5 THINGS I AM DOING IN THIS LOCKDOWN TO KEEP MY WANDERLUST GOING
Throwback to previous travels
Revisiting old travel memories and photographs are one the best ways to relive those moments, as well as feel connected to the concept of travel in times of the lockdown.
Looking up old albums, picking out the best images, editing them for a social media display, reorganizing the digital folders are all a way to go back in time. And what this does is also stir up the memory and bring back a story that happened in the travel, that can be retold and recast, for friends and family to connect with.
For this I have started using Tripoto’s travel blog to stitch together articles, photo albums and video blogs of travels across the world which were taken as back as three or four years. With new photo-editing software, it is fun to add a new dimension to the older photographs, such that they can be seen in a new light. I am also attempting to creating vlogs (video blogs) using my earlier videos that can adapted for an upload on YouTube among other platforms.
Revisiting previous travels also helps plan the future better, if ofcourse you’re not the impromptu type. There may have been many considerations that may have been missed – like properly understanding cultural nuances of the place, preparing a comprehensive to-do and to-see list, to research those non touristy experiences that may be few, but worth trying.
Also it helps you evaluate yourself as a traveler – are you the traditional tourist with an itinerary, are you a backpacker who lands in one place and then asks the locals on the best experiences, are you a meticulous planner to the last dinner? This will also help you pick the future destinations and how you want to undertake that journey.
In these times, old memories and anticipation of creating newer memories is what keeps the wanderlust ignited. May we be sensitive and responsible travelers in future.
Armchair Travel - Let the books and articles take you on a trip
This lockdown has redefined travel for everyone, including me. This time spent indoor has helped me reconnect with travel writing, and reading up travel tales in paperback and travel related articles on the internet. Have read some very interesting books and travelogues. Alongside I have been reading articles on sustainable and responsible travel on Lonely Planet. The Atlas Obscura is another interesting reading, documenting some of the strangest attractions worldwide. I also am a fan of history and geography, that takes me back in time into various parts of the world and that’s a trip like no other. Social media also helps to connect with like-minded traveler and learn about their experiences that further enriches me. Tripoto is my go-to reference, and Instagram is for post throwback memories.
Future travels for me: Experiencing vs. Seeing. How will it be?
I have often wondered how will travel be after we are again allowed to get out of homes and board flights. Will we continue to go on rushed itinerated touristy traps ticking off the top attractions in a destination, or will we pause and absorb.
I speak for myself. Travel will be more immersive, more experiential, more paused, more educative, more responsible for me. For e.g. it will be one destination and multiple days – just to take it easy, explore the food and drink, know the people, walk around, sit by the cafes and soak in the sounds of the place, try to do what locals would. Simultaneously I would attempt to be as ecofriendly as I can, be simplistic in choice of food & accommodation.
I prefer backpack travels vs. luxury travels, living in hostels and small AirBnBs vs. star hotels, eating local fare vs. fine dining. These will continue in my future travels as well. I shall also try to add a certain purpose in my travels – experiencing wildlife, trekking etc. While this changed approach to travel would reduce the so called “list of places visited”, but it will help me prioritize what I truly want to experience. The bucket list may get shorter, but it will get more robust and definitive.
True travel satisfaction can be derived only once we have immersed ourselves in the experience, and that will be travel for me post COVID-19.
Picking a new skill – Travel Storytelling
The lockdown has given me a true gift, TIME. And with this time came a opportunity to learn something new.
Travel writing is something I have always wanted to explore more. To be able to create better content, to be able to pen my thoughts more constructively was my aim.
I came across this online course on Udemy.com, mentored by Dave Fox, himself an established travel writer, and decided to pursue it. It’s been a wise decision for me, personally, since Dave’s course looked me in the eye, and pointed out the obvious flaws that my writing has. It gave interesting perspective of how travel writing can be way more engaging by changing the voice.
This course also helped me better understand something that I thought I’d being doing well, journaling. Gave me a totally different perspective and purpose to journaling while on the move.
Dave is also quite vocal about the typical clichés that we use in our writing and how irrelevant those could be when pursuing serious travel writing. The course also has a guide for blogging and article writing, for anyone aspiring to delve into this wide world of documenting travel.
You could get the course details here
Travel shows keeping me company nowadays
The lockdown is a great time to catch up with some great video content on travel. Netflix India has some great shows revolving around travel experiences - Street Food, The Kindness Diaries, Departures, Jack Whitehall Travels with My Father, Wild Alaska, Our Planet, Metropolis.
Alongside this, there is a lot of video content online – vlogs of travel bloggers and digital shows that I keep watching to keep me engaged and also to get inspirations and ideas for any future travels and content creation.