Puedes leer este artículo en español, aquí.
There are a many reasons why people travel. Some say that getting away and exploring places allow them to appreciate our planet’s beauty and diversity. Others may do it out of curiosity or to fight boredom. In my case, I travel not only out of genuine interest in getting to know other cultures and as a path to personal growth, but also because travel is fundamental to what I do to earn a living.
For those of us who love to travel or work in the tourism/hospitality industry, 2020 has been particularly challenging, as we follow recommendations to stay put in order to minimize the spread of Covid-19. We all are dealing with it in different ways, so I wanted to share with you the activities I’m engaging in since the pandemic began, in lieu of traveling.
READING BOOKS
I’ve always liked reading, but when you’re always on the go, sometimes it’s hard to make time even for those things that bring you joy. Thanks to the current circumstances, however, I’ve been reading at least two books per month. I just finished number 13 since mid-March! In general, favor Latin American Literature so I’ve read novels by Mario Benedetti and Juan Gabriel Vásquez, among other authors from Latin American countries. My repertoire, however, has also included Ernest Hemingway and Haruki Murakami’s titles. It’s been quite a journey through time, history and several continents!
LISTENING TO PODCASTS
Nowadays you find podcasts for all tastes on a variety of subjects, from technology and finance to religion and music. Most of the ones I listen to are in Spanish and my favorite one, undoubtedly, is Radio Ambulante. In this podcast, hey narrate personal stories on different topics from all over Latin America, and occasionally some involving Hispanic immigrants in the US. If you’re Latin yourself or if you speak Spanish and are interested in Latin culture, I definitely recommend it. Learning Spanish? Radio Ambulante’s episodes can help you with that too since they also co-produce Lupa, an app for Spanish Language students. Speaking of learning languages, another podcast I also enjoy listening to is RFI’s Journal en français facile: I get a rundown of what’s happening in the world in ten minutes, while I continue learning French!
CONNECTING VIRTUALLY WITH MY NETWORK
This year virtual events I’ve attended (or I will attend) include happy hours with friends in Atlanta, a baby shower with former co-workers, a bachelorette party for a friend tying the knot in France, etc. I’ve also reconnected virtually with my beloved book club from Atlanta’s Latin American Association once a month and I’ve joined the listening club in New York City that meets virtually every Monday evening to discuss episodes from Radio Ambulante and other Latin American podcasts…I love partaking in lively conversations with people from different places and walks of life that broaden my perspective on so many matters. Yes, despite physical distance, human connection is well and alive! We’re certainly lucky today’s technology is facilitating such gatherings, which would have been thought impossible just a few years ago.
COOKING AND BAKING
I am truly enjoying these two activities and I think I’m doing a good job at them. Who’d have thought, huh? I guess the pandemic has really brought out some of my hidden talents! In addition, I’ve discovered cooking and baking help me decompress from my daily routine, especially since I’ve been working from home and I currently don’t get to leave my place often. I am taking pleasure in the entire process: looking for recipes, buying the ingredients and preparing the actual dishes. The sense of accomplishment I get when my zucchini bread or my shepherd’s pie is a hit is just priceless. Bonus: Trying to recreate old and new dishes has also given me the chance to “travel” to places and times through flavors and memories.
SPENDING TIME WITH MYSELF AND MY LOVED ONES
I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one. It’s very simple, I’m dedicating more time to be on my own so I can relax, do yoga, sew, bake, etc. Yet, I am also appreciating the evening walks with Kevin and Arco (my boyfriend and our dog) or the visits to my family on weekends. It is not so much about filling my time with every single thing I can do, though. Rather, I’m opting to do what gives me pleasure at a given time…the little things, as cliche as that may sound. After all, these are the moments I want to remember when I look back at 2020 in the years to come.
I do agree that nothing fully replaces traveling, but at times like these my advice to people is to find ways to sparkle your interest in other activities that give you a similar feeling and bring your lives meaning. By the way, if one of those activities happened to be simply chilling and doing nothing, I’d say: just go for it!