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How are avid travelers coping during their time in lockdown?
All of a sudden, the freedom to travel we previously enjoyed, whether for business or leisure, feels almost like a luxury now, in a time when so many people have had to postpone their travel plans until a COVID-19 vaccine has been discovered.
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The COVID-19 outbreak has put a halt to most domestic and international travels.
All of a sudden, the freedom to travel we previously enjoyed, whether for business or leisure, feels almost like a luxury now, in a time when so many people have had to postpone their travel plans until a COVID-19 vaccine has been discovered.
Having endured self-imposed quarantine for around three months now, Famega Syavira Putri, a journalist and author of Kelana: Perjalanan Darat dari Indonesia Sampai ke Afrika (The Adventure: A Journey from Indonesia to Africa by Land), said she often felt nostalgic about her previous travels, and wondered when she would be able to hit the road again.
Stuck at home, Famega enjoys cooking some of her favorite traditional dishes from the countries she has visited to help rekindle these precious memories.
“For instance, I like to cook tagine, a butter chicken dish from Morocco, or mashuni, tuna served with coconut, which comes from the Maldives. Luckily, the ingredients are readily available at Jakarta markets; it’s just that Jakartans might not typically think of serving tuna with coconut – Maldivian people eat these things all the time,” she explained.
Famega also loves to partake in another kind of activity that can take you to new places without ever having to leave your seat. And no, she’s not talking about virtual tours. She says reading books about different parts of the world gives her more satisfaction than spending US$20 to follow someone else’s virtual tour.
“When I travel to other countries, I like to gain a more in-depth understanding of their cultures, political circumstances and way of life. I often read more about a place upon visiting it,” Famega said.
“For instance, I visited Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2016 and learned a little bit about the conflicts going on there. Recently, I finished [Thomas de Waal’s non-fiction piece] Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War, which opened my eyes to the roots of the conflicts there,” she said.
Speaking of conflicts, Famega has of late also be losing herself in journalist Azadeh Moaveni’s 2019 Pulitzer-prize-winning Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS: “this book is painful to read; I had to pause while reading many times,” she said.
Similarly, travel writer Agustinus Wibowo, who has covered various South Asian, Central Asian and European countries in his writings, said he was spending his time during lockdown reading various non-fiction books on the roots of human conflicts, the histories of ancient religions and how they have come to be used as political tools and classical philosophy for his upcoming book on human identity.
Famega said reading books on international affairs also helped instill a sense of wonder; while she may be stuck in her apartment for the moment, the endlessly fascinating wide world still exists out there.
“Reading these books has also helped me hold meaningful conversations with my international friends,” said Famega, who, as a consequence of the pandemic, has also spent more time on the phone checking on how her friends overseas are coping with the pandemic.
“For instance, my friend from Morocco, who is currently stuck in Argentina, said he has not been able to return to his hometown since South America became a COVID-19 hotspot. Many friends around the world say they have been impacted by enormous inflation, enduring pay cuts as a consequence, and having to live off US$200 a month,” she explained.
“This reminds me that no matter how alone we feel, everyone across the world is also going through this hardship,” she continued.
Agustinus, meanwhile, said he was spending more time taking inward journeys by meditating and contemplating in order to know himself better and take stock of his life experiences so far.
Gill Westaway, a former senior manager for the British Council, a role that took her across five continents, and who now runs a guesthouse in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, said she was not interested in virtual tours.
“Virtual tours do not activate your five senses,” Westaway said.
She reminisced about her memories working and living in Colombia from 1982 to 1984, falling in love with the country’s vibrant sights – the picturesque colonial buildings depicted in the works of novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez – and the sounds of people dancing the salsa to music in cafés.
While Westaway was busy making plans to travel to Colombia this year to visit a dear friend of 36 years, coronavirus happened – to put a twist on a John Lennon lyric.
She said time alone during the lockdown had given her a chance to spend more time talking to her friends and following a disciplined physical exercise regimen: “I am now fitter than I’ve been in a decade”.
Similarly, Philip Cornwell Smith, a Bangkok-based author who wrote Very Thai and Very Bangkok, said he was not a huge fan of virtual tours.
However, Smith, who got stuck in Britain due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions while visiting his parents for their birthdays in February, said he was surprised to find himself enjoying some of the travel documentaries he had been watching on BBC.
“Travel shows on television can sometimes be a bit shallow, but programs by Simon Reeve and Michael Portillo are actually good. For instance, as someone who has also spent time in Myanmar, I found Reeve’s coverage of Myanmar’s social situations very well-researched; I trust his opinions and accuracy,” Smith said.
