Travel experts say early spring is the ideal time to start planning your summer vacation. The more worried person among us (OK, me) may even shove it into the prespring, like in late February or early March, to provide a beacon of hope for the most pessimistic month of the year.
The Lord knows that we can all use the beacon of our hopes now. I’m worried that summer vacation won’t be like that anymore. President Donald Trump and the world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk, have apparently decided that upcoming vacation plans would be difficult, expensive and potentially dangerous.
To kick the federal government out that two men said they had considered wasted spending, Trump has appointed head of the newly created government efficiency mask.
Since then, the businessmen behind X, Tesla and Space X have fired an estimated 300,000 people, stripped and effectively eliminated the entire department and the institution. If these terminations existed (many are under judicial review), they would constitute the biggest job in American history.
And while this may not be a concern, as we know, it’s the end of summer vacation.
Thinking about a trip to a national park? It is recommended that the firing of more than 1,000 national park employees will inevitably make it difficult to access the most beloved and iconic parts of the country. The headaches of booking a campsite in Line and Yosemite at the Grand Canyon will be much worse.
The Trump administration recently walked back the firing of thousands of seasonal workers in the park after a wave of protests over dirty (or closed) bathrooms, overflowing garbage containers (which attract bears and other wildlife), gradual trails and a prospect of a lack of emergency services.
Still, even if so many full-time employees are lost, they are not satisfied with confidence. I love national parks, but I am not going to challenge anything that can still be extremely dangerous terrain without the encouraging presence of knowledgeable, highly skilled rangers. Needless to say, my feelings about looting bears.
Of course, national parks are not just potential travel destinations. However, since Trump took office last month, the trip itself has earned several major hits.
The recent crash of several planes led to mass shootings at the Federal Aviation Administration reduced overall confidence in air travel. New tariffs on aluminum and steel are already threatening to raise high ticket prices, and the reductions in the Transport Security Bureau promise to increase the length of the security line (which could reduce actual security).
Oh, and after years of delay, the Realdo requirement that Trump signed the law during his first administration is expected to take effect on May 7th. People who do not have a driver’s license or identification issued in a state that meets federal standards are at risk of not being able to carry their passport or fly while traveling through the United States. So be prepared for those hold-up as well.
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Rather than moving the life of an average citizen faster and more smoothly, Musk makes it very clear that his definition of “efficiency” is “cost reduction.” His time may be money, but you can waste time waiting in line.
If you think you can avoid road trip disruptions, tariffs in Canada and Mexico are projected to raise gas prices (already rapidly in California), and Musk and his minions have not escaped the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from massive cuts. Also includes railway and other transportation safety agencies.
Safety doesn’t seem to be efficient. (Out of topic, if you’re pregnant with this and travelling, be aware that in many states hospitals are refusing to care for women who are in danger due to new imbalance laws.)
Meanwhile, hotels and restaurants are facing a staffing shortage caused by Trump’s new immigration policy, and they know what that means. Closures and prices rise. Airbnb is already plagued by its harsh rules, hidden fees on the local real estate market, and criticism of its effectiveness, but it is now facing a boycott by hosts leaving the site in protest of Musk’s co-founder’s role in Doge.
In other words, traveling from almost anywhere in the US will undoubtedly become more expensive and much more efficient than that. Your taxes at work!
Not only did the airline safety issues, fuel prices, increased anxiety among green card holders, or the fact that we saw many transgender Americans switch to what they were assigned to when they were born, but international travel also quickly became difficult.
Americans abroad often face a certain amount of snoring – we are loud, monolingual, and obsessed with flip-flops – but with the president and vice president who are already hostile to mainland Europe, Greenland, Panama, Mexico, Canada and much of Canada, the Disden could have been a little more. It can last longer, especially in places that have already protested (including Spain, Italy and Greece).
Mask, of course, partying on Greek yachts, but he records that he doesn’t think much about his vacation (or week he’s working for 40 hours). But Trump owns a hotel for heaven. For his first 28 days in the office, he spent 12 nights at his Mar-A-Lago home, playing golf that day.
Americans work harder and harder with fewer daily breaks and longer hours than any other wealthy country, including Japan. Our full-time employees are on average eligible for half of their European counterparts for paid leave days, and 46% do not use all PTOs in a given year, according to the Pew Research Centre.
Therefore, it is not “efficient” to risk short summer holidays, where Americans take relatively few summer holidays, or make them more difficult and expensive. It’s heartless. And truly non-American.
©2025 Los Angeles Times.
