Guest article by Felicity Allan
For travellers at heart, isolation is excruciating. The thought of not being able to cross borders makes us shudder, and not knowing when this will change gets us twitching uncontrollably. So how can we still keep our travel dreams alive while we’re stuck in isolation? Read on, fellow travellers. I have a few ideas I’ve been working on…
1/ Set up a tent in the backyard, complete with a campfire, some marshmallows and some good old fashioned Cold Chisel playing softly in the background — it’s just like camping in the Aussie outback, only missing one key element – the outback. It’s the vibe, guys, it’s just the vibe.
2/ Cook up a storm with some delicious tacos, crack open the margarita mix and create a Mexican themed night in your own living room. If you want to go the extra mile with this, you could even learn a bit of Spanish with all this time you have on your hands, and make it a really authentic experience. Oh, and tequila… you will need tonnes of tequila which will help with the whole “I’m not really in Mexico, I am just in my living room” feeling.
3/ Download one of the many “ocean view” apps on your smart TV, pop on a bathrobe, some slippers, pour yourself a wine and kick back as you imagine yourself on a cruise somewhere exotic. Obviously your cruise is NOT a “rona” cruise, but it might be wise to take some hand sanitiser with you just in case.
4/ Pack a backpack, pop on your hiking boots and your Kathmandu jacket, and head for a hike around your neighbourhood. Ok, so it’s not the mountains of Nepal, but at least you’re out getting some fresh air, and perhaps you might even bump into some other friendly backpackers along the way (aka neighbours who are also out for their 1 hour of iso exercise for the day). You might be tempted to run up and high five them, but the government recommends just a wave and a “g’day mate” from a safe 1.5m distance.
5/ Turn the heater up real high in your house, pop on your bathers, some coconut oil and suddenly you are transported to a tropical island holiday. Lay back on a towel with a good book and just relax. The “flop and drop” holiday doesn’t take much imagination at all… and of course, if you’re not feeling it, you can always make yourself a mojito, drink it, repeat 5 times… and you really will flop and drop.
Lastly, for those of you who fly a lot, you might be missing the feeling of travelling on a plane… easy fixed. Just pack everyone a lunchbox, set up your dining chairs real close to each other, give everyone a device, and sit back and “relax” on board your flight to nowhere. For a dose of reality, get one of your kids to kick the back of your seat repeatedly.
Happy travels, friends!
Love, Flic x
