Presguy

I don't blame you one bit for feeling withdraw. I haven't got ~3 million miles under my belt, but the ability to hop on a plane and go see a friend for a weekend, or a game, try some new food, or see different scenery.. I've been missing it so much over the past weeks. I had an essential(domestic) trip the first week of April. I've got another coming up the first week of May.

It was, to me, a bit surreal - nearly empty aircraft, three or four cars in the hotel lot, dusty rental cars with dead batteries.

Like you, I've spent hours browing Google Flights and a raft of other deals sites. The temptation is so strong, and travel costs so low, right now. At first I thought about an air round trip, either same day or overnight, somewhere. But there's so little that's open - even parks and such.

I looked at something similar to what you're talking about - a one way flight and driving back. In my head, that drive would be the "trip" in itself, and would scratch that itch I've been missing.

I don't have an answer for you - it's an ethics question, not a travel question. I tend to think of *myself* as fairly invincible - my emotional brain trumps the rational one on that. OTOH, I'm well aware that me taking the trip has risks not just to me - but to lots of unwitting innocent people along the way.

For me, I've scratched the itch by booking over a dozen trips for June all the way through Feb of next year. The earlier ones are domestic - and if they get cancelled cause of conditions, oh well. The later ones become more international - Brazil for a BJJ camp. Thailand for a week of kickboxing. Diving in Belize. Looking forward to that stuff is helping me with the current drought.

That said - I have a serology/antibody test on Friday morning. My *hope* is that it returns a positive antibody result - and many peers I've talked to feel the same way. If a doctor/epidemiologist/scientist wants to correct me, go right ahead - but my understanding is that a positive antibody test makes one far *less* likely to infect others. One day I'm betting that will affect the permissions *given* each of us. But, for now, I'm hoping a positive antibody result happens, and that it can give me some (well reasoned, accurate) ethical assurances about travelling without harming others.

EDIT: To address one other point you made - yeah, I'm not worrying about C+/J/F for any of those trips. Normally I'd book C+ or better depending on flight time. Now, though.. planes are mostly empty.. early boarding doesn't matter, space isn't an issue, and no meal/bev service anyway. If things are looking more crowded/"old normal" once the flights happen, I can always upgrade. Not earning 100% mileage or whatever doesn't worry me since I haven't been a loyalty shopper on this little "spree".