Indeed, these are not ordinary days, especially for people from Italy, the Philippines, New York, Wuhan, and all other areas that are hit devastatingly by COVID-19. These days are not ordinary for those who are seeing the pandemic realistically, feeling the anxiety and stress of fighting against an invisible villain that has been making chaos in our world mentally, physically, emotionally, and economically. While we are on lockdown with very strict guidelines established in place all over the world, a lot of people, including me, ask if they can still possibly travel and fulfill their life long dreams.
A friend of mine who owns a famous travel planning company told me that the global community is influenced by the promise of discovering the world and the different places that we are presented with when we leave our homes to travel. Of course, recommending you to travel now would be so irresponsible, so he didn’t. Instead, he gave me some useful advice to help me plan for my future journeys.
Concisely, he suggested that I postpone my trips and travel dreams – postpone, not cancel. He recommended that look forward to the fall season, within September and December 2020, when clinicians and researchers foresee that it’ll be clearer and virus-free. Nobody can guarantee this precisely, but it does give us a timeline to be hopeful for beautiful things to come soon.
Soon we will find our way back to the beautiful world again – the world that included chefs, drivers, friends, and everyone who makes traveling so rewarding. Carrie Goldberg, travel director of Bazaar.com, says that his heart aches when he hears people asking whether or not trips to Rome, Venice, or Tuscany will ever be open again, as these places mean a lot to him. He continues that he will surely be the first one to go back to Milan or Venice when it’s safe to do so. The visions of him eating in one of the local restaurants or simply having coffee at the corners of Tuscany is what’s helping him get through the pandemic.
Planning Your Bucket List
My friend assured me that I would travel again. When these restrictions and quarantine implementations that are placed for our good are finally released, when we will be free from the chains of the coronavirus, we will all need to go out. We need a vacation. He embraced me, saying, “When you will be allowed to on vacation, the world will still be there.”
So in the meantime, I am following his advice and coming up with a bucket list of my dream vacations when the world will be ready for me. I have always dreamed of a long journey that will change and rejuvenate me. Perhaps the hidden gems of Tynemouth. It doesn’t matter if I’m in Vietnam having a taste of their delectable cuisine or in Paris being swept away by the romance of it all. I wouldn’t mind learning about the culture in Africa or why dramas in Korea are so sellable. I am just thinking of a trip that will somehow correct the uncertainty of the past months. The desire to go places has always been in my mind, no matter where that is.
Today, I am fixing my bucket list. What of the beaches in Hawaii – a beautiful place that is filled with flowers, trees, and everything tropical. I’m planning a family vacation in one of the rivers in our hometown, where we can set a bonfire and grill some barbecue and smores. There’s no better way to forget about all the negativity that we’ve gathered from this self-isolation than to celebrate freedom with the family?
Another thing that I added to my list is catching up with friends from afar. That, I haven’t done in such a long time – quarantine or no quarantine. If there is one realization that I had amid this crisis, it is that life is short – it only takes a virus to stop someone from breathing. I have friends from around the world, so I’ll be doing myself a favor of finally being able to keep in touch with them and, of course, traveling! Now I think that’s one of the best ways to live life.