It’s now been over a month since the cancellation of the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, which are normally my favorite events of the year. Since then, daily life has changed a lot as we’ve adjusted to being “healthy at home.” The impact of the coronavirus is going to be felt for a long time, and it will likely change some aspects of our lives forever. Not all the changes are bad; for example, I think we’ll benefit in the long term from the increased use of telehealth and more people being giving the flexibility of working remotely.

In the grand scheme of a life-threatening pandemic that has taken lives and disrupted the entire world economy, there are a lot of things more urgent and more important than wondering when it’ll be okay to travel again, but the question still frequently comes to mind for me. Travel is my escape, and I miss it.

Last week, in the new federal guidelines for re-opening America, we got the first look at a plan to begin a gradual return to normalcy. While it’s not an exact timeline, it’s better than nothing. I think most people are willing to be patient and want to protect others, but at the same time, they’re anxious to know there’s a plan for re-opening and want to be able to look forward to the light at the end of tunnel. Based on the guidelines, “Phase Two” is when non-essential travel can resume.

So, when will Phase Two happen? I’m no scientist, but here’s what we know based on government press conferences:

• It is going to be largely up to Governors to make these decisions, so it will vary from state-to-state.
• You need 14 days of coronavirus decline to begin Phase One, along with meeting other criteria like testing and availability of protective equipment that could take longer.
• For example, Kentucky’s public health commissioner explained this afternoon that we need to be testing around 9,000 people a day, and we’ve only tested around 32,000 people in total so far in the state.
• Phase One will last at least 14 days because it requires another 14-day decline in the virus to transition to the next phase.

In the best case scenario, it would be late May or early June to reach Phase Two. Even as much as I want to travel, that’s probably more optimistic than realistic. It also assumes there is no rebound of the virus.

We can also hope summer heat kills the spread of the virus similar to what happens with the flu each year. That would be great, but it’s not something we can count on without actual data to back it up.

As for future travels, I’m still hoping for the best for my planned trip to Isle Royale National Park at Labor Day. It seems like that may still be possible as long as the National Park’s boat service and lodge open up during the summer. It’s a remote location, so it’s socially distant by its very nature! By then, I’ll be wanting to take off the whole month of September to make up for lost time.

In the meanwhile, it’s never a bad time to plan for future trips. Travel goals may be disrupted for now, but I do expect travel to resume and potentially even be less expensive until consumer demand picks up.

Now is also a good time to earn and accumulate travel rewards points on everyday spending. If you aren’t familiar with travel rewards and want to learn more, check out my Basic Guide to Points & Miles. Evaluate whether you have expenses like insurance or utilities can be paid (without extra charge) with a credit card that earns travel rewards, and get those payments set up while you have more time at home.

Also, if you’re ordering items online, look for opportunities to earn extra points by using a shopping portal like Southwest’s Rapid Rewards Mall or United Airlines’ Mileage Plus Mall. Quarantine or not, those are great opportunities to pick up extra points.

Bottom line: Stay safe, try to exercise, look for ways to enjoy this time (study a language, read a book, etc.), and keep the faith that things will get closer to “normal” at some point!

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