TRAVEL: It used to be called spring break

A less-raucous Mardi Gras; a less-traveled tourist path in Iceland; an African American music museum opens in Nashville; grizzlies vs. humans in Montana [TRAVEL]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [TRAVEL]( [National Geographic]( [THE BIG QUESTION:]( [HOW CAN FAMILIES PLAN A SAFER SPRING BREAK?]( Tuesday, January 26, 2021 PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVE STAMBOULIS, ALAMY STOCK By [George Stone]( TRAVEL Executive Editor Bubbles. Clusters. Pods. Due to the pandemic, travelers are embracing some strange-sounding [collective nouns](. If only we could become a charm of hummingbirds or a flamboyance of flamingoes. Instead we’re stuck with words that feel amphibian. Which makes sense, as we are all forced to live in multiple worlds at once. Reconciling safety and risk is among the chief challenges brought about by the coronavirus. It can be especially challenging when you’re making decisions that could affect the health of your nearest and dearest. “In recent weeks, the news of [vaccination rollouts]( and [virus mutations]( have added to considerations of whether or not to travel,” writes Heather Greenwood Davis in our story about [how to deal with spring break](. “But after nearly a year of [virtual schooling]( and working in often close quarters, it’s no wonder many families are banding together to create pods that might help them escape.” Whatever you call your gaggle (a dazzle? a scurry? an ambush?), group [travel in pandemic times]( is no walk in the park. It involves planning, rules, pre-trip quarantining and testing, masking, and social distancing. But it can be done, and our story highlights what to consider as you dream of spring break. (Pictured above, an RV riding through the Grand Combin above Verbier, Val de Bagnes, Switzerland.) From RV travel to campsites (yes, even in winter) to old-school motels (with new-school cleaning protocols) we’ve got you covered—but you should expect the unexpected. “You’ll also need schedule flexibility in case your well-planned few days away turns into a longer stay,” our reporter says. “[Health and travel insurance]( is highly recommended. Look for ‘Cancel For Any Reason’ plans and inquire to make sure they include COVID-19.” To avoid a barrel of monkeys, think of our advice as coming from a shrewdness of apes. It will help your family sidestep a scold of jays on your walk of snails. You’ll be a wisdom of wombats in no time! Do you get this daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward this to a friend. YOUR INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY PHOTOGRAPH BY [@HELENAPICHLER]( Capturing a moment: It’s not often that everything from the weather to the sunlight to the temperature all “fits together,” says photographer Helena Pichler of this early morning scene near Zurich, Switzerland. When she arrived, “the fog was still dense and I could only see the sky above me. I waited for a while. All of a sudden the fog cleared and revealed this beautiful frosty landscape. What an incredible moment it was!” More than 70,000 readers of our [Nat Geo Your Shot Instagram page]( agree. TODAY IN A MINUTE Grizzlies or humans? The 1,200 Pacific Northwest Trail is a wild wonder that takes hikers through one of America’s few inland temperate rainforests. But should a 70-mile stretch in Montana be rerouted to protect endangered grizzlies and Native traditions in the area? Fewer than 100 hikers trudge each year along the trail through Montana’s Yaak Valley, but new publicity and a hunger for remote places during the COVID-19 pandemic has raised its profile, [Kylie Mohr reports for Nat Geo](. “The Yaak’s alpine meadows are too small for people and bears to share them at the same time,” says writer Rick Bass, who’s been fighting to protect the valley he’s extolled in several books. Mask mockers in the skies: Flight attendants hate being COVID-19 police, scolding people who flout mask-wearing regulations. They’ve experienced passengers nursing a drink or a snack for long periods of the flight in order to keep their masks down when the flight crew is around. They are hoping that a new federal order requiring mask wearing will make their jobs easier, [writes Johanna Read](. “I get that some [people] don’t like wearing them. I don’t like it either,” says JSX flight attendant Roshonda Payne, “but it’s vitally important to keeping everyone safe and protected.” Yes, in Nashville: On Saturday, the nation’s newest African American museum opens in Music City. From Ella to Beyoncé, the 56,000-square-foot [National Museum of African American Music]( celebrates the singular