Johanna Read

I’ve never had the guts to even pitch them, so was particularly pleased to have an editor reach out to me to write a piece on my unusual new area of expertise … COVID-19 and travel. Here’s the article where I interviewed several COVID experts, aimed at answering key questions on the mind of Americans looking at domestic travel in summer 2020: Is it safe to travel now? It depends) and MSN Australia (Is it safe to travel now? More of my COVID articles (most published by Fodor’s on a variety of sub-issues like considerations before you travel and whether hotels or vacation rentals are safer) are on my Publications page and in this coronavirus post.

I’ve been told I’m one of the only people not writing clickbait it’s-time-to-panic articles about the new COVID-19 coronavirus that’s spreading around the world. (“like you’ve been chopping jalapenos and you need to take out your contact lenses”, as British Columbia’s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry says) and often; • don’t travel where the World Health Organization and governments that use evidence-based decision-making (like the Government of Canada) recommend …. and know that leaves a lot of places where it’s just fine to travel and where destinations and businesses big and small REALLY need your travel dollars; • do your best to protect people more vulnerable than you (e.g. older adults, people with underlying health conditions, people who live in poverty, refugees and migrants, developing countries ….); and I’ve updated my original article for Fodor’s six times now as the news keeps changing. Because of the Fodor’s article, I was asked to do an interview with William Levinson for the Associated Press’ travel podcast called “Get Outta Here!”. For more specialized information on COVID-19, I’ve written this article about coronavirus and Europe for Fodor’s

Here’s what you need to know about seeing mountain gorillas in Uganda, here’s the story behind a Quebec wine made from tomatoes, or here’s where to find some of the best coffee in the United States. For Reader’s Digest and MSN, I’ve been to 60 countries but these six changed me forever (RD version), and the MSN version (which has slides to flip through). For Reader’s Digest, My boyfriend proposed 16 times–why I have yet to say yes (a romantic comedy). Whether you’re curious for a peek into my lemons-to-lemon-pie life or just want to know some awesome places to travel, I spill a few beans in these two articles.

My editor at Fodor’s reached out to ask me to write a piece on what travellers need to know about the new virus: Should you change your travel plans due to the coronavirus? Every once in a while my former life as a Government of Canada policy executive and my travel writing life link together for a brief moment, and I can write pieces like this. Stay healthy by washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth (the parts shown in the photo from Bayon temple, Cambodia). There’s no need to change plans for trips to Asia right now, but nonessential trips to China should be avoided.