland this summer. If you buy your tickets now, there are some incredible airline and hotel deals. Deals like this won’t last.

—Charles Thomey, University Heights

We are currently booked on a 12-day trip to Alaska (Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks) in July to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We are praying that the world reopens and we are able to go without getting tested/quarantining. We’re also hoping to getaway over spring break in April, maybe renting a house somewhere on Lake Michigan.

—Bob Milligan, Brunswick

My last foreign trip took me and my significant other to Germany, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic in October 2019. Our passports are up-to-date, so I’m ready to go when a) it is 100% safe again and b) she has accumulated sufficient vacation days. Except for Canada, the 2019 trip was her first out of the U.S.

Next, I’d like to take her to France, England (only because we were addicted to ‘The Crown’) and Belgium. Won’t be my first time, but there is satisfaction in seeing another’s reaction and joy to different sights and sites. Must-sees: the City of Lights (Paris); Normandy and the World War II historical key spots; Mont St. Michel, an incredible sight; and the Loire Valley. In London, the standard tourist sights, but the add-Ins include the Cotswolds, Oxford and Cambridge and north toward Hadrian’s Wall. Brussels is nice, but Bruges is my favorite city in Belgium. We both are WWII buffs, so that generates more exploring in Belgium.

Turn a deaf ear to the stories about Europeans being rude and unfriendly. If anything, I encounter many fellow Americans with a twisted sense of entitlement. Learn a few French phrases. Give off a vibe of courtesy and friendliness and skip political talk. As Rick Steves says, “Keep on traveling.”

— Frank Jancura, Strongsville

For me, touring East Africa will mean stops in Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Zanzibar and (gulp!) Somalia, or, at least, neighboring Somaliland.

In Uganda, the village of Bulumagi will be my destination, to visit the women-led projects of Partnership Uganda: microbusinesses, children’s scholarships, a children’s library and a clinic.

On to Burundi I’ll go, to the poor village of Butanuka, to see the work of Dreaming for Change, a recently-begun preschool, rural girls’ scholarship program, kitchen gardens and porridge feeding program.

Shining Hope for Communities, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya’s sprawling slum, features a school for girls and other projects to help poor people have a better life. I’ll definitely go there.

A sojourn in Ethiopia will include visiting ancient Christian churches carved out of rock and having a meal of spicy vegetable stews served on spongy injera bread, plus sambusas, little lentil-filled puff pastries.

On to Zanzibar, part of Tanzania, because Zanzibar is that romantic-sounding place where I’ll take a spice tour to see how cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves are grown and harvested, then have a meal of rice and curry in someone’s house.

I’ve always wanted to go to Somalia, often considered the world’s armpit, but I realize I would need an armed escort. If I am urged to bypass Somalia, I’ll stop in Somaliland, less dangerous, and meet 80-year-old nurse midwife Edna Adan, famed for her crusade against female genital mutilation.

I’ll return home, head spinning, with tales to tell of lands and programs unique and amazing.

—Sue Spirit, West Salem

Returning to St. John and the British Virgin Islands will be a welcome escape in 2021. Hoping the local Caribbean economies can rebound with the influx of tourists and support from travel.

—David Zavagno, Solon

My wife, Kimberly, and I would like to take our 90-year-old amazing mother/mother-in-law to Santorini, Greece in June 2021.

—George Veras, Brecksville

Once the COVID restrictions are lifted, I intend to visit one location within Cuyahoga County: St. Mary’s Cemetery to set some flowers and say a prayer at the grave of my parents. They departed this life much too soon (2007-father, 2017-mother) and our entire family misses them on a daily basis.

—Dennis Walsh, Lakewood