Change is in the air – Ways to travel in our new reality

Yesterday, we made the painful decision to cancel our trip to Australia.  After nearly 3 years in the planning, and in the grip of fear of the spread of the coronavirus, the Australian government declared the necessity of quarantining new arrivals for 14 days which would make our trip completely impractical.  Even if we were to sit the quarantine out, the writing is on the wall of complete lockdown for all other events in the ensuing weeks. 
 
I had been looking forward to one of our first trips since giving birth last year and to really testing out 'baby in a backpack' with a pre-schooler and soon-to-be-toddler.  I had definitely been having anxious thoughts about entertaining the said little ones for such a long journey but we were generally excited and raring to go.  But the inevitability of the situation meant that we felt it necessary to cancel.
 
But I’m grateful that this enforced lockdown period is helping us all to evaluate what’s important in life.  My husband and I were already making steps towards limiting our carbon footprint and thinking through what it would mean to be ‘global, yet local’ and this new situation is indeed calling into question the values and life choices that we make on a daily basis.  Having been born and brought up in Hong Kong, and having had the privilege to have travelled to over 50 countries, it is important to me that my own children benefit from a global perspective and develop a confidence and comfort in being in new places and learning from others.  And with the rise in nationalism and increasing xenophobia in the world, I am determined to keep opening my mind, heart and thought to others.  But with the rapid onset of climate change, I had been wondering what we need to do to express the spirit of adventure in a way that respects our climate. Coronavirus notwithstanding, here are some steps we had already been thinking through:

1. To only travel by air for work.  My husband and I have jobs that require travel and we often find ways to combine our work trips with some rest and relaxation time with the children.  We try to travel as a family and use the opportunity as an educational experience for the children and the chance to open their thought to new cultures and experiences.  I am pleased to say that, at the delicate ages of one and nearly 3, both of our girls are both extremely comfortable with others (neither of them have ever experienced the famed ‘separation anxiety’ so common in children of that age), curious and oblivious to skin colours and culinary differences.
2. No air travel for holidays. We have decided to limit flight travel for holidays, preferring to take the train or drive our big family to southern France, the UK or Italy for family holidays, meaning that we limit the carbon footprint per head.  We are so blessed to live on an exceptionally beautiful continent with easy access to some stunning vacation spots so we feel it is right to take advantage of this instead of seeking holidays further afield.
3. Make a contribution wherever we go.  We judge the validity of taking transcontinental flights by the degree to which we can contribute to the community where we are going.  In my husband’s work as a lecturer on spirituality and my own work with migrants and refugees, we each seek to explore avenues to share what we do, no matter whether it is my husband or I who are principally motivating the trip.
4. Carbon offsetting.   It’s not the whole solution, but it’s better than nothing.
5. Take trains and buses wherever possible. This allows you to see more too!
6. Opening our home to others.  This is travel from where you are grounded.  Having lived all over the world myself, I am blessed with a large cohort of friends from all over and we open and extend our home to others on a regular basis.  We love to come together with food and ideas from different corners of the world and, to me, it expresses perfectly that blending of both ‘going out’ but also ‘welcoming in’ which is such an important part of being a global citizen.

 
There is already much evidence and conversation circulating the internet about the impact that the enforced lockdown is having on our climate, with clear skies in China, and a return to the appreciation of nature and the great outdoors as people look for alternatives to cooped-up city living whilst still 'physical distancing'.  And it is heartening to consider how this period of battening down the hatches and staying in the moment with more simple life pleasures could help us transform our ideas about what is truly necessary in life.
 
So, I for one, will welcome the opportunity to do some armchair travel in the coming months, reading books, exploring the garden and surrounding woods with my little ones, and opening my thought to what ‘adventures’ there are to be had in my mind.  Baby in a backpack has always been metaphorical, not just literal, and, whilst I hope we won’t be packing away the suitcases for ever, I look forward to a reframing of what true adventure means!