Written by Jenny Wren for TheChronicTraveler.com, September 3, 2021
I’ve not written about travel for a really long time. My last post on here was published at the end of January 2020. I was in the middle of writing up my Scandinavia trip. There were rumblings of a new flu-like disease in China. I had a bit of a flare of my colitis, and then the pandemic hit Europe. Writing fell away from me in all the chaos. I did not have the motivation to finish writing up my posts on that Scandinavian trip. It didn’t feel right to write about travel whilst I was in lockdown. Or even after. In Spain, we were not allowed to leave our homes for the first 40 days of lockdown except to buy food or see a doctor. Our world narrowed, incredibly quickly.
Writing about travel during the pandemic, and various lockdowns could have been an escape. But, I could not focus my mind on it. And then, even when lockdowns eased up and we could move around a bit more, I did not want to write about travel. I had lost the spark. I also did not want to seem as though I was encouraging travel. Because I didn’t think people should travel. I didn’t think it was safe. I still don’t. The pandemic is still with us and will be for a long time. We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe.
I have travelled during this time. I visited parts of Catalonia, where I live. I went to Minorca. I even went back to the UK to visit my family once. Travelling during a pandemic feels strange. It is hard to weigh risks. I did it as carefully as I could. I’ve spent most of the pandemic in self-isolation. Travelling was probably the riskiest thing I’ve done since it all started.
I’ve missed writing. I’ve missed sharing stories with others. So, I’m going to start tentatively dipping my toes back into this travel writing pool. It’s going to be a long time, probably several years until we’ll be able to travel like we used to. But, I think I’m ready to start sharing small travel stories again. It’s good to have something to look forward to for the future.