What is one thing that we all love and look forward to? If you said vacation, take a second and pat yourself on the back. For many people, their extremely busy work schedules prevent them from taking the trips they desire as often as they would like. As the pandemic aggressively swept through the world, it became even more complicated for people to take their much-desired vacations. Throughout the pandemic, flights all around the world became almost as inexpensive as snacks from your local convenience store, and those who were unafraid of the pandemic took full advantage.
During the nationwide virus spread, quite a few places received many visitors that were undaunted by the thought of becoming sick. With so many things to do at all hours of the day and night, the country’s second-largest state, Texas, takes the top spot when it comes to where people traveled the most during this time. With the massive variety of climates, beaches, and mountains, it makes sense why this hot state became such a hot spot.
Coming in at number 2 and not too far behind is live and multilingual New Orleans, Louisiana. With its many different cultural dining options and extremely exciting live music scene, New Orleans has everything one would want to see, whether in a pandemic or not.
In third place and not too far from your very own Greenville is beautiful scenery that is obvious as to why it attracted so many people during these times, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The Ozarks features hundreds of some of the most beautiful beaches and so many available water activities, such as fishing, skiing, and even hiking.
Not too far behind the lovely Lake of the Ozarks is the one and only California. California is known to have countless activities and sceneries for everyone. Whether you like to shop, visit lakes and amusement parks, or even eat many different cultural foods, California is your one-stop shop for doing so.
Lastly, at number five on the list, is the beautiful and tropical land of Florida. This state is known nationwide for having some of the best beaches known to man. With the big blue sky and steaming hot sun watching over you, who would not want to enjoy a gorgeous day on the beach at any time of the year?
When asked which of these vacation spots stood out the most to him, Greenville University sophomore Benn Jane stated, “Of all of these places, I love Cali the most. The weather there is amazing and there’s never an opportunity to be bored. Although I wouldn’t visit in the middle of a pandemic, I definitely wouldn’t mind living there!”
With vaccines being provided all over the world, hopefully, travelers will not have to risk their well-being for a little vacation time much longer. As the pandemic numbers begin to die down, now might be the perfect time to start planning your next much-needed vacation for once finals week comes to an end.
Good luck on all upcoming finals and finish strong! GO PANTHERS!
Media by Dustin Bankowski
