Freedom?

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

It is true what they say – you never appreciate something until it’s gone.  Just popping to the shops, flying abroad, going to the cinema, having dinner at a restaurant with friends – all these freedoms we used to take for granted are currently either extremely difficult to do or completely off the agenda and no-one is quite sure how long that will go on for.

Fortunately, in most cases, things that humans like to do in groups can either be done online or changed for something completely different (from inside music fuelled gym to outdoor fields).  But sometimes it does make me wonder how much I did take for granted.  And while most acts can be resolved by using different methods (from cinema to DVDs etc), it is really the atmosphere that you can replicate. 

By far travelling from place to place has always been my biggest freedom.  Whether it be to go on holiday or business trip, the opportunity to see and smell new places is about as exciting as it gets.  And while I can zip about the world from one country to another in just the tap of a keyboard it doesn’t really substitute the excitement and anticipation of stepping foot in a new country, city or even mountain.  Even just going from one end of the country to the other to visit family is now going to be torturous – at least for the first time.  And every time you want to go from one place to the other you have to have major justification.  This is for good reason of course.  Which is why I’d rather wait.

I’d rather let things settle down and let the people who can make the biggest differences to this pandemic do their thing before I step forth and bundle through any stress-induced journey. Another few weeks and we’ll know whether wearing masks, attempting to travel by train and even visiting a restaurant will ever be the same again.

If it’s not then I do wonder how I will be able to adapt?  As someone who is absolutely terrified of flying, I can’t imagine wanting to spend any amount of time 30,000ft in the sky while breathing in recycled air which may or may not contain viruses. Trains and subways not being excluded from that either.  Sometimes convenience does come at a cost.  Instead, I’d be looking at travelling in different ways.  My itch to travel hopefully never waining.  

Travel will become less of a quick one week/two-week trip and should perhaps become more of a longer-term plan, as they did in days gone by (for the rich of course!).  Maybe we shouldn’t just be able to nip over to NYC for a weekend or Dubai for five days.  Should we not be taking in more of the places and spend longer periods of time really getting to know them?  Get to be part of the culture as a traveller rather than a tourist? 

I would love to spend 3 months in NYC.  Expensive, yes.  Worth it definitely.  Do-able?  Not really.

But something to aspire to – absolutely.  I always think that travel should be life-changing, not a break from routine.

I’m not judging though – weekly getaways to a sun-filled destination is a lovely experience.  Spain is popular for a reason in the UK.  But as prices have gone steadily down so has the quality and the speed at which we have to enjoy it ever faster.  I think under COVID we will have to look at more travelling and less holiday and I say that in a positive light.  Instead, perhaps travelling should be part of the experience, not at the expense of trying to shave off a few hours to get to the beach quicker.  

Freedoms will look slightly different – with more choices possibly for those with the most money, or time available to them.  Freedom to roam will be spent closer to home, which might see us more invested in our own communities a lot more.  

Or we might just pack up a backpack and head off on foot or by bike to explore new destinations that are closer to home but no less exciting.

The future may be new and sometimes daunting but it also gives us a chance to do things differently.  To create new ways of enjoying freedom.

Thank you for reading.