This is the question on so many people’s lips. And the short answer is quite frankly…”No”
The realisation of this pained me, and I have no doubt it did the same for so many others that have the travel bug 365 days a year.
Travelling for me is much more than a ‘holiday’. It’s a form of escapism, self-care, an opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture, try new things and meet new people.
An all round sense of adventure is something that my personality craves consistently.
But what I realised pretty quickly is that travelling not being quite the same as it was, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
At the end of August, I was lucky enough to be flown to Spain for work, and it opened my eyes to what travel may look like for us going forward.
Things were changing on a regular basis at the time, so there was a lot of uncertainty around travel. Some countries had put land borders in place, isolated entire cities, the flight corridor was constantly updating, and each country had different entry requirements. This is still the case, and might be for quite a while, so I highly recommend that you regularly keep up to date with the government guidelines of your home country as well as the entry requirements of the place you are visiting.
I flew from Gatwick and couldn’t believe how quiet the airport was. There were hardly any queues which meant that it was extremely easy to social distance, and there were plenty of quiet corners and empty spaces that allowed you to keep to yourself.
My flight was pretty empty too. There were 15 passengers max, and I had an entire row to myself with extra legroom as a bonus. I felt that the airport and the plane took a number of extra precautions that made me feel comfortable on my first flight since the pandemic.
Arriving in Spain, I felt that the rules were even more heightened than they were in the UK, which made me feel safe. I was temperature checked and asked to show the form I needed to fill out for my trip. (Note: Don’t forget to pull your mask down so that the border control staff can see your face.) Also the Spanish government rules require everyone to wear a mask, even when you’re just walking around outdoors.
I was staying in a beautiful retreat in a national park, and was the only guest, so fortunately for me on my trip was very easy to follow guidelines, plus I got to enjoy the infinity pool all to myself - which was HEAVEN!!
It was incredible the difference that those few days made.
Being in the sun, going on nature walks through rivers and waterfalls, drinking sangria and sleeping in an oversized luxury bed was EXACTLY what I needed after months of uncertainty cooped up at home.
Now that I’ve done that trip, I feel like I’d be more than happy to travel again, but of course be mindful of the rules in the destination, as well as take my own precautions on the trip.
I know that it’s been a difficult year full of cancellations, postponed trips and unfortunate circumstances, but in the world of travel, I do believe there is some form of light at the end of the tunnel for those on the lookout for their next adventure.
For those of you that on on the fence about travel, I completely understand, because I was there myself. Of course I’m only speaking from my experience, so it’s important that you do your own research to weigh up your options.
To keep up to date with the UK guidelines, click here: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk
To find out more about the gorgeous retreat that I stayed in visit ThatRetreatPlace.com
And to keep in touch with fellow likeminded travellers, join my Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/traveladdictsuk
Thanks for reading!
