Travel In 2020 Is No Longer A Luxury, But Does That Mean We Stay Indoors Till The Pandemic Lasts?

The prospect of travel transformed from being lusted after, to being resented and feared in a mere span of days in 2020. As COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, we are bidding time indoors. But not everyone has the luxury to sit at home as long as the pandemic lasts. Sooner or later, a lot of us may have no other option but to travel. So then do we judge people for travelling? Or do we encourage a healthier conversation on travel in time of a pandemic and the need to adhere to precautions at all times?

Yesterday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded the nation that this was not the time to get careless. "Until a vaccine against this pandemic is found, we should never allow the fight against corona to weaken… We should not forget that even if the lockdown is gone, the virus has not," he said. True, while cases of coronavirus are seeing a steady decline, the numbers we are seeing are still in the thousands. As per a report by Mint today, the number of coronavirus cases detected in the last 24 hours in our country stands at 54,044, which is not something that can be ignored.

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However, the country is gradually opening up, and eventually, each one us may end up taking that short or long trip, which we have been putting for months. Why? Because we don't know when this pandemic will be over. How long can you go without seeing your parents? I haven't seen mine in ten months. How long can you avoid that appointment with a medical specialist in another city? Also, is it fair to look down upon people who travel, even if it is for pleasure if they are taking all necessary precautions?

For me, travel is coming back into my life sooner than I expected. Due to reasons, I can no longer stall, I might be required to travel in the coming or next. The anxiety is already giving me nightmares. A few nights ago, I had a dream that I had stepped out of my house with my daughter, sans any face masks. I woke up immediately and simply couldn't to back to sleep. Something that I used to look forward to is now just a tedious chore one needs to complete to be able to get from point A to point B.

The things that go into my travel bag have also seen a major shift. Outdoor clothes have been reduced to a bare minimum, and the resultant space will be packed with hand sanitisers, face masks, face shields, gloves, disinfectant wipes and spray, disposable cutlery, and paper soap. Public transport is being avoided in exchange for a lengthy car ride - a safer option. There will be no stopovers on the way for tea or snacks. Water will be sipped keeping in mind the health risk presented by frequent bathroom breaks. What is left to look forward then, when one travels?

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Gone are the days when travel used to be fun. When one would stop at a dusty roadside tapri for a sugary cutting chai or be fascinated by the sight of the cook ferociously dropping bhajiya batter into the piping hot oil. Or wait for Karjat station on your train ride so that you could feast on its famed Vada Pav. That last-minute purchase from a bookstall at the airport, without which air-travel would seem incomplete... Will we ever have that luxury again?

But with changing times, we have no other option than to adapt to this new normal, until we find a way out of this pandemic. The sensible way forward in times of uncertainty, maybe not only to avoid unnecessary outings but rather to fully understand the risks outdoors present. Hopefully, if we keep our hands clean, always wear a mask and stand at a distance from each other in cues, travel would not turn into the stuff of fairy tales for us.

Image Credit: Outlook

The views expressed are the author's own.