Dan Booth Editorial Director
We may be able to look back on the bleak midwinter of 2021 and see early signs of a turning tide in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic which has gripped the world for more than a year. At least, that’s the thinking of some leading experts in the field of immunology at this writing. Effective vaccines – developed at lightning-speed and now finally being administered worldwide – coupled with the number of likely survivors with natural immunity in their millions, lead some in the medical community to posit that herd immunity could be a matter of weeks away. Certainly the travel industry awaits with eager anticipation for the dam of pentup demand finally to burst and travelers once again to flood the skyways and highways looking for relief from months of lockdowns, travel bans and sheer boredom. It is likely the deluge will be led by leisure travelers, as unused vacation time and rebooked tickets get soaked up. But business travelers are sure to follow eventually, looking to close long-dormant deals and plant seeds for the future.
With all this in the offing, this issue of Business Traveler is using the opportunity to open our archives and present a selection of stories from the past, before COVID-19 and the disruption of our lives. It’s our way of looking back, so we can look forward; back on some of our favorite destinations and timeless topics, so that when the gates are open once again, we’ll be re-energized for the journeys ahead.
We’ll revisit places where we have found confidence in abundance, like Pittsburgh (Built to Last, page 32), and tranquil escapes, like Barbados (Enduring Love, page 52). Of course, we are very much in the present as well, as we explore a brave new virtual CES 2021 (Baby, It’s a Wild World, page 42).
During the course of this pandemic, we’ve all been disappointed before, as hopeful signs and positive data got dashed by the deadly persistence of the virus, and the fear and apprehension it breeds. And it’s certain that all of us will need to continue to stay smart – wearing masks, keeping our distance, getting our shots. Nothing could be worse than giving up the fight too soon.
Nevertheless, the weapons are at hand to defeat this foe. And business travel, by its very nature is an exercise in optimism – heading off to distant places to get a job done that we think will make the world better for all of us. So we choose to be optimistic, looking back to be inspired as we look forward to the opportunities to come.