It’s hard to know even where to begin with describing New Orleans, Louisiana. NOLA. It is unlike any other city in the US. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what makes it so unique but when you learn that the food, music, architecture and language has been influenced by French, Spanish, native American, Caribbean and West African cultures, you start to understand how this beautiful melange created the place it is today. »

The first week of travel was not ideal: a bout of gastritis, travel sickness, bad sunburn and persistent jetlag. The downsides of travelling. But it’s great to be out in the world. We arrived in San Francisco, 8am local time, about two weeks ago. After waiting a few hours in the hotel lobby for check in we finally made it to bed, around 4am home time, for a few hours’ snooze. »

I sat in my hotel room on a Sunday morning, alone, feeling rather anxious. I looked at the clock. It was 7.22am. I was being picked up sometime between 7.30 and 8.00am. I checked my packing list yet again, as if hoping it would provide some comfort. I got up from the chair and sat on the edge of the bed, noting it would be the last time I’d see a real bed for a week. »

The sun is out, a bright halo in a brilliantly blue sky. The air is crisp, cold enough to refresh the lungs but not so cold that I can’t feel the sun’s warmth on my face. The light is bright behind my closed lids. My cheeks are flushed, maybe from the wind whipping my face as I rode down the mountain, or maybe from the third aperol spritz I just finished. »

It’s been almost two years since I was on a plane. In February 2019, we were snowboarding in Japan. Coronavirus was spreading around the globe but it still seemed like an “overseas” problem. After Japan we were going to Europe for 4 weeks, first to Prague, then Italy and St Petersburg. At the time, Italy was one of the countries - along with China, Japan and South Korea - that was experiencing an alarming increase in case numbers. »