We Asked Travel Influencers Which Destination They'll Visit First After The Coronavirus Quarantine

By Kimberly Wilson · April 14, 2020November 4, 2020

Have you checked on your traveling friends yet? More than likely, they’re not holding up well during this quarantine.

Many countries around the world (including the United States) have enforced travel restrictions to curb and contain the spread of COVID-19, forcing airlines to suspend flights and cut off entire routes to destinations altogether. This, of course, has forced many of us to cancel trips, weddings and special events that we’ve been planning for weeks and even months.

But above all—it’s better to be safe than sorry.

And the good news? Travel will soon come again. And until then, many of us are counting down the days until we can finally take those 2020 trips we’ve been plotting since last year. And because we’ll all want to make that first trip as epic as possible, we’ve gotten help from a few travel influencers to help inspire your first trip post-coronavirus.

Israel

I am definitely looking to visit the final destination on my bucket list—Israel! The Holy Land. I was counting the days to my departure on March 19 when I received a call that my trip had been canceled due to Israel quarantining all arriving flight passengers for 14 days. I’ll be rescheduling as soon as the all’s clear has been announced. —Charlotte Simpson (@TravelingBlackWidow)

The Grenadines

The Caribbean is my beat, and one of the places I’ve missed most since the lockdown is its beaches. I long to float in Windex-blue water, to witness the calming repetition of waves against the shore and to inhale the delicious salty tang of the air. Post-pandemic, Petit St. Vincent, an all-inclusive private-island resort in the Grenadines, is where I’m heading. It’s just 115 acres and has only 22 villas, so I feel it would offer a gentle transition from isolation to being in public again. And, with four beaches, I’d have plenty of opportunity to get my daily dose of “vitamin sea.” —Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon (@JetSetSarah)

Nigeria

After all this is over, I’m eager to visit Nigeria so I can finally experience the country’s rich culture. I grew up around Nigerians and have always been a huge fan of the music, film and spirit of hustle that characterizes the nation and its people. I’d especially love to head to Lagos so I could check out the markets (and popping nightlife). Also, after having visited Ghana a couple years ago, I’d really like to go to Nigeria so I can finally settle the age-old debate of which country has the best jollof! —Oneika Raymond (@Oneikatraveller)

Brazil

I actually put all of my things in storage and moved out of my apartment in the middle of February for the purpose of traveling the world and, due to COVID-19, have ended up self-isolating with my family in England since March 11. My first destinations after quarantine are Brazil and Senegal! I hope to go to both countries for about a month each to practice dance and their local language as well as just explore and give myself a chance to learn more about myself and a new country. I would focus on learning Portuguese and Samba in Brazil, and French and west African dance in Senegal. I love the rich culture of both cities and think a month would be a beautiful amount of time to really enjoy the new lifestyle and experiences each city can provide. —René Daniella (@OwnByFemme)

Ghana

Because of COVID-19, I’ve had to cancel so many trips that I was looking forward to! I was supposed to be visiting Democratic Republic of Congo in late March, which was set to be the last trip in my “Heritage Journey” travel series, in which I visited all the countries in Africa that showed up on my ancestral DNA test results. I was also supposed to be touring the beautiful southern coast of Italy in April, and for obvious reasons I wasn’t able to make it happen. As of now, my first trips will be back to Ghana in August and Kenya in November, as I’m hosting group trips there through my business Global Royalty. I’m so excited to connect Black people with the continent and show them experiences they’ll never forget. And personally, I hope to visit Morocco and Namibia as soon as possible! —Rondel Holder (@SoulSociety)