Annais a travel
andlifestyle
journalist,and
authorofthe
travelmemoir
Departures.
@annadothartThe art of travel
overtureshavenodiscernible
effect.If weowna bike,weleap
astrideit withgusto,marvelling
at thisgloriousmiracleofmodern
engineering.If wehavea well-
equippedkitchen,wedigout
dustyappliancesandutensilsand
dedicateourselvestocomplicated,
time-consumingrecipeswith
fervour.And,aboveall,if westill
haveourhealth,andthehealthof
ourloved-ones,wefeellikekings.
Inmid-MarchI wasinAustin,
Texas, where I was supposed to bereportingonSXSW,thefirstmajor
internationalartsfestivaltobe
cancelledduetoCovid-19.Atthis
stage,I wasdoingwhatmostofus
weredoing:stitchingtogethermy
understandingofthepandemic
likea patchworkquilt,discarding
remnantsofinaccurateinformation,
tryingtoworkoutwhatwassocial
mediahysteriaandwhatwerethe
medical(andeconomic)realities.
I scrolledthroughhundredsof
articles,withopposinganglesand
conflictingadvice,fromdifferent
nations.The“rightthingtodo”
keptchanging,seeminglyevery
hour.Finally,I decidedtocatch
whatturnedouttobethelastflight
backfromAustintoLondon.
I returnedtomyhomeina
smallseasidetowntwomonths
earlierthananticipated, my exciting
plansabandoned,
thefullweightof
theimpending
humanitarianand
financialcrisis
weighingheavily
uponme.
ButthenI
noticedthestrangest
thing.Thecolours
outsidemywindow
werealmost
psychedelic,theseaa ridiculous
blue,thegrassgarishlygreen.The
cupofteaI mademyselftastedlike
anelixirofthegods.Anysongon
theradiofloodedmewithsomuch
emotion,I hadtolieonthefloor.
I’veonlyeverbeeninthis
heightenedsensorystateinthefirst
flushoflove,soI hadnoideawhat
businessit hadwithmeduringa
globaltragedy.AndthenI realised:
it’sloveagain.Thisis a reawakening
ofloveforallthethingsI tookfor
granted.A newappreciationforthe
everydaythingsI nowrealiseI could
loseat anymoment.Becauseloss
hangsheavilyintheairrightnow.
Andthereis nothinglikeloss– loss
offreedom,lossoflife,lossof
financialsecurity– tomakeus
appreciatewhatwe’vegot.
Havinghadsomanyofour
freedomsremoved,andfacedwith
so much loss, we’ve never felt moregratefulfortheprivilegesand
pleasureswestillhave.Fornow,
travelis a libertydeniedtous.
Whichis quitetheirony,because
thecoronaviruscrisishasturnedme
intothebesttravellerI’veeverbeen.
I’mintip-toptravellingcondition
rightnow.I haveneverbeenmore
primedforpleasure.I’veneverbeen
morewide-eyedat theprospectof
meetingnewandunfamiliarfaces,
learningfromthem,delightingin
theirpresence.I’veneverbeenmore
awedwithrespectforothercultures.
I’veneverbeenmoreeagertopush
mybodytonewlimits,savouring
everyblessedsensation.Allmy
pettypeevesandproclivitieshave
evaporated;I’denjoyeverysecond
ofa 19-hourflightfromSydneyto
London.Whata treattobeinthe
air! Economyclass,howdelightfully
cosy.Justlookat all
thesewonderful
peopleI cantouch!
Thetruthis that
thecoronavirus
crisisis a medical
andhumanitarian
disasterthatnone
ofuswillemerge
unscathedfrom.
Andit is a financial
crisis,the
dimensionsofwhichwe’reyet
tocomprehend.Butit is alsoa
powerfulideologicalintervention.
Noothereventhaschangedour
heartsandminds,ourhabitsand
routines,ourhopesanddreams,as
rapidlyas thispandemic.Humans
areinfinitelyadaptable;bending
is whatwedobest,andit’sour
resiliencethathasbroughtusthis
faras a species.Rightnow,we’re
adaptingtobeingappreciativelike
neverbefore.
Fornow,wecanonlyturnthese
fresh,appreciativethoughtstoour
homes,ourfamiliesandournatural
surroundings.Wecanonlysavour
thesmall,limitedfreedomswestill
enjoy.Butif wemastertheartof
seeingourlocked-downlives
throughtheeyesofanappreciative
traveller,justimaginehowdazzling
thewiderworldwilllook when we
get out there again.●I’d enjoyevery
secondofa 19-
hourflight from
SydneytoLondon.
Economyclass,
how delightfully
cosy.GOURMET TRAVELLER 105ILLUSTRATIONS GETTY IMAGES.