Starting to thinking about travel
“You know it’s been a year since our last holiday? You’ve been getting those Facebook reminders? I said to my friend on the phone tonight. A year ago we embarked on a COVID-friendly visit to Western NSW, going to places we had never been before or had never been for many years. “Yeah, we were in Condobolin a year ago, and I’m getting reminders about those utes in the paddock”, she said.
At the start of this year I had hoped to visit her in Wagga a few times throughout the year, but circumstances have prevented that. Oddly enough, and sadly enough I’ve seen her mother more this year than she has, since I’ve spent almost four months back on the Northern Rivers.
But with the end of the lockdown, the idea that we might actually catch up again dominated our conversation tonight. We discussed travel plans we weren’t able to achieve last year, as well as a possible visit to Victoria. She had previously lived there for many years, and I haven’t been to Melbourne for almost two years. As we spoke, we talked about these domestic travel options as well as potential overseas options.
And yet there’s still a part of me that worries, especially as I have read reports and arguments we may be getting out of lockdown too early.
Nonetheless, I’m excited about the idea of restaurants, bars, theatres and cinemas reopening in the next few days. Though I’m not an overly “social person”, I like having my options, especially around the arts.
A couple of years ago I was in the area of “excess leave” at work, which meant I had too much leave saved up, and there was a requirement for me, under the Enterprise Agreement at the ABC to take some time off. I did that at the time by taking Wednesdays off, which was a wonderful way of breaking up the week, and reducing my leave balances. I still can’t believe how wonderful it was to take that day off just for “myself”, even if I did end up working longer hours on the other days to make up time! I’m about to start doing that again, as I’ve now re-entered that phase.
I’m also starting to think about an overseas holiday. At the top of my mind is a return trip to Japan. I went to Japan a few years ago, though only visiting Tokyo at the time. It sounds like Japan might open up reasonably soon as a travel destination for Australia. There is so much more to see in Japan, and so it’s at the top of my list right now.
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Yesterday a friend told me that she and her husband have just booked to go to France at the end of January next year. Their daughter lives in Paris and they have a preschool aged granddaughter to see. Fares maybe a bit higher than usual but not prohibitive ($1700 return each).
Good to hear. I’m guessing the prices relate to the fact it will remain a “buyers market” for quite some time. I was listening to Norman Swan on the radio this morning, and he said flying is actually quite safe, due to all the safety procedures in place. You would logically think its a confined space, but apparently that’s not as signficant as your potential exposure where you travel to.