Annais a travel
andlifestyle
journalist,and
authorofthe
travelmemoir
Departures.
@annadothartT
hesearewordsI neverthoughtI’d
type,butI havebecomea travellerof
modestappetites,delicatemannersand
a sensitivepalate.Theeventsofrecent
monthshavetransformedmeintoa daintynibbler
ofholidays;I consumetravelthewayaDownton
Abbeycharacterconsumescucumbersandwiches
andcoupethimblefulsofChampagne.
Goneis thegluttonyofmypre-2020existence,
whenmycalendarwasa bacchanalianfeastof
long-haulflightsandmyInstagrampagea heaving
buffetofsalacioustravelsnaps.Allthisexcesscame
toanabruptend,butnowthattravelis finallyback
onthemenu,I’vediscoveredthatmysatietyindex
hasbeenreset,mypalatecleansed.AndI’msure
thatasmosttravellersaroundtheglobeemerge
fromvariouslockdowns,weshareanappetitefor
snack-sizetravel.Themajorityofussimplydon’t
yethungerforlong-haul,long-stay,high-risktrips
totheothersideoftheworld,whereCovid-19
statsandregulationschangefasterthanthe
Europeanweather.Happily,domestic, low-key,
minimal-stress,short-stay
travelhasneverseemed
moreappetising.
Featuringheavilyonthe
menuareforgottendomestic
classics,theplacesthatperhaps
seemeda bittoo“obvious”or
“overcrowded”.Allthemost
intrepidAustraliantravellers
I knowaresettingtheirsightson
FarNorthQueensland,Rottnest
IslandandTasmania.Theseeasilyaccessible
bite-sizedestinationsareclassicsforgoodreason,
andthisis theperfecttimetorediscoverthem,
orsimplydiscoverthem.
Aswellastastingshamefullyoverlookedlocal
classics,thisis anopportunitytosnackonanarray
ofaccessibleadventures.Whoeversaid,“gobigor
gohome”(a HarleyDavidsonmarketingslogan
fromthe1990s,asit happens),plainlyneverspent
sixmonthsat homeduringa globalpandemic.
We,however,havedoneso,and“goingsmall”
soundsperfectlyexciting,thanks,becauseat least
we’regoingsomewhere.Microadventuresaretasty
morselsofadventuretravel,withoutthelong-haul
flight,theheftypricetag,thedaysspenttrekking
oronanAntarcticicebreaker.I’monthewrong
sideoftheworldrightnow,butif I wascloserto
myfamilyinMelbourne,I’dbecravinga stayat
a bubbletentintheBlueMountains,ordreaming
about the quirky charms of Yackandandah inVictoria’sHighCountry,orfantasisingabout
sleepingunderthestarsonmyprivatedeckat
Longitude 131 °overlookingUluru andKataTjuta.
Aftermonthsmarinadinginourownimmediate
surroundings,wedon’tneedtotravelmorethan
a coupleofhourstofeellikewe’vewellandtruly
escapedtheeveryday.It mightsimplymeana day’s
fly-fishing,orpaddle-boarding,orskiing.Wedon’t
evenneedtosplashmuchcash;a microadventure
couldmeanpackinga picnichamperandtearing
outalongtheGreatOceanRoad.
Cities,too,areonceagainsmorgasbordsof
culinaryandculturaldelights.Forcitydwellers,
a nightat a swishhotelacrosstownhasnever
appearedmoreglamorousorexciting;justthe
promiseofa hotelbreakfastthenextmorninghas
mymouthwatering.I livejustoutsideLondon,
andformonthsI’vebeendreamingaboutthe
Chinesebreakfastat Claridge’s.Themomentour
currentlockdownlifts,I’mbookinginfora night,
andI knowthatthisseeminglysimplesleepover
in my home citywillblowmysocksoff.Thisis
thejoyoftravellingin2021;we
areallcheapdates,andcanextract
seriousbang-for-buckfromany
treat.Feedyourselfa smallscrap
ofluxuryandit satisfieslikethe
mostlavishoffeasts.
Theword“snack”,ofcourse,
hasa complicatedhistory.And
justassnackfoodshavebeen
deridedascalorie-laden,
unsatisfactorysubstitutesfor
mainmeals,sotoohaslow-key,short-haul,
short-staytravelbeendismissedasinauthentic,
unambitiousandunsophisticatedholiday-making.
Butthingsaredifferentnow,andwe’rerealising
thatsatisfactionis anartform,anartwehave
moreagencyinthanwe’deverimagined.
I’mdeterminedtoeasemyselfgentlyback
intothisfeastoflife;I don’twanttooverwhelm
mypreviouslyoverworkedtastebudsallat once.
Andbite-sizetraveltastesallthemorewholesome
giventhecurrentsocialandeconomicclimate.
Thedomestictravelandhospitalityindustrycan
useallthesupportit cangetrightnow.Andthis
makessnack-sizetravel an entirely guilt-free,
feel-good treat.●Thisisthejoyof
travelling in2021;
weareall cheap
dates,andcan extract
seriousbang-for-buck
from any treat.GOURMET TRAVELLER 117The art of travel
ILLUSTRATION GETTY IMAGES.