In the past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the future of travel. Even more, I reflected on how my way of traveling will change. That is, whenever I will manage to travel again.
I am currently in Romania and as I am writing this we had a record of new daily Covid-19 cases. My flight to Italy was already canceled once and every day I expect an email informing me about another cancelation.
I often look back to January when I was looking forward to a year of non-stop travel. Back then I had just left my full-time job to work as a freelancer from anywhere.
Worst. Timing. Ever.
Little did I know what was about to come and how the future of the whole travel industry was about to be compromised, maybe forever.
How did everything get so messed up?
I remember being in Italy at the beginning of February when the whole country was freaking out because of two cases of Covid-19 in a hotel in Rome. If only we knew what was about to come.
Fast forward to two weeks later when I was in New York, eating dumplings in Chinatown, and everybody was super chill. Meanwhile, in Italy, there was an explosion of cases. Two more weeks and I was in Mexico as the USA was closing their borders to citizens coming from Europe. This was not long before New York would become the new global epicenter of the pandemic. Lucky me that I had just spent 16 days in Mexico.
My trip back from Mexico to Brasov, Romania took me something around 35 hours. I crossed eight timezones and stopped in 5 different cities in 3 countries. I took one bus, four flights, two trains, a taxi, and private transportation to finally arrive at the place I would spend 14 days in self-isolation. All the while not knowing if any of my flights would get canceled leaving me stuck somewhere.
On one leg of my trip, I even had the luxury of traveling on a flight with only five other people. The whole experience was surreal but at the time I truly believed this wouldn’t last long.
And while having an almost private flight sounds exciting, I truly hope things will soon go back to some sort of normality. Am I too naive to still have hope?
So how will travel look like in the near future?
Well I don’t know, do you?
What we all know is that the travel industry is severely affected by this pandemic, more than any other.
And while we all have some expectations of the practical changes that are already in place when traveling – like wearing masks, have your temperature measured and disinfect your hands every 10 minutes – that’s not what I want to talk about.
I want to reflect for a moment on how the future of travel looks like to me. And I want to invite you to do the same. After all, if you’re reading this (thanks by the way) it means you have some interest in travel.
When I started this blog I wrote an article on the reasons I travel. It was all very dreamy and idealistic but I think it’s time for a more practical approach. I still stand by everything I wrote but I realize there can be so much more to travel. We just need to look at it from different perspectives.
How I will change my way of traveling
I believe we all think too much about what we have to gain from travel and not enough about what we can give. And yet, when we travel to a different country we invest in that country, we help the local economy. That is when we don’t spend all our money at Starbucks and McDonald’s. (Nothing wrong with that, I love Starbucks coffee. Just not every day.)
We also bring a little bit of our own culture and values that we can share with others. It should be a mutual exchange. We make our own contribution and we gain insights, experiences, and memories in return.
But we are so self-centered that we often only think about the memories we make, the things we buy, the places we visit, and the pictures we take. What about what we can give? That is what I want to focus on in my travels in the future.
I want to think less of what I can get out of that destination and more of what I can give. I want to be more aware of the places I spend my money, help more small local businesses and contribute to the growth of the place that is welcoming me.
Also, I want to be more conscious of the impact of my passing by and do as much as I can to give something, bring some value. This can mean paying attention to avoid polluting, to respect the places I visit, and the local customs and traditions. Getting to know the people, not only the places.
I also want to focus more on slow travel. A weekend getaway is great but spending a couple of weeks in a place will give you a whole different perspective. I got to experience this during my latest trip. I spent 10 days in New York and over two weeks in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The satisfaction when towards the end of my stay in Cancun I got charged the locals’ fee on the bus has no equals!
Finally, I want to ride more trains or buses and catch less flights. I mean, I’ll never grow tired of watching a sunset or sunrise up in the clouds, but I truly want to make more ecological choices.
How will travel change for you?
Whether you’re a full-time traveler or just someone who goes on occasional short trips, I invite you to reflect on this. Will there be any changes in the way you travel in the future? Did this pandemic teach you something new about your travel habits?
Maybe you used to travel and now you will avoid it? Or maybe you can’t wait to jump on the next flight? Whatever it is, maybe it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on this. After all, most of us have some extra time on our hands.
I for one, can’t wait to get on the next flight or even better train or bus. I’m even thinking about a cycling trip! With all the due precautions, it goes without saying.
Safe and happy travels!
