In March 2020, we did not imagine ourselves having made hardly any progress with the Coronavirus pandemic. When Boris Johnson declared that we were going into lockdown and many countries closed off their borders to visitors, we all believed it would be back to normal in no time. I was still adamant that I would be flying to Dublin in less than 3 weeks after the initial lockdown announcement.
How wrong and naïve I was.
I had ended 2019 on a travelling high, returning from solo-travelling Europe just a few days before the new year. I visited Brussels, Geneva, and Venice, among many others and my god, how lucky I was to go when I did – I remind myself of that almost every day, as do my parents every time I bring up my interrail!
Everyone is probably sick of me talking about my interrail experience but it is not an exaggeration for me to say that it was, by far, the best week of my life. I had immersed myself into brand new cultures, embracing every opportunity I possibly could, and becoming friends with fellow travellers from around the world, many of whom I still regularly speak to now (and miss dearly). Little did I know it would be the last time I would be able to do that for a while.
I have been incredibly fortunate with the opportunities I have had to travel. Also in 2019, I visited Paris, Amsterdam, and Brno, and in previous years I have visited cities such as Berlin, Vienna, and Budapest. Travelling has always been a huge part of my life – my family hardly went on beach getaways and instead spent our time looking through historical sites in cosmopolitan cities – so to have that stripped away, it feels like something is missing.
I will admit, there are obviously more important things going on in the world. Our NHS is struggling and people are dying which is why I am not eager to jump on a plane at the first opportunity. However, I cannot help but think just how distant we have become from each other, literally and figuratively.
With the border closures and Brexit, we have become detached from other cultures and we no longer understand each other. We can no longer experience and appreciate other traditions and I fear that as individuals and as a country we will get stuck in our ways and no longer embrace the differences that the world has to offer.
Unfortunately, not everyone has had the same luxury that I have had to be able to travel as frequently as I did, but I believe that it is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Not only is it one of the most liberating things you can do, despite how nerve-wracking it is – even more so with the tightened restrictions we will obviously have when we are able to jet off again – but it is the best way in which you can understand the world and how it works with different people and traditions.
I have an ache to travel again. An ache that cannot be subdued by nostalgically scrolling through the mountains of travel photos on my camera roll and an ache that I do not know how long will last. After months of sitting in my bedroom and walking down the dull street of my hometown, I am excited to dust off my passport, pack up a suitcase, and escape to somewhere new.
But as restrictions begin to ease, we are all unsure what the future of travelling will look like. For how long will we be taking COVID-19 tests as a step in our travelling preparations? Alongside getting our nails done and freeing up enough storage on our phones for the abundance of photos we will take, of course. When will I be able to sit next to an elderly stranger on the plane, despite the language barrier, and have a meaningful conversation? I hope I can dip into my (unusually) healthy travel funds and discover new places soon. Whether that be as normal or with a mask on my face and a sanitiser in hand. I just hope that it’s before my Ryanair flight voucher expires.
Lauren Taylor
Image courtesy of Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Image licence can be found here. No changes were made to this image.