With Australia's states all inching closer towards the government's vaccine goals, the concept of international travel is finally looking like a realistic goal in 2022!
So to get Aussies planning for the days when — not if — we can take to the skies again, we asked the BuzzFeed community to tell us what's at the very top of their travel bucket lists.
1. "I want to go to Japan or South Korea, but mostly I just want to be able to see my family in Melbourne."
2. "Get me to New York ASAP. It's the strangest thing to miss the smell of hot garbage; the overcrowded, sweaty subway; a strange man spitting in your face at Times Square. Ah, sweet summer days in the Big Apple."
3. "I have not seen my partner in two years and desperately want to fly to Bali to see him. I also want the Australian people to return back to Bali, their country is doing it so hard with no tourists and no income."
"I also want to fly to Switzerland to see my brother who I have not seen in eight years, was meant to be doing both of these things but COVID-19 stopped those plans."
4. "I want it to be safe to travel between NZ and Australia again. I'm very high risk, so I need high vaccine uptake and likely a variant booster."
5. "I missed my quintessential Europe backpacking trip in 2020 — lost thousands of dollars in non-refundable bookings, but I'd risk it all again to get over in 2022."
—Facebook / Mary Anna Green
6. "Fly to Dubai to visit family. The last time I saw them was when I flew to the UAE in February 2020, right before everything went haywire. I plan to go on a food trip to Italy and Spain and a family visit to the US, but I reckon that would have to wait for a while."
7. "I haven’t seen my 80-year-old father since 2019. He raised me as a single father and he has always been the number one person in my life. He lives overseas and we used to see each other at least a couple of times a year."
"But since COVID-19 hit, those trips that I’ve always taken for granted are just impossible now. He missed my sister’s 50th birthday, he hasn’t been able to visit where his late brother is buried like he used to every year, and at this stage, it’s looking like we might not see each other this Christmas either, because of Australia’s awful handling of vaccines and lockdowns.
I wish I could give him a big hug, cook dinner and sit and listen to his stories again. I had a big trip to Asia planned in 2020, but I don’t care about that. I just want to hang out with my dad at his house."
8. "Chile. It's where a chunk of my family comes from and I still have family that I have never met. I also would love to explore South America, it just seems so spectacular. New Zealand is also on my bucket list."
9. "I want to go to the Philippines to meet my fiancé’s family and then over to LA, so he can meet his nephew and his parents can meet their grandchild, plus maybe then we can finally get married! But honestly, even when things open, I think it will still be a while before we can travel as it’s going to be exxy AF."
10. "I haven't been able to visit my grandparents since December 2019, when they left Australia to go on their 'retirement' tour of Europe and go back to the Netherlands, where they were both born. They tried to work out coming back, but it's been hard and my Opa (grandad) is now unwell and won't be able to travel home for a long while."
11. "I’ve had so many cancelled trips since the beginning of COVID-19, so I don’t even care anymore, I am just going to the first place I’m allowed to."
12. "Ever since I've met my partner, I've been dying to take him to meet my family and show him where I grew up (in Singapore/Malaysia). That's my first ticket outta this place!"
13. "I don't care about travelling for fun anymore, I just want to see my family."
—Facebook / Red Sarah Fletcher
14. "I'll be going to the UK and Korea as soon as the borders open. April 2022 will mark three years since I've seen my parents and sister. My sister and I have both had second babies since then. I think my daughters are accustomed to my family being 2D."
15. "Visit my brother at Stanford in the USA, take my husband to Rome, Italy, and maybe explore the UK as well. Can't wait!"
16. "All I want is to be lying on a beach in Greece, with a five euro gyros in my hand and the Mediterranean sun beating down on me. As soon as the borders open, I'm out."
17. "Anywhere outside my 5km zone would be great."
—Facebook / Travis Sherren
18. And finally: "If no one else is gonna say it, I will: Bintangs in Bali!"
What are you most looking forward to when the Aussie borders reopen? Let us know in the comments below!
*Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.