We are currently hosting our nephew from Canada here on Hilton Head Island. Shortly after his arrival this morning, while chatting in the sunshine on the deck overlooking Braddock Cove, he first shared with us that his son is traveling in Italy with his longtime girlfriend; then that his sister and her family are in Costa Rica, and finally that he himself will soon head to Florida to visit his father and stepmother. Coincidentally we received a midday message and photos from friends who just returned to Canada from Cancun. Earlier in the day, I had emailed my former physician in Australia, where he is celebrating his 70th birthday with his daughter, her family, and friends from British Columbia and South Africa.The energy of travel is palpable, especially with the influx of tourists enjoying their March Break.

For seasoned travelers like us, such movement is both expected and welcome. However, we have recently reconsidered our future travel plans. This shift stems from a mix of factors, including advancing age and the inevitable response to routine. While returning to familiar places has its comforts, it paradoxically undermines the very essence of travel: novelty and discovery. Repetition dulls the excitement and turns once-exhilarating experiences into mere habit.

A surprising influence on this reassessment is the changing political climate in the United States, where we have spent about six months each year for the past decade. Though we could overlook economic policies like tariffs, the Canadian response to recent American political rhetoric, particularly the suggestion of annexation, has been one of outright rejection. While this idea is universally dismissed as absurd, the silence of American leadership in refuting it is troubling.

Relations between Canada and the U.S. are deteriorating. Historically, Canadians viewed American success as complementary rather than competitive. However, the shift from seeing the U.S. as a prosperous neighbor to perceiving it as a potential aggressor is unsettling. From our conversations, it is evident that the Trump administration never resonated with most Canadians. In fact, global perceptions of the U.S. have become increasingly strained since the rise of the MAGA movement. The widening gap between American policies and Western democratic ideals is concerning. A key example is Project 2025, which critics argue seeks to dismantle democratic safeguards and centralize executive power, threatening fundamental rights and freedoms.

For many decades, there have been efforts to advance radical proposals to weaken America’s middle class, stripping them of fundamental freedoms and subverting the rule of law, most notably by capturing the U.S. Supreme Court. But the Project 2025 blueprint makes those prior efforts look quaint. Project 2025 unabashedly promotes the wholesale violation of norms and laws, consolidating enormous power in a president and trampling on Congress’ constitutional role—to take away Americans’ long-cherished freedoms and opportunities. Not only would this authoritarian playbook make it easier for a far-right executive branch to weaken the independence of public agencies, install political cronies throughout the government, punish people it disagrees with, and control what news the media can report, but it would also allow the government to eliminate abortion access, health care choices, overtime pay, educational opportunities, and countless other programs that benefit communities and families.

Quite simply, if Project 2025 is implemented, the United States would be unrecognizable. Instead, it would resemble autocracies around the world, such as Hungary and Turkey, which in recent years have severely weakened their democracies and vested inordinate power in authoritarian leaders who serve the interests of themselves, not the public. Once this backsliding occurs, it is incredibly difficult to fix. Make no mistake: This could easily happen in the United States without a firm system of checks and balances. Ominously, the Heritage Foundation, which created Project 2025, and its president declared in July 2024 that they are in the process of the “second American Revolution” and suggested that political violence may be necessary to effectuate their authoritarian blueprint if Americans resist.

While we cannot predict the full implications of these changes, they have significantly influenced our outlook. Rather than risk further disillusionment, we are now considering limiting our future travels to within Canada. In light of this, we marked the day with a late afternoon meal at a South Beach restaurant with our nephew. I remarked that it was a fitting way to reflect on our long-standing affection for Hilton Head Island. For nearly 15 years, we have traveled extensively across the southeastern U.S., always returning to Hilton Head, the place that first captivated us in 2012 as we crossed the marshlands from Beaufort onto the island.

The MAGA movement originally claimed to champion ordinary Americans, yet it has primarily served the interests of the wealthy elite. Figures like Elon Musk, for instance, have reportedly used their influence to consolidate power, replacing workers with their own loyalists. Such actions, if true, undermine democratic principles and fairness. Even if some claims are exaggerated, there is ample evidence of misconduct at the highest levels. In just two months, the new administration’s policies have disproportionately harmed ordinary Americans by threatening employment, pensions, healthcare and public safety. Trump continues to justify his actions with vague promises of improvement, never substantiating them with facts or plans. His record of deception is sustained only by repetition and deflection. Perhaps his ultimate goal is to evade accountability as legal pressures mount against him.

If the populist movement in America collapses under the weight of its contradictions, it would be an unfortunate but fitting conclusion. Canadians, and many others worldwide, are increasingly distancing themselves from this turmoil. The growing divide is not just between nations but within them, affecting people of all backgrounds—some to their benefit, others to their detriment. This evolving reality will undoubtedly shape our travel choices and broader perspectives moving forward.