TRAVELLING and a worldwide pandemic with many restrictions do not go hand-in-hand. One of the most affected industries during the pandemic has been the travel sector. SR News investigates what impact the pandemic has had on the lives of those whose jobs surround travel, and what role Brexit plays in it too.
MOVING around different countries has been almost impossible this past year, therefore many people have lost their jobs or have not been able to do them at the level they used to. This includes travel writers. It is obvious that if you want to write about your travel experience or describe any particular foreign place, you have to visit it. How could they do their jobs during the pandemic when travelling has been banned?
Daniel Hall, writer of The Curious Vicuna blog, says: “I think it is still possible, you just have to kind of reframe your stories. So I’ve recycled some old stories and turn them into something new. And it’s also like looking at the ideas like how you think traveller will look in the future and just write about things related to travel.’’
‘’I was really lucky a couple of weeks ago to interview Monisha Rajesh. She’s one of my favourite authors. I also interviewed another author last year called Erin Niimi Longhurst, who’s written books about what it’s like to live in Japan. So it’s kind of finding ways to travel from home, I guess. Obviously, when you read a book, or when you watch a particular TV programme, it can feel like you’re being taken away. Like mentally rather than physically, obviously.”
Daniel mentioned that if we weren’t living in these strange times, he would revisit Japan where he went for the first time in 2018. His next travel steps would lead to Eastern Europe, as he thinks there is a lot of interesting places to explore.
“But I think even when restrictions are lifted that slight bit, I still don’t think I’ll feel comfortable. Going somewhere and writing about it for a few months. At least not until I’ve had my vaccines.”
The global pandemic closed the doors to the entire world, and for months we have been unable to travel freely. Despite not being able to explore foreign places, recent months has given us the opportunity to explore our homeland and national landmarks. Often, we have had to travel far away to call it an adventure, even though there are many interesting travel gems which are just a few steps from us. “I’ve got to know Northumberland a lot better during Covid,” Daniel explained.
Luckily, Daniel’s main income doesn’t come just from writing travel stories. He is a qualified English teacher, and is able to teach people English online as well. This is a big advantage which has helped him to cover the cost of his travels too. “Currently, I have an Italian student once a week. I do still really enjoy teaching, but writing is like my main passion.”
The award-winning travel journalist Stuart Forster, who writes for his blog Go Eat Do, has a different opinion on writing stories during the pandemic: “I’m trying to post some features, probably not as frequently as would normally be the case because, to be honest, that traffic is down significantly. And as a consequence, it doesn’t matter how much I try. People simply aren’t looking to book holidays.
“I think there’s an underlying interest still in travel. But ultimately, I think a lot of people are not looking at what could be possible because it’s just too much temptation. And I think it leads to disappointment.”
Stuart met some difficulties while doing his job, but still is very positive about the future of travel and is confident that people won’t lose interest in travelling. On the contrary, he thinks people will be more interested in booking trips. “I had several trips lined up, and everything was cancelled. My regular outlets for magazines were cancelled. Someone even ceased publication. It’s been a really tough time. And obviously, we’re very restricted in where we can go and what we can do in the minute. So I have looked a lot more locally than I did previously. But I think ultimately, people still have a desire to travel. So I’m hoping that it will bounce back. “
A spokesperson from Sunderland Tates travel agency said that people are now looking more locally for holidays. However, what can we expect when restrictions will left and the pandemic will be over? When the question was if does she think the prices for hotels or flights will be higher after the pandemic, they answered:” Yes, I do. The prices will go up. But people will be interested in anyway.”
Brexit affects travel as well. Find Daniel’s and Stuart’s opinions in the video below.
If you would like to find out more about how Brexit affects travel, check out the following link Brexit travel policies.