After a false start last summer, when we thought things were\nopening up (and I managed two trips, to France and Germany), I\u2019m flying again\nfor the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The destination? Pollenza in Italy, to do some lecturing at\nthe University of Gastronomic Sciences. In order to avoid quarantining, I have\nto be in and out in 120 hours, so there will be no time for vineyard visits or\nany other wine-related activity. But it feels like a big thing to be at an\nairport again, doing the things that used to be so normal but which now feel novel.\nIt\u2019s like re-learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used to be on the road most of the year, and my travel had\ngot a little out of hand. Back from one trip, a night at home, then back to the\nairport. Bizarre itineraries of multiple flights spliced together and ambitious\nconnections. Scant regard for sleep schedules. But learning so much, and\nmeeting so many great people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I loved about travel is that the forced unfamiliarity and\ndisrupted routines that it brought meant that it prevented me from getting into\na rut. I was continually seeing the world through fresh eyes because of this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I\u2019ve loved about not travelling is how I suddenly feel\nlike home is a thing: there\u2019s a place that I, for this time, have belonged to.\nThere\u2019s a degree of rootedness. I\u2019ve also felt very relaxed, and I\u2019ve been\nhealthier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, with travelling beginning again, I\u2019m going to try to\nbalance the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travelling does feel very different now. I don\u2019t think it\nwill ever be what it was like before. I first sensed this returning from Japan\nin March 2020, my last long-haul trip. Covid was just becoming a very real\nthing, and the lounge was all different, and the service on the flight home had\nchanged. A sense of caution \u2013 trepidation, even \u2013 had set in. Of course, this\nkicked in even more a few weeks later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before this trip I felt a sense of apprehension. Rather than\nitching to get back on a plane, I\u2019ve been reluctant. I feel a much more\ncautious person overall, and I think it\u2019s something that many of us have caught\nfrom the overall societal atmosphere at the moment. We have been infused by\ncaution, and it feels odd: I\u2019ve never been like this in the past. People used\nto ask me: doesn\u2019t all this travel tire you out? On the contrary, I\u2019ve found airports\nand flying invigorating, even long-haul economy class. There\u2019s something about\nsitting in your seat, taking off, the rhythm of the flight, the arrival at the\ndestination, and an unfamiliar routine that is life-enhancing and exciting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lead up to this trip, though, has made me anxious.\nGetting the right pre-flight test, filling in forms, booking a pre-return test,\nthen the day 2 PCR test. It\u2019s a layer of administration and uncertainty that is\nunwelcome. Then there\u2019s the airport experience: would there be huge queues? How\nearly should I get here? [I got here 3 hours early, but because I\u2019d uploaded\nthe paperwork to the BA app, I got an electronic boarding pass, and because I\u2019m\nhand luggage only I got through security in 10 minutes and could have actually\narrived an hour early and been fine.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once I\u2019ve banked this flight, and made a successful return to the UK, then I think it will be a step forward towards a more normal professional life. It\u2019s all about balance, and that\u2019s often elusive. More generally, though, I wonder whether this pandemic has made people take an overly cautious approach to life. Are we in danger of driving with the brakes on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n