snic

There was a recent article in the New Yorker making exactly this point. It also describes how Chinese manufacturers have adapted to changing demands for their products due to covid. It's a fascinating read.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...hina-diplomacy

Expat_flyer1

This was a great article, its funny how a big part of the stimulus checks just get passed via Amazon to manufacturers in China.

In our company's case, we definitely would not be able to supply the US with products (that hundreds of millions of people use) without our manufacturing base in China. After Covid I can see more aspects moving to SEA, India, South America, etc but the vast bulk will have to stay in China just because the reliability / productivity here is much higher than anywhere else even before COVID happened (but now especially so)

PV_Premier

We (my g/f and I) had always had a plan to buy a cabin somewhere in the mountains. Going into 2020, we thought this goal was more than 3 but less than 10 years away from happening.

Before COVID we also had been planning to renovate our kitchen and had built a large cash position in anticipation of that project. We got the design work done, but elected not to complete the project because of high cost, not wanting contractors in & out of our house all year during a pandemic, and because after a few weeks of shelter-in-place, we started to recognize that our existing house was not our forever home and we would not be there long enough to enjoy the outcome of the project.

We did not fly all year in 2020, however, in July we felt "ready" to take a long road trip. We visited my aunt and uncle in Logan, UT and went to their cabin at Bear Lake. After that, we came to Driggs, Idaho for 4 days -- a place we probably would not have visited last year in the absence of COVID. Walking down main street we started to look at real estate listings in the windows of various brokerages, and found a couple of interesting options that were achievable against our cash position. We drove home and called up one of the agents the following week. 3 weeks later, we were in escrow, sight unseen on the actual house. I came out and did the inspection and we closed on the purchase around Labor Day.

So, not only did we travel out here last year partly because of the pandemic, but the pandemic also helped cement this place as a longer term fixture in our lives. It's been great so far. We are just wrapping up our 12th full week here since we bought it in early September, spread across 4 different visits. I'll be out here most of the coming summer.

washeelers747

Tentative trip to Dubai. I visited DXB few times in past but feel like I need to hop on plane and use up free Hilton certificates before expiration this summer.

also Dubai offer excellent test capabilities if US maintain that CDC requirement 72 hours before US bound flights. If it’s not for covid travel restrictions, probably head somewhere else, not Dubai.

Repooc17

100K+ flown miles in less than 6 trailing months thanks to Covid. All domestic US trips in the lower 48. Everyone's hunkering down in my state, I'll be traveling! Haven't been infected yet.

the810

Updated list:

• Three 1-2 days trips to Budapest (for a while Hungary was the only place we could visit without a quarantine on return) - fabulous experience, the first time I appreciated how nice the city actually is, despite being there numerous times before.
• Multiple trips to Prague & Brno, including a three-weeks long stay in PRG during the summer when they relaxed all the restrictions (99% normal life).
• Dozen of trips to Malmö and Gothenburg during my exile in Stockholm. I'm also planning a trip up north to Umeå and possibly possibly another one all the way beyond the polar circle around the summer solstice (I've experienced polar night before, but I am yet to experience a polar day).

Overal I've spent 84 nights at hotels (excluding the 6-month stay at a serviced apartment hotel in Stockholm) since the pandemic begun. I took zero flights, three trips on ships (two minicruises, one cruise ferry) and an insane amount of train trips.

I'm considering taking a plane for the first time since January 2020 later this spring, but it will depends on a mask policy of the airline.
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aimango

Even though I was based on US West Coast a couple years ago, never went to Grand Canyon. Finally made it out there a couple months ago and it was beautiful.
Also never had the opportunity to go to Miami in past years, and glad I was able to go while it was quiet and not full of party-goers.