role Black music has had in American sound with interactive displays and some 1,500 items representing more than 50 genres of music. Across the street from Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium, the museum includes Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, an accordion from zydeco’s “Queen Ida” Guillory, and a rainbow-colored wig from funkmaster George Clinton, [the Christian Science Monitor reports](. PHOTOGRAPH BY FILIPPO BIANCHI, GETTY IMAGES The ‘other’ Iceland trail: Many tourists to this land of huffing volcanos and exploding geysers have traveled along Iceland’s increasingly crowded Ring Road. Far less crowded is the recently opened Arctic Coast Way (pictured above), which links car routes in the island’s rugged north into an epic road trip of otherworldly basalt cliffs, pebble beaches with basking seals, and utter solitude. “Tourism has yet to gain a foothold in these parts, and a four-wheel-drive is obligatory for tackling the gravel tracks,” [Amelia Duggan writes](. Exposed to extreme elements, it’s open only from May to September. Speaking of remote: There are only two ways into Alaska’s [Katmai National Park & Preserve](. One is by boat. The other is by float plane. Archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Lauren Stelson went there for four weeks to retrace historic expeditions and to document life before the largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century. Dropped off by plane, she hiked back to civilization around coastal beaches, tundra, spruce forest, mountains, volcanoes, and “this weird desert,” [she tells us](. For more than 133 years, the National Geographic Society has supported Explorers like Lauren Stelson doing significant research. Help continue the work of great explorers at [natgeo.org/give](. THE BIG TAKEAWAY PHOTOGRAPH BY NANO CALVO, VWPICS/REDUX Rodeo’s Native American riders: Until the coronavirus struck, one of the world’s most dangerous sports was also one of its fastest growing. Although often seen as the province of white ranchers, rodeo has Native Americans among the top-ranked riders, and the sport stimulates community culture and Native economic activity as well, [Stephen Starr reports for Nat Geo](. “We have communities from all over,” says Michael “Bo” Vocu, president of the Indian National Finals Rodeo group. Bo, of Ashland, Montana, is a former bull rider. Shelly Vocu is a barrel-racing world champion. Their sons, Bo Tyler and Logan, grew up traveling thousands of miles for the chance to [compete for eight potentially life-threatening seconds](. (Pictured above, riders competing at the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, Arizona.) [GIDDY-UP!]( IN A FEW WORDS [QUOTE] [Texas is] not where I pictured myself being when I’d be 19, [but] I’m just looking for bulls to get on. I’m trying to stay sharp. Bo Tyler Vocu Professional rodeo rider, in one of the few states allowing competition during COVID-19 From [Go inside the close-knit world of Native American rodeo]( DID A FRIEND FORWARD THIS TO YOU? Tomorrow, Victoria Jaggard covers the latest in science. If you’re not a subscriber, [sign up here]( to also get Rachael Bale on animals, Whitney Johnson on photography, and Debra Adams Simmons on history. ONE LAST GLIMPSE PHOTOGRAPH BY RYAN HODGSON-RIGSBEE A ‘safe’ Mardi Gras? The good times will be rolling at a greater distance this year in New Orleans. At least that’s what the city is planning so that the parties before Lent do not become the COVID-19 superspreader events they did last year. How? Think decorated porches, courtyards, and “neutral grounds” to uphold the city’s sociability, instead of the clogged bars and streets of usual Mardi Gras parades. In place of rolling parade floats, homes will be decorated to the nines. (Pictured above, a house on St. Charles Avenue participates in the Krewe of House Floats, a part of this year’s socially distanced Mardi Gras.) In fact, [as Andrew Nelson reports for Nat Geo]( the outdoors-embracing architecture of these homes—well-ventilated open porches and private courtyards—may be models for other cities. [READ ON]( This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard, and Jen Tse selected the photographs. Kimberly Pecoraro and helped produce this. Have an idea, a link, a safe-for-a-family-website Mardi Gras story? We’d love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. And thanks for reading! [NGM]( [NGM]( SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS We'd like to hear from you! Tell us what you think of our emails by sharing your feedback in this short survey. 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