These Americans are challenging the trend of ‘travel shaming’ that emerged during the pandemic.

When Kaytlin Snider, a fresh college graduate, shared her plans to move to South Korea, she was met with confusion – and even some criticism.

Despite health officials continuing to advise against travel during the pandemic, Snider had been planning her move for months. The opportunity to teach abroad was a dream she was unwilling to give up, even though she anticipated judgment from others.

“I knew I wanted to do something bold,” said Snider, 22, who graduated with a psychology degree in May. “I didn’t have a clear plan, but I knew I loved to travel. Some people just couldn’t understand, and were asking, ‘Why go?’”

The reaction Snider faced from some isn’t uncommon – in fact, the term 'travel shaming' became widely discussed last year.

However, as the pandemic lingers, many who once criticized Americans for traveling are starting to understand the complexities of these decisions: Not everyone is disregarding safety to take a leisurely vacation.

Some are traveling to attend funerals for lost loved ones; others are grandparents eager to reunite with their grandchildren after receiving their vaccines. And yes, there are parents, overwhelmed by the constant pressures of home life, who feel a change of environment is necessary for their sanity.

In fact, some experts within the travel industry predict that travel will soon begin to surge again.

“Now that the vaccine situation is improving, hopefully more people will begin to accept travel again,” said Amy Graves, owner of Endless Shores Travel, a Massachusetts-based agency. “We need to find our new normal, and for some, that involves traveling.”

Here’s why some individuals say they are traveling without shame.

For some, traveling is essential for work purposes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently does not recommend a Covid-19 testing requirement for domestic air travel.

This week, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, urged Americans to avoid travel, including domestic flights, despite ongoing concerns.

“We strongly advise against traveling right now,” Walensky stated during a JAMA livestream on Wednesday. “Travel should be avoided… especially as our case numbers decline, with concerns over variants and our efforts to ramp up testing.”

However, travel warnings don’t seem to concern everyone.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, last weekend marked one of the busiest periods for air travel during the pandemic, with over 4 million people flying between Thursday and Sunday.

For Samantha Osborn, the ability to travel is critical to her work as a personal appearance manager, coordinating the schedules of celebrities and public figures.

Many of these appearances are tied to large-scale conventions, and like so many other events, the pandemic forced many of them to either be canceled or shifted to virtual platforms.

In 2019, Osborn said she spent 185 days traveling for work-related purposes.

“The pandemic hit my industry hard,” Osborn, a Dallas native, explained. “I found myself unemployed with no events to attend because everything was canceled.”

At 40 years old, Osborn noted that events have begun to rebound this year, offering a glimmer of hope for her field.

She’s attending the Mad Monster Party in North Carolina this weekend, an in-person convention. She feels confident about her safety, as the event has enforced strict mask-wearing and social distancing protocols.

“We need to get back to some form of normalcy,” she said. “I can’t afford to stay unemployed.”

Some people are eager to reconnect with loved ones.

For 24-year-old Allie Smith, flying after over a year was worth the risk.

“The last time I was on a plane was in December 2019 for Christmas,” said Smith, who lives in Kansas.

Earlier this month, Smith flew to Maui, Hawaii, to visit her grandmother, who had recently received the vaccine. She also brought her 7-month-old son, Luke, along for the trip.

Thanks to video calls and group texts, Smith had shared the joy of her new arrival with her family. However, nothing compares to the experience of being together face-to-face, according to Smith.

Before traveling, she made sure to get tested, and then she made the journey out West to reunite with family.

“I always imagined that when I had my baby, my entire family would be there with me,” Smith shared.

She was the first family member her grandmother had seen in over a year, making the reunion all the more special.

‘Traveling isn’t selfish,’ some people say.

This year, Graves mentioned that she’s seeing an increase in business, with more and more clients asking about booking summer vacations.

She mentioned that lately, many people have shown interest in traveling to Florida. National parks, in particular, have become a hot destination during the pandemic.

Ultimately, the decision to travel or not is a personal one, and it’s up to each individual to assess the risks involved.

“Traveling isn’t selfish,” Graves explained. “There are plenty of people traveling and doing so safely.”