By Venessa Anthony
After the pandemic paid us a visit back in March, the industry that was hit the hardest was travel. We at The Morning Brunch spoke to some travel bloggers on Instagram about their thoughts on the pandemic. The best lessons in life are learnt through hard times. Here’s what they had to say:
Life is not all about going to work: Thusitha Medagama
Thusitha has been travelling since 2012. Since that time, there has not been a single year that he couldn’t travel for a long period of time. In conversation with The Morning Brunch, he revealed that his last camping trip was back in February and that he just can’t believe it’s been so long!
Thusitha described how he used to find people to accompany him on his adventures. “I was planning hiking trips mainly through Facebook and asking a couple of friends to join. That was a great chance for me to connect with like-minded people. Not only did it help me meet new friends, but it also helped expand my corporate network and my Instagram blog.” (@ceylon_adventure_seeker)
He told us that all those things have come to a full stop right now, and added that given the nature of this pandemic, we need to maintain social distancing and avoid social gatherings, so he had no choice but to stay at home, whether he liked it or not.
“It’s crazy to get stuck between the office and my house.” He hopes that things will get better soon. “I’m looking forward to continuing to explore beautiful mountains and waterfalls again.”
Thusitha also shared his thoughts on what the pandemic taught him, stating: “Life is not all about going to work, saving some money, and building a house. It’s all about travelling to different places and meeting different people. At the end of the day, what matters to us most is the experiences and memories we collected, not the material things.”
Thusitha coped with the lockdown by video calling his friends. “Even though many of us were frustrated at our homes, we talked for hours, recalling some of our best memories.
He concluded: “I wanna go to heaven and say ‘phew…that was a hell of an adventure’.”
Nothing is consistent: Malsha Jayamaha
Travel is a means of escape for Malsha, and she told us that travelling has helped her immensely, both in terms of her mental health and physical wellbeing. This pandemic has done her no favours, she said, and spoke about how much it affected her, stating: “A lot, because travelling isn’t a job for me, it’s my hobby and I love doing it. So having your hobby stalled by a pandemic twice doesn’t help much. I definitely miss that peace.”
Travelling undoubtedly brings about new appreciation for life, and the lack of it is bound to make life all the more difficult. Her life goal is to travel as much as possible and achieve the highest possible goals she can in her career.
She added that despite the troubles she faced due to the pandemic, she learned a few valuable lessons. “I have learned that nothing is consistent, that you have to expect the unexpected and work to overcome those,” Malsha said, adding that she faced her challenges and came out stronger than ever.
Keeping aside the trouble that came with this year, she has reason to hope for a better 2021; she’s going to be a mom! “I have a big challenge coming up in 2021. As a first-time mom, I have lots of hope, along with a bagful of challenges, and first experiences.”
She added that she’s very excited to start travelling with her little nugget and gather more amazing memories that will last a lifetime, along the way.
Be forever grateful: Kavindi Athapattu
Travelling has always been Kavindi’s hobby for years, and coping with the restrictions that the pandemic put us through did not fare too well for her.
Kavindi spoke about the challenges the pandemic brought about, as a travel influencer. “There is not much work right now. My Instagram feed is very boring and I always miss the good old days when everything was going fine.”
She noted that the part that she is most devastated about is that a lot of her treasured travel spots had collapsed over the last few months.
Kavindi shared her thoughts on this year, stating: “2020 taught me one good lesson and it is to be forever grateful and thankful and enjoy life as it is!” She added that distance means nothing when you are connected in heart.
On the topic of 2021, she shared her hopes for the upcoming year, saying: “I hope that 2021 will be everyone’s year and that everything will get back to normal.”
Create your own identity: Luxsan Tharmarajah
Luxsan is a psychology graduate, with a strong calling for travel. He is also incredibly passionate about helping people, which is why “when lockdown happened, it was our responsibility to stay home to save lives. I believe it is important to travel safely, especially when it comes to sticking to the protocols and maintaining social distancing”.
Although the pandemic is a huge cause of worry to us in general, it caused a particularly large strain on the tourism industry. Luxsan touched on the subject, saying: “As the restrictions eased up and with all the needed precautions taken, there was a huge demand to rebuild the tourism industry again.” He stated that travel is important for the economy, and if we do travel, we should do so in a safe manner.
He spoke about the struggles he had to face this year. “Having been let go from my job due to pay cuts in this economy hit me like a wave, and I realised that you are not guaranteed anything.” He shared that he learned that nothing is permanent. “Create your own identity and be yourself in any given situation,” he advised.
Aside from the pandemic, Luxsan revealed that he plans on following his passion and doing his masters in clinical psychology in 2021. He added: “To be really honest, 2021 doesn’t look any better, but let’s hope for the best and pray that 2021 will be the win we are all looking for.”
IG: @lifeofluxsan
It’s time to put more focus on sustainability: Stephi Wimalasinghe
Stephi had many travel plans going into 2020, none of which came into fulfilment.
“My first trip planned was in March 2020 to Everest Base Camp. With the pandemic, the trip was cancelled two weeks prior to the date,” Stephi told us, sadly.
Stephi was also stuck at home during the lockdown, and all she had left were her dreams to travel. She told us that even with the restrictions lifted, nothing was the same. “I like to create content on both luxury travel as well as budget travel because I believe there are many people who follow backpack-style travel.
“But with the new normal, many budget-oriented hotels and restaurants were hit hard, and they were not able to adhere to the new rules and regulations. My only option was to target luxury travel.” She noted that it was a tragedy seeing small business owners struggling to keep their businesses afloat.
Looking at the positive side of things, she said: “Many of the tourist destinations were less crowded – some of the waterfalls I visited were completely empty and it was just nature and me.”
Stephi told us that she fears the uncertainty that comes with the pandemic. “Will there be another lockdown? Will the place I visit go under lockdown? Will I get infected with Covid-19?” are some questions that cross her mind.
She strongly believes that the pandemic was a warning from Mother Nature to humankind, to stop the destruction of our planet and start rebuilding the natural world. “We were given enough time to change our lifestyle patterns. As a travel influencer, I learned I have to influence my followers to think more about nature and sustainability. It’s time to put more focus on sustainability, reduce our carbon footprint, adapt to quickly changing situations, and come up with better plans.”
Just like everyone else, Stephi hopes that Covid-19 will end. “The progress we made in finding a solution for Covid shows positive results. I believe everyone should make a conscious effort to change their lifestyle.”
IG: @stephi_lk
I have started to value each and every trip: Thareesha Wijethunga
“It was the hardest few months of my life!” Thareesha exclaimed when asked how she coped with the pandemic. “I used to travel often before the pandemic hit, but suddenly there was a lockdown and we were forced to sit at home.”
She explained how she managed to keep her travel blog afloat while not being able to travel. “I was missing months of content creation. I shared a lot of ‘throwbacks’ with positive messages.” She added: “It’s definitely been one of the many challenges that have come with the pandemic.”
Thareesha also told us that this time has taught her to appreciate the little things: “I explored my own hometown and secluded parks and beaches that have always existed but that I never took time to find. I have started to value each and every trip, whether it’s just a short road trip or camping, as something I am lucky enough to experience.”
She mentioned that she had plans to visit Bali, but Covid put a damper on things. “As a travel influencer, it’s my duty to encourage travellers to adhere to safety guidelines,” she told us. She concluded that she is hopeful we will find an effective vaccine for Covid and all will be well once again.
IG: @traveldrops_tw
