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Our plans of chasing our bucket list across the world in 2020 have been replaced by cancellations, quarantines, and an uncertain future. Many countries still have a ban on non-essential travel, and others have opened borders under strict restrictions. It's safe to say that we travel lovers have had to do some pivoting.
As 2020 dawned, my travel calendar filled with big plans. The St. Olav Festival in Norway, gorilla trekking in Uganda, and truffle hunting in Croatia were among the adventures scheduled for the coming months. Sadly, those plans came to an abrupt halt thanks to COVID-19.
It's likely that all of us travellers can agree that we’re currently in a place in which we never thought we’d be. Staying at home when all we want to do is get out and explore the world is not our ideal scenario. COVID-19 has quickly brought the travel and tourism industry to a halt,
South Africa is not the safest country in which I’ve travelled. It’s not the least corrupt. Or the most open-minded. But it is my favourite.
As travel journalists who happen to be people of color, we celebrate the cultures of the world.
Many of us have been sitting idly by as we wait for restrictions and the stay-at-home orders that were imposed during this COVID-19 pandemic to lift. Meanwhile we've been snacking more and becoming stiff from being sedentary. So World Footprints spoke to AFAA Personal Trainer and Venice Nutrition Coach, Neila Bond, who is running online fitness courses and nutritional coaching. Neila shared some easy-to-do exercises to help everyone (of all fitness levels) stay fit.
Gaining even more traction in 2014 during the historic events in Ferguson, Black Lives Matter became a household name. Since then, the movement has spread across the country like wildfire.
From the violations of the Constitutional rights of peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters, to the unlawful killings of black citizens--George Floyd, Armaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor (and many more before them), to the global pandemic that is taking lives and undermining the economic security of millions of people, and now Americans facing further threats to freedoms and civil liberties not seen in generations, recent events are begging the question: how are we supposed to heal?
The day before I left for Nepal on a one-way ticket, I was having dinner by the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok with a good friend. I took us to my favorite little restaurant in the city that serves Thai staple foods like tom yung soup and pad thai that you can enjoy while looking out at the beautiful river. The place is always packed, and this Saturday evening at the beginning of March was no different. We reminisced of our times teaching English in Korea together and toasted to our friendship and all our dreams for the future. So was life just mere months ago. That travel moment (or just life moment) of mine, which was just an average Saturday at the time, means so much more now.
How does a travel writer and photographer keep the spirit of travel alive when COVID-19 has us stuck at home?
