I think I’m having travel withdrawal symptoms. My entire being longs for a change of environment. Going through old travel pictures and clips doesn’t help anymore. Heck, it feels like torture lately, aggravating my wanderlust.
The virtual travel
thingy people are promoting these days is more or less a faux front that
doesn’t cut it. The thrill of landing in a new place and taking in the different
air that hits can’t be recreated through some 360 degree VR movies. But it’s a good
effort still, I mean, it probably works for some persons.
Right now, I’ll appreciate even the shortest local travel. I need to leave this city I have been stuck in all year! This is crazy! For the first time since 2017, this will be the longest I have gone without traveling to another State within Nigeria or another Country.
I know I use travel as
escape when life feels overwhelming but truth is, travel is a huge part of my life.
It’s a part of me, has always been and always will be.
Here’s a back story;
I was always super
excited about excursions in primary school, though my overtly cautious parents
were the ever present kill joys. Fast forward to secondary school, I lived
through my junior secondary days anticipating the Geography excursion that was
customary with SS2. Long before I got into senior school, watching my seniors
line up in excitement as they filled up the buses, I made up my mind that my
parents were not going to prevent me from having this experience. I made good
on this promise.
I remember the sober look, late that night when I stepped into the house after returning from the Geography excursion to Delta State. My parents has been worried sick when I didn’t return from school on time, until a neighbour asked if they were not aware of the class excursion. Lol
After this hard lesson
learnt by my folks, I think they finally got it that travel was a huge part of
me. They never objected to me going for excursions during my University days,
even when we made a road trip to Benin Republic. Though after my graduation,
they tried it with me once again. One evening I didn’t come home, they called
to inquire where I was. I responded I was in Lagos. The silence at the other
end of the line, priceless.
Ever since then, I haven’t
had issues with them when I want to travel. I have since learnt how to deal
with their unnecessary worries and several calls to find out how I’m doing when
I’m away. Maybe when I’m a parent I will finally get this.
Travel started actively
for me in 2016. I love to explore new places, I’m team see the world. But to a large
extent travel helps me find balance. Those periods off my reality helps me
recharge and find renewed purpose. I have been fortunate to visit 11 countries
and I planned to take that to 18 countries by ending this year, but Covid-19
has other plans.
2020 is fast looking
like a no travel year, no thanks to the novel Coronavirus. A huge part of my life
has been taken away (against my will) and its heart breaking to say the least.
My initial Easter
travel plan was for Singapore, but that had to be cancelled ‘cus at the time, they
had the second largest number of cases after China. Their cases were just below
hundred. If only we knew we would be talking of millions of infected persons
worldwide in two months’ time.
By March I was looking
forward to plan B, being Easter break in Cape Verde. I even made part payment. Flights
started getting cancelled here and there by airlines. My Cape Verde trip also
got cancelled. One thing I have since learnt about traveling is, always keep an
open mind as plans can easily go awry. I started looking out for alternative travel
deals within Nigeria being that most countries were shutting their borders.
Plans for local travels
got cancelled as well when the cases in Nigeria began to rise. Incase I decided
to be brave and still embark on the journey, the universe made sure to seal my
fate as lockdown was announced in several states with their borders shut.
I ended up spending Easter at home.
It’s crazy that I haven’t been to a beach
this year. This isn’t funny anymore.
Fast forward to post
lockdown, which started with a glimmer of hope that soon all this will be a
thing of the past, in good time to plan for an end of year trip. All that hope
has since been quenched with the directive from my Organization’s Human
Resources department, mandating everyone to proceed on 2020 annual leave before
June 30th. This is the final blow to my 2020 travel plans. The end.
I give up. ‘Rona’ has
won.
On the bright side, I’m
going to take this as an opportunity to execute the idea I have been
contemplating regarding funding plans for my travels. I have been considering one
year of no travels, such that I’ll save for the coming year’s travel plans. The
budget for the next year’s trips will be pegged to whatever was saved up the
preceding year, and whatever is saved that year as well, will be the budget for
the next and so on and on. (My travel budget is different from my normal
savings target with each having their dedicated revenue lines).
I think this will be a
nice reset to how I fund my travels, though I don’t know feasible this will be
considering I’m starting this plan second quarter of the year. However, it’s
still worth the shot. Whatever I save will definitely ease up my cashflow for
next year’s plans. Here’s hoping the pandemic will be over by then and it will
be very safe to travel.
I need to feel the rush while doing adventure filled
activities off of my bucket list. Mostly I crave another hike through the woods! I need to explore and
finally do the adventure filled trip I have been dreaming about (one trip where
I will knock off a number of bucket list items).
While I’m praying for
this pandemic to be over so we can all have our lives back and also, so travel
can resume, I don’t think I will be bold enough to embark on a trip till after
three months when it’s over, especially international trips. I can manage local
travels, but outside the country? Not so sure. I mean, even after the rain stopped,
Noah had to send out a bird from the ark to survey the earth to be sure all was
well before disembarking.
“And
he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then
the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf
was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.”
Genesis 8 vs10 – 11.
No
one knows when all this will be over, or how long the new normal will be for. But
I’m hopeful that soon enough, a vaccine will be found and the world can heal/recover
on all spheres and living will once again thrive. Right now we are all just
trying to survive.
This
pandemic has helped me evaluate a lot of things. So many things we took for
granted, like freedom of movement. The first trip after this crisis is going to
be special. It will most likely feel like a rebirth, a gift and I bet almost
every avid traveller will not complain about the mundane stuff we usually throw
tantrums about. We’ll take off our shoes at check points without grumbling. Some
may probably give the immigration officers a broad smile and gladly fill the
landing cards.
But
till then, stay safe, and keep maintaining social distancing.
We’ll
get through this.
Love,
Sayi
Till it's safe to fly again... 
Cheers to future safe travels...
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