Whether it was visiting family, enjoying the abundant snow, or relaxing on the beach, M-A students traveled near and far over winter break. For the first time in two years, students were able to travel internationally for the holidays. Due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, precautions around traveling were put in place in an attempt to slow the spread.
A popular vacation spot for many Bay area residents is Lake Tahoe. After a recent storm, the snow was more abundant than usual, which was perfect for skiing and other winter sports. Junior Alejandra Valdes said, “The snow was awesome, and it was a record breaking year. There were a lot of people on the mountain, but I think they were pretty good at distancing and we were all outside.”
Masking and social distancing was a priority for those who traveled by plane. Freshman Laney Egnal explained that when coming back to the U.S. “You were not allowed to get on the plane back without having a negative COVID-19 test, so then you knew every single person on the plane back here was negative, which was really nice.”
A main reason that students traveled was to visit family. Due to the pandemic, many people have been unable to see their loved ones and were eager to spend the holidays with them. Junior Jack Estes said, “It was very nice. I went to San Francisco to see my cousins.”
Another student said, “I traveled to Denmark to see my siblings and friends. It was awesome to be able to spend Christmas with them because I’m not able to see them very often. You have to be fully vaccinated to do most things in Denmark, so I felt safer knowing the people around me were vaccinated.”
Some students opted to stay home for break which has become increasingly popular due to COVID-19. A student said, “It was actually fun to stay home and to be able to just relax without having to worry about school. I spent a lot of time watching TV and playing games with my family.”
