"People don't take trips, trips take people."- John Steinbeck
Why nomads travel
As nomads we drift through the world with open freedom bouncing between co-working spaces and adventure. As expats we are fuelled by our travels, disrupting comfort for the next wonder.
One might think that in a crazy 2020 world, that we have lost our freedom to travel and that the nomad lifestyle is dead. However, the urge to travel is just that much greater than before and it can be accomplished in unexpected and safer ways during this pandemic.
Can a map be the answer?
A Euro News article describes a colour-coded system, embraced by a united Europe, giving travellers vital COVID-19 information to make travelling easier.
You can see all COVID-19 related information in one place on this “traffic light” map here. This would have been handy when I travelled through Europe recently by helping me to understand the difference of each country's attitudes and concerns. What might be high restrictions (“red”) in one country, may not mean the same in another.
However, this “traffic light” system doesn’t necessarily provide expectations of the destination country and its worthiness is based on accurate data being openly received.
Travel 2020 edition
I have discovered recently that the attitudes of residents vary country to country. Many factors come into play here, but simply, I can see a lack of unity with neighbouring countries.
Residents cope in different ways and have differing levels of concern regarding COVID-19.There's inconsistency in safety precautions across countries and many would benefit from a more consistent approach. I have seen train station vending machines with masks and hand sanitizer, collecting contact information and using devices to order at restaurants and implementing efficient and safe take-away options.
However, consistency relies on everyone to commit and respect one-another in order to do better.
It's a confusing time to travel with covid-19 safety measures different everywhere you go; with some places “taking it seriously” and others attempting to function as before. Now with the map you can make informed decisions before you book your trip. But, consider if a country's restrictions means everything is closed – is it worth it?
The future of travel
The world is changing and we need to adapt with it. Naturally nomads are no strangers to adapting to new environments. And so, we must make better travel decisions. We can avoid air travel, travel locally, and reconnect with nature.
We need to learn to respect one another and the environment more now than ever. We shouldn’t be fighting for the world to go “back to normal” we should take the opportunity to learn and contribute to a better world after this pandemic.