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What a difference a Pandemic makes. I do miss the good old days, and while they were only two years ago, it feels like a lifetime, better yet a dream.
Gone are the days when I used to start my work day by opening Skyscanner and doing a quick search for cheap fares, and then keeping the site minimised for the duration of my shift, intermittently searching for cheap flights to anywhere for any date.
Gone are the days when my work mates and I would celebrate snagging a flight from Abu Dhabi to Florida for US$300 return.
I write this from what is a world away from that time. I write this as I sit in lockdown and reminisce about the life I used to live.
Now, instead of opening Skyscanner looking for cheap fares and checking the number of pages I have left in my passport (which I am proud to say, is not too many) I open the browser and search for nearby exposure sites, wondering if my minimal movements may have put me in harm’s way.
I used to travel a lot. Without fear. It was my world (and I hope it to be again, although realistically it will be a while). Right now, I don’t venture more than 10 kilometres from home, and even then I worry every minute about where I’m going and what the result of that outing might be in a week or just a few days.
It’s not possible to trust that people will do the right thing, it’s disheartening just how selfish the world has become. That ‘me’ mentality won’t help get us out of this mess.
I never thought I’d say I was afraid to travel, whether that be to the next suburb; across the border (when that is possible, that it); or an hour up the road; but that’s where I’m at, and it scares the hell out of me – what has happened to the world that was always my oyster?
‘To Travel is To Live’ and ‘Life isn’t Meant to be Lived in One Place’ are mantras that have always resonated with me, the former is posted on one of the walls in my apartment as a daily reminder, but right now, it doesn’t ring true – remaining isolated is to live!
I worry everyday about my parents (who are on the Mid North Coast of NSW) and my sister and her young family who are also in lockdown in Wollongong and are too close to Western Sydney for my liking.
I recall landing in Paris a few years ago and being holed up in my hotel due to protests in the streets. Now, I’m seeing protests in Victoria, Sydney, and Brisbane, protests that I find completely out of line and are putting others in harm’s way unnecessarily.
I’ve always been proud to be Australian, but while we’re facing one of our biggest challenges, we must pull together, stay the course and remember what our veterans went through to defend our country – that is freedom and their battles were a whole lot worse than ours right now.
I do hope I can once again venture out into the world sometime in the not too distant future, but in order to go back to searching Skyscanner for the best travel deals, we must first ground this virus to a halt.
Aside from searching for exposure sites, I’ve spent plenty of time looking for vaccine appointment slots. Let’s face it, we haven’t done the greatest job there, but I’m glad to report that I now have my two locked in, albeit in a few week’s time.
Let’s hope it’s not too long before I can dust off my passport and go back out into the world again, without fear, where I belong!
For as long as I can remember I’ve been a writer, combining that with an inquisitive mind and a desire for adventure and cultural immersion, and well, that’s me.
