Those of us with the travel bug are met with conflicting feelings of hesitancy and wanderlust. Having missed out on planned adventures in recent & coming months, it has now reached a time when a lot of us are hoping to plan, and planning to hope.

Things have, and will, continue to change, but the future is looking brighter. Uncertainty is still very much here, but we’re better acquainted with it now. We don’t know what is around the corner, but that is our “new normal”. The balance is starting to shift towards a resurgence in travel. Things have changed, but we can negotiate that together…

Social Distance

It’s going to take time to get used to meeting strangers and making new friends in the real world. This will unquestionably affect our thoughts on where to travel. It may make us wary of the busiest destinations, the tourist hotspots, the “must-see” sights, and places where lots of people gather.

The vast majority of people are now mindful of best practices, including social distance. But, it is hard to predict how others might behave as advice and restrictions are lifted. Will things be “how they were”, and will we be comfortable with that? It is natural to feel a little hesitation.

Opting for more remote destinations is one way to ease back into adventure. The benefits of visiting wilder locations go far beyond the repercussions of the pandemic. Wilderness is good for the soul, allows honest and authentic experiences, and space & time to unwind the mind.

Thankful for the gifts

Many families around the world have been forced to spend time apart. Friends have not gathered, our human contact has been limited. We’ve missed it. And we’ve missed the chance for interactions with people we don’t know too. (Do you, like us, find yourself offering a friendly smile or greeting to strangers you may pass on a walk or in a shop, when in the past you may have walked on by?).

Travel is amongst some of the many other things we have been taking for granted, until forced to pause and reflect.

The benefits of travel are something we’ve discussed at length, and we have recently addressed the need to make our travel more impactful. One way we can do that is to really think about and appreciate the time & life experience it gives us, either on our own, or whilst reconnecting with loved ones.

In the future, there are many gifts we will stop to reflect on and be even more thankful for. Travel is one to treasure, and if it affords us quality time with those we hold dear, even more so.

What are we waiting for?

There is nothing quite like having freedoms and liberties removed and having health put under threat to begin asking the big question! What are we really waiting for? What do we want to do, to experience, to learn.

It’s time to start thinking of our “one day” plans as our “do it now” plans. Things we want to learn, places we want to go, people we want to meet.

One of those “one day” goals we are answering a lot of questions about is the Camino de Santiago. With the holy year coming up in 2021 (more on that here), it’s on a lot of travellers’ minds for the undoubted benefits to the soul, and the opportunity to reconnect with humankind.

Rebuild

There are communities, destinations, and indeed close partners and friends of ours who have had their livelihoods crushed by the pandemic. People in Italy, Spain, and many other countries hit hard by the virus and by the travel restrictions need our help to rebuild.

We’ve seen some beautiful messages of hope from our partners on our Facebook community, waiting and hoping to welcome us back.

Keep Dreaming

There are so many questions, but we’re here to help. We’re introducing more flexibility through changes to our booking conditions to ensure our travellers can book with the confidence that they can change their plans without penalty, and working with our partners to make sure health & safety is at the forefront.

Please reach out on hello@macsadventure.com to discuss existing or seedling plans. None of us has a crystal ball! But we have confidence and a positive outlook for the future, based on what we know from our industry contacts and resources, and the enthusiasm & hope we are receiving from our travellers.