I would just add that you should always be hopeful and enjoy the planning process. We were away (HHI, South Carolina) last year when this whole thing really ramped up. We own a couple of timeshares and try to use them as much as possible. So far that has meant planning two more vacations and cancelling them as things have continued to play out. The first cancellation (Laurentians) cost us a few $$, but the second one I didn't commit as hard. It's hard with timeshares because bookings need to be made months in advance. It's a bummer each time we decide to cancel. And it hurts a bit more when the time comes and you are still at home (March break will hurt most this year), but then we just double down and plan again.
We'll see how the next year plays out. We already have two camping reservations lined up for the summer (May 24 and Canada Day) and will try for a couple more weeks as the Provincial Park windows open. We are hopeful for our regular November getaway this year, probably Saranac/Placid if the border is open again. And March 2022 we really hope to be back 'home' in Orlando. But we shall see how it all plays out. My biggest coping strategy is to try not to get too invested in the trip. Now I start planning with the expectation that it may very well not happen at all.
We do expect that travel will look different for a few years. Luckily we usually drive for our vacations; not sure how I'm going to feel about air travel for a while. Automobile travel gives us a lot more control over our environment, more flexibility in travel windows in poor weather, and a lot less stress. Driving north last year as things were shutting down, we were already adapting to the new reality and mostly felt comfortable. Bathroom stops were probably the worst part, but a handful of Lysol wipes helped; PA was interesting because the state closed all the rest stops (later reopened when the truckers revolted).
I expect that some of the adaptations we have made will continue for a long time. I'll be keeping the latex gloves in the car for pumping gas (some stations now have these at the pumps). I'll have wipes in the car for the foreseeable future (actually I usually had them in the car anyway, but used them less as the kids grew up). We always brought some of our road meals along, last March we ordered a couple of delivery pizzas before heading north and kept them in the car cooler. They sustained us through a couple of days driving home along with some sandwiches and cut veggies and dip, only stopped for an occasional drive through coffee.
As I said in an earlier post, things will continue to do what they will do, and I'll sustain myself with the dreaming and planning if that is what it takes. We'll enjoy what life allows to do, and try not to worry too much about what we can't or won't.
(OBVIOUSLY I wish there was no such thing as COVID.)
