Have the Covid lockdowns made you depressed? Anxious? Stressed? Has your alcohol consumption increased? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have a cure for you – travel. Scientists have proven that traveling is good for both your body and your mind. Spending a few minutes in the sun raises our vitamin D levels and improves our mood. Vitamin D has its health benefits too – it is good for our hearts.
The importance of travel ranges from lower chances of heart disease to relieving stress and anxiety. On top of the health benefits, travel can also enhance your creativity, your sense of happiness and satisfaction.
- Traveling helps you manage stress and negative emotions.
- Traveling reduces the chance of depression.
- Traveling enriches your experiences and understanding of the true essence of life.
- Traveling reduces your risk of a heart attack.
- Traveling broadens your horizons.
- Traveling makes you a more interesting person
- Traveling makes memories.
- Traveling is fun!
Soon the Covid vaccines will be distributed, and Covid will be a thing of the past (we hope). As you start planning your future travel, you should know about the new travel opportunities our airlines are offering.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska has moved up its departure time to 8:30 am, arriving in Seattle at 10:30 am. This is significant as it connects to Alaska’s biggest bank of departures in Seattle. That means more destinations to easily connect to up and down the west coast, Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant has opened its summer schedule for booking. Nonstop flights from Wichita include:
- Orlando-Sanford begins May 26; flights operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays
- Destin/Ft. Walton Beach began March 4; flights operate Sundays and Thursdays
- Los Angeles begins June 2; flights operate Wednesday and Saturday
- Las Vegas and Phoenix-Mesa – year-round service
Frontier Airlines
- Frontier resumed Denver nonstop service with flights on Mondays and Fridays
- Frontier started Las Vegas nonstop service March 8 on Mondays and Fridays
Southwest Airlines
If a ski vacation is what you’re looking for, Southwest began service to Steamboat Springs and Montrose (Telluride) on Dec. 17. From Wichita, you can connect through Denver to get there. And your skis fly free.
Southwest intends to serve Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport in the second quarter of 2021. The Central Valley of California is the gateway to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Schedules have not yet been finalized but connections will either be through Denver or Phoenix.
Southwest is adding nonstop service from Phoenix to Cancun, Mexico. That will begin April 12 and complement the carrier’s existing international routes between Phoenix and the Mexican beach resorts of Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. Wichita travelers can also connect in St. Louis to Cancun.
United Airlines
If a warm sandy beach in the tropics is calling your name, you should know that United Airlines now flies from Denver to Belize City, Belize and San Jose, Costa Rica.