Defying everyone's expectations, not least my own, our little alpine village attracted a record-breaking number of visitors during the summer of 2020. A good proportion of the French population, it seems, woke up one morning in July and decided that it was time to skip the beach for once, and go for a hike. The nature reserve that lies at the end of our sleepy little road attracted thousands of these folks every day at the height of les grandes vacances. Nobody had ever seen anything like it.
I did some calling around, and it turns out that the same phenomenon was happening across Europe: protected areas from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean were swarmed with newly minted nature enthusiasts. I pitched it, then wrote about the trend for The New York Times.
In another fun little piece for the NYT, I got to take a mental excursion to my home state of North Carolina. It turns out the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed to cars in wintry weather, but open to snowshoers and cross-country skiers (see below). Now they just need to pick a week in May to close it to everyone but cyclists...
Looking ahead, I'm starting to think about the return of American visitors to Europe (hopefully this summer?), and how travel will change when they come back. I think we'll see fewer city breaks and more road trips; fewer museum visits and more work-on-a-farm experiences; fewer short-haul flights and more long-distance bike rides. Who's up for a car-camping trip, euro style?
What else should I be writing/pitching about? I'd love to hear.
|