Being on the road makes sense to me. It always has. I'll often design reasons to go to so-and-so place, and more often than not, they will involve live music, which is something that speaks to me on a very deep level. But it's as much about the journey, as it is about the destination. I rarely leave just for the sake of getting somewhere, I leave because sometimes, leaving is the only thing that makes sense.
I've always had this kind of mindset, and it's only been intensified by the lockdown last year. Now, I suppose you could say we've been lucky. We only had that harsh, don't go out of your house type of lockdown for two months, like much of Europe, from March to May 2020.
Still, those two months managed to instill in me a FOMO unlike anything I've ever experienced before. Whereas pre-lockdown, I was able to judge a trip's worthiness, in terms of cost, time, and so on, now I just go. Because even though the initial brutal lockdown has ended, I'm haunted by the thought - what if they take this away from me again?.
I don't like the idea of someone else telling me what I can or can't do, so you can imagine I did not adapt to lockdown and the subsequent rules as well as others did.
Now, I leave because it's my small way of fighting back. Granted, it won't do much in terms of sticking it to our greedy, capitalist overlords. But neither will complying. I've talked with plenty of people who say "oh, I used to enjoy so-and-so activity". And I always ask, well, why don't you enjoy it now? And invariably, it all boils down to Covid. Oh, you know, Covid.
Seems to me that a lot of people are stuck in that 2-month lockdown. They no longer travel. They no longer hike, or rock-climb, or go to concerts, or whatever their hobby used to be. Because they were told what to do, and somehow, they've settled into this infuriating state of affairs, of not being allowed.
I guess we just can't do that anymore. - Not with that attitude, you can't.
Most of the things that made life fun have been made more difficult. But not impossible. And it seems to me, it's your duty, as someone who loves said activity, to figure out how you can still practice it now. Not to just comply. Not to say oh okay, then. It's not okay. And you saying it's okay is what lets them enforce these rules anyway.
I started reading this book about a plane crash (fictional), and it begins with a 15-year-old boy refusing to go through those metal detector machines at the airport. For several reasons, such as it's degrading, it's just another symbol of our lost freedom, and it's ineffective in fighting terrorists. And another passenger sees this and wonders - why? What use could come of one single boy obstructing?
And at a first glance, not much. No, the "security" system at the airport isn't going to be changed by one boy. But not complying is the only thing that you, as an individual, can do to throw a wrench in their plans. And you know what? You should. What's the point of being against something if you can't say so?
So what's that got to do with traveling? Well, I guess I don't want to be one of those people who say oh okay, then. And by not traveling, that's what I feel I'm doing. For me, travel is a way of life, and as such, it's essential to who I am. And essential doesn't mean you do it as long as it's convenient and easy. It means you find ways to do it, even when they make it difficult.
As you may have guessed, I'm leaving on a short road trip tomorrow. I felt I needed it. I felt it would be healthy for me to go. And ultimately, I asked myself, what if they don't let me leave a month from now?