How can we change travel for the better post lock-down?
For now, travel is on pause, but we are looking forward to a time in the near future when we can once again pack our suitcases. We’re making lists of the places we want to visit and travelling through our screens and the pages of our books for now. One thing we are conscious of, is that when we do begin to travel again, we look at the way we used to travel and make positive changes, learning lessons from this time of contemplation.
Post lock-down, travel will be more meaningful and more valued. Rather than searching for cheap flights and jetting off at the drop of a hat, travel will become more valued to us as we’ve all had time to consider how much travelling means to us personally. We’re all curating mental lists of the first places we want to go after the lockdown; these lists fuelled by the places we’re passionate to visit, not just the most convenient.
It’s hard not to notice the environmental impact of everyone staying at home. Pollution levels have dropped, and skies are clearer all around the world. The natural world is thriving, and we need to respect that going forward. This is a time of change, a time when we can evaluate the way we used to travel and consider how we can adapt our habits. Perhaps we will resolve to fly less and take more journeys by train. We could be inspired to explore more of our own countries on long, lazy road trips. We might realise that we no longer want to stay in huge impersonal hotels and invest our time and money in supporting boutique accommodation.
This will be the perfect time to embrace a slower pace of travel. We’re used to rushing around, trying to see as much as possible in as short a time but the lock-down has taught us to appreciate all the small moments. The things that we are remembering from past travels are the sights, the smells, the tastes and the sounds. We’re looking back fondly on our favourite travel memories and looking forward to creating more. It doesn’t matter how much we’ve seen or how frequently we travel, it’s about the quality of those trips. Our slower adventures are those that stay with us the longest, as we’ve delved deeper into the heart and soul of those destinations.
Perhaps we’ll also be more considerate about where we travel to. As places that have been bombarded by over-tourism start to heal, the signs are hard to ignore. Dolphins have been swimming down Venice’s canals – a sight no tourist has ever seen, as the huge visitor numbers contribute to pollution and overcrowding in the city. Some places will have been more badly affected by the virus and will need our tourism more than others. Coastal and rural locations will be more appealing as people flock towards nature after weeks of being cooped up indoors. We should be mindful to travel to those places that will encourage tourism, leaving other destinations to heal.
This will also be the time to finally book those adventures you’ve been deliberating for years. The lock-down has made us all realise that there’s no time like the present. If you’ve always wanted to travel solo, visit a particular destination or embark on a sailing trip, you will feel more encouraged than ever before. We should make travelling more about experiences and memories than simply travelling for the sake of it.
Post lock-down, it will be the time to let your wildest travel dreams roam free.
