COVID-19 has robbed me, for the time being, of the part of myself that I like the most. The part of me that exists when I travel.
When I’m travelling in a new country, exploring a new culture, I am a transient. No one knows me and no one is relying on me. I have been cut loose from my usual responsibilities. I no longer have a defined role.
As a result of this, all my complacency disappears. Suddenly, I’m up for anything! I am eager to try new things, eat new things, commute in new ways (camel, donkey, motorbike, sailboat) and generally test the limits. Things that would annoy me back at home just seem like part of the adventure now.
Because everything in the new environment is unfamiliar (in some places VERY unfamiliar), I move about in a state of wide-eyed wonder. I am fascinated by everything I see. It’s like being a child again, everything is new and wonderful. Every day is a clean slate. “Same old” no longer exists.
There also seems to be a consensus among travellers that when you meet, the only information you share initially is what country you belong to. This too is freeing. With no professional rank or false status assigned to anyone, you take everyone as you find them.
Travelling brings out the carefree part of me and I like that part of myself. I miss it. Hopefully in the not too distant future, we can all hit the road again and follow our adventurous spirits.
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