Positives of lockdown: Traveller tips to not lose your spark
Positives of lockdown on the life of a traveller? Is there such a thing?
Lockdown, travelling – two opposites. 2020 has not been the year for travellers. Yet, I believe it is important to look for some positives in these unprecedented times. So, as much as I wish I was out exploring the world, I have been reflecting on how months of lockdown has, in a sense, made a positive impact on myself.
Here are 6 positives of lockdown, based on my experience. I have turned them into tips that can hopefully help inspire some of you too.
1. Embrace staying in one place
Try to enjoy not moving around so much.
Last year, I returned to Scotland after 2 years of travelling. I soon left again to travel, returned, left on holiday, got a job in London. Despite having a job, I never really properly moved to London. I even still lived in hostels for a chunk of this time, and essentially went back and forth between Scotland and London for 10 months. Settling was just not something I seemed capable of!
I realised I hadn’t actually spent more than a solid 4 months in one place in over 2.5 years. Until COVID took over the world that is. I moved back to Scotland before the dire situation really took off in the UK and haven’t left since. It has now been 4.5 months that I have been back, in my home town.
SO, what have I decided to do? Embrace staying in one place. I’d lived out of a backpack for so long that honestly, properly unpacking was so nice, if not a little odd at first! I don’t have the worry of where I am staying the next week. I get to enjoy having my own space and home luxuries, no cramped hostel life.
Most importantly, it is nice to take the time to reconnect to home, so do so if that’s where you are. Alternatively, just really connect to the city/town you happen to be stuck in should it not be your home-home.
2. Do things you don’t have the time/ability/necessities to do when travelling
– Bake: No travelling means time for activities such as baking. I never want to buy supplies that I’m not going to use all of when moving around, plus who wants to go to the hassle of baking when living in hostels?! So this is a perfect activity when staying in one place.
– Write: Start/finally return to (in my case) that travel blog, for example, you meant to make a few years back. I now have a lot of stories and experiences I’m itching to write about, and have finally started now that I have nothing but time!
– Take up a new hobby: Make your own clothes, try yoga, start learning a new language – a few examples I had a go at.
– Watch Netflix/chill out in general: The key here – without feeling guilty for doing so, something I struggle with when moving around. I always feel like I’m missing out if I stay in doing nothing, wasting time watching Netflix but it is important to allow yourself time like this! Travel burnout is real, relearn to allow yourself to do nothing.
3. Make fitness a priority (again)
Travelling often makes you divert form your fitness journey in some sense. I know I try to keep fit as much as possible, mainly through running, but even that sometimes doesn’t work out so well when on the road.
This happens for a variety of reasons, sometimes a simple lack of routine. Often exercise is just a habit for me that isn’t so prominent when travelling. Having my day consumed with exploring, moving locations, etc. Not wanting to pay for a gym or swimming pool, or being in a location where such are. Simply pushing my fitness aside for travel life vibes.. which becomes an issue when you are a long term traveller.
For me, fitness is a big part of my life, it makes me feel good. I really believe it has the best, not only physical, but mental benefits, which is especially important during a time like this. Finally, I made fitness a priority again, which I am very happy about.
The even better positive, however, is discovering the beauty of home workouts (you know, the major trend of lockdown). What I love about this is that it is a factor I can put to use when travelling in the future. I KNOW I don’t need a gym to workout, I can stop making that excuse now. Simple bodyweight exercises that can be done ANYWHERE can be just as effective as using gym equipment. The beach, a park, the corner of a room, they all work as workout spaces. Who really needs a gym anyway?
So, lockdown can be seen as a blessing to get back into (or start) a fit life, allowing you to move forward in a fitter way which you can even apply to future travels!
4. Eat well
Because I live the budget backpacker life when travelling, aka hostel life, food sometimes becomes an issue. Eating well that is.
Busy kitchens, facilities that sometimes don’t work, lack of fridge space, moving around so not wanting to buy decent food that’s going to get chucked out, the list could go on, all contribute to a bad diet at some point.
Lockdown has taken me away from a life of these issues, allowing me to eat well and not have the stress of hostel cooking!
5. Save money
Some may not be so fortunate in this aspect, but for me, lockdown has provided an opportunity to save money. Getting furloughed from my job and moving back in with my Mum, while not having a social life during this turmoil period, means I have been able to save a substantial amount of money. I originally planned to travel during this time, I guess now I’m just better off for when I do get to travel again!
6. Find your next path, or at least a new inbetween chapter
Maybe lockdown has been a chance to find a new chapter in life, which may even help you as a future traveller.
I recently started teaching English online with Palfish. I obtained a TEFL certificate in 2016, before I decided to move to Australia and New Zealand, having no need for such. But finally, I found an opportunity to use it. I won’t say too much about this as I’m still at the beginning of this journey and waiting for the hours to, hopefully, pick up! But I never would have thought to have done this out-with the current situation. And if it does work out, if the work picks up, I can do this job while travelling, as many do, which would be perfect!
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Lockdown, and of course the entire pandemic situation, has been beyond terrible. This is a period where we probably all feel our time has been somewhat wasted. However looking at these positives of lockdown makes me feel a little better, while realising perhaps this will just lead me to a better place when it is time to travel again!