Wanderlust to wanderdust

Let me acknowledge from the outset that not being able to travel nationally or internationally is by no means the greatest fallout of COVID-19. I think that much is obvious but I feel the need to say it nonetheless. Having said that, pre-pandemic when life got rough or it was all a bit too much, we always had the excitement of a holiday to look forward to, whether that was a weekend break away here in Ireland or a longer stint somewhere further afield. 

Despite making use of the lockdown to read, meditate, spend time more productively and, of course, make banana bread, I long for the high-energy adrenaline rush that comes with air travel. There’s the paranoia of going through airport security: grappling for the <100ml liquids to squish into the plastic bag, or entertaining the irrational thoughts that, despite having never taken Class A drugs in my life, the X-ray machine may somehow find traces of cocaine in my luggage. Not forgetting the thrill of eating a dinner on an airborne plane no matter how cardboard-like the texture, or being bombarded in the destination airport with a new language or a hot climate or both.

Despite all these sounding like very terrible and overwhelming things, I relish each and every step in the process. The imposition of the travel restrictions for this excruciatingly long period of time are probably what I’ve struggled with the most since this pandemic began. Having just gotten started with my adventures in summer 2019 in South East Asia, the wanderlust kicked in and I grew restless with further travel ambitions. After all, one’s 20s are the time for such exploration, and being doubly blessed as a teacher with good time off, it seemed the world was my proverbial oyster. 

While I acknowledge my bias with regard to what I’m about to say, I believe we should all give a shit about wanting to travel, and the reason I state the obvious, as it may seem to some of you, is that I have met people - my own age and all! - who, horrifyingly, have little to no interest in exploring this planet we call Earth. Like, sorry now, but you happened to be born in a place, you looked around and you thought “this is it, I needn’t see anything else now”, like for real?? I’m not buying into the notion that faraway hills are always greener - I’m from Ireland after all, no hills are greener than ours - but rather, travel to far-flung places results in quite the opposite frame of mind.

I am of the firm belief that being exposed to otherness, be it in the form of new geography, untasted cuisine, diverse cultures, or unknown histories, makes us appreciate our home soil even more (for me this renewed gratitude was towards Irish food: while I enjoy sampling new tastes on holidays, nothing compares to the quality of food we have in Ireland, especially meat and dairy!) Not only that, but being put out of our comfort zones a little with all the newness travel abroad has to offer, we are likely to become more tolerant, open-minded, and more intelligent. While I delighted every moment of my solo travel time in Asia 2 years ago, naturally there were times I felt scared too - afraid of getting lost, mugged, or missing a flight - but I’ll be damned if I am ever to allow those fears stop me from covering as much ground on this planet as I can.

To quote the age-old phrase, life is short. It should be high on each of our lists of priorities, health- and finance-permitting, that we see as much of the world as we can before we’re too old, or before our independence, income or physical capabilities change. No-one wants to be on their deathbeds wishing they had done more exploring when they were able.

My own personal reasons behind my globe-trotting ambitions are a melange of all of the above, plus the fact that I just find travel so innately fulfilling. Being on the move, experiencing other languages and cultures in an authentic way, and jumping head-first into experiences I could never have had sitting at the kitchen table at home - this, for me, is what life is all about. My geographer dad, who has inspired in me an insatiable curiosity about the wider world, shared with me a quote he heard a few years back that has forever remained at the forefront of my mind, and it goes like this: “Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer”. How wonderfully true this is. So don’t mind all this shit about stocks and cryptocurrencies.

I had so much planned by ways of travel for the rest of my 20s, as I’m sure many of you reading did too. I know waiting another maybe 4 or 5 years to skydive in New Zealand, trek to Machu Picchu or go island-hopping in Greece isn’t the end of the world, but it did and still does cause me panic and anguish that the personal and financial freedom I have as a single woman in my mid-20s is being spent in lockdown, where the most movement I’ve undertaken in the last 6 months is going between Cork and Kerry for work. Granted, I’ve done more spiritual growth in the last year than I ever have in my life and for that I’m hugely grateful. Hopefully having done so I’ll be able to fully appreciate future excursions with a renewed sense of gratitude, and be present to the awe-inspiring wonders of far flung places, savouring every last second.