Roaming Fox's travel wish list 2021 and predicted trends
South Africa
Travel Wish List for 2021
Sign at The Shed Farmstall, Karoo
Allow me a little indulgence. A fantasy if you will. I would like to start off with a wish list for 2021. That is travel and trends prediction. We all know that the previous year has had its challenges – far too many.
One of the trends that took the brunt of the pandemic was travel and tourism. For many years there were numerous lists of travel predictions and developments. One of the crucial ones was the environmental impact from tourism. There have been endless discussions and even numerous measures to restore the damage that was done.
Suddenly the urgency was taken out of our hands by a pesky little virus that could and has produced disastrous effects, potential and real, as well as tremendous heartbreak. One positive, it certainly lessened the carbon footprint of travellers and tourists.
In South Africa as in many other countries the pandemic resulted in an alcohol ban and a curfew for many months. In fact many countries have closed their borders to South African travellers.
Air transportation is on life support. Restaurants are close to drowning in their own alcohol because they are not allowed to sell it, partially due to gender-based violence and preventing hospitals being filled with casualties like these or to prevent drunk driving. The travel and tourism industries are staggering and on their knees on journeys to nowhere. The entertainment industry is performing their final act in sackcloth and ashes. It certainly puts a whole new meaning to starving actors.
I could carry on and on…. But I won’t. Many people have suffered, become ill and many have lost loved ones and my hearts cries out to them. I cannot begin to understand how they feel and I can only send them my deepest sympathies. Fortunately many have survived and recovered.
On a lighter note as I always try my best to see the positive side and hopefully with a smile on my face, I thought I would write the following and put a smile on yours.
My travel wish list for 2021, and my predictions:
I would like to step on an aeroplane and fly around the world. I would love to stop over at a few destinations for a lengthy period of time where my family resides and drive them scatty until they are willing to take their life savings to get rid of me and chase me away. I of course would reimburse them once I left!
Before I step on that plane I would need a completely new wardrobe of outfits deemed necessary for any occasion whilst traipsing around the world to fill a set of the best travel luggage I could find. After all, with the numerous times I’ve needed to sanitize I tend to have a few extra bleached blotches on my outfits – a bit like tie-dying in the 60’s – another new fashion trend?
Whilst I am irritating my family, I would ease their load by taking them out to dinner – maybe even the occasional lunch or breakfast. I would support each and every restaurant by devouring their most profitable cuisine and to compliment the flavours, sip on a delightfully nectar like alcoholic beverage to wash it down.
After dinner what better way to keep us entertained than watching a Broadway type show or musical to support those actors and musicians that are living on the borderline of survival.
Alternately we can visit museums for some culture. But I do love an adventure and some wildlife so we could explore a national park or two.
To prevent exhaustion from all these activities a visit to an island or two to relax, snorkel or scuba dive would help to ease the fatigue.
You will notice I have not mentioned specific places. I think I would be grateful to travel anywhere right now. Moving on.
As they should be
True wishes:
My sincerest wish is that everyone is happy and healthy, physically and mentally. That includes you!
Above all I would like the virus to disappear into thin air as quickly as it appeared in this world. It has disrupted enough lives, taken away far too many and reduced some family visits to dreams and memories, not realities. It has affected the mental health and wellbeing of many.
To achieve all this I would have to win the Lotto and wave a magic wand. Sad to say this would have to remain a dream. I wish I could do more but I don’t have any superpowers.
My predictions:
My predictions are that travel will continue much the same way as 2020. Sometimes we will be allowed international travel and sometimes the borders will be closed, even with a vaccine. There will be periods of quarantine, compulsory or out of necessity and at great cost to travellers. Those obligatory ten days will add extra time needed to the trip which some can ill afford.
Staycations will become more of a norm. Road trips will become more popular as it is easier to maintain social distancing in your own vehicle than on public transport. This is when I would not mind having my own jet or super yacht as well as the finance to run it!
How my actual year began.
We got to see a small portion of our family. We took a road trip from Gauteng to the Cape to visit family. A rather subdued trip. The new COVID infection cases were rising at an alarming rate and so were the deaths. After much discussion and self-arguments to find all the reasons not to go, we stuck to our guns and thought of two good reasons why we should go:
1. We had not seen that side of the family for a couple of years.
2. We had to take the opportunity while we could. Who knew what tomorrow would hold?
Gone was the luxury of air travel as we have done for many years. Yes, I know we could have but we chose to take a less risky route from the pandemic point of view by staying in our little bubble of our vehicle. Flights were not as frequent and we were convinced they would be full as well as expensive as we would be booking at the last minute.
We limited our stops to comfort stops – when nature calls - not the bird or animal variety. I packed what is known as ‘padkos’ in South Africa. Snacks, food, soft drinks and water for the road. We stayed in overnight accommodation roughly halfway – me armed with my sanitizer, latex gloves and a cleaning cloth in case the hygiene of the room was not up to standard.
I went OTT and even bought a couple of readymade meals to heat up in the microwave for our dinner so we didn’t have to eat at a restaurant. I prefer not to sit in a crowded restaurant and am quite selective where I eat these days.
Our trip took us down to the Cape with the sole purpose to visit family. To minimise any spread of the virus we limited our exposure to others as much as possible and kept ourselves in relative isolation. We chose to spend quality time together instead of visiting tourist spots, as much as I would have loved to.
Damage control after a storm
Our trip down started a few hours later than anticipated. The previous night we had a horrendous summer storm with torrential rain. Our crystal-clear swimming pool was reduced to a muddy mess. We did some damage control and cleaned up as much debris as we could then went on our way. We couldn’t leave too late as we would not arrive at our overnight stop before curfew. Gone are the days of doing the entire trip of about 1400 kilometres in one day! We did that many a times when we were far younger.
Double bookings and where would we sleep?
Our stopover was in Richmond, Northern Cape for the night. A tiny town on the N1 which I would have loved to explore as I believe it has some great history. We arrived at our accommodation and found that the establishment had double booked and all the rooms were full. Those that know Richmond will know there is not much accommodation.
We were tired and did not want to drive to the next town that could have even more limited accommodation. Back tracking to the previous town was just not practical.
Fortunately the people that did the double booking found us another place to sleep. I would not recommend either places but I will admit we had a lovely view of a beautiful church and a glorious sunset. After relaxing for a bit I popped our TV dinners into the microwave to heat up so we wouldn’t go to bed starving.
Only seagulls allowed on Fish Hoek beach.
Onwards to Cape Town and Gansbaai
The following day we arrived in the Cape, arranged to pick up Mom the following day and then went out for dinner to a restaurant we had frequented in previous years. We were told by friends this particular restaurant was very Covid-cautious.
We were pleasantly surprised as the tables were well spaced out with sanitizer at the door. Our temperatures were taken and we were taken to our table that was situated at a door that allowed the fresh sea air to drift in. There was sanitizer on each table as well. What better place to have a traditional fish and chips dinner? We had to be finished by 8pm though, because of curfew.
We drove to the beach to see with our own eyes how deserted it was. Quite eerie and strange, in the middle of a summers holiday.
The following morning we drove the last stretch of our journey to be with the rest of our family.
I won’t bore you by regaling our family conversations. Suffice to say it was worth spending time with each and every one of them. We had great laughs and it felt good to be with each other. We still proceeded with caution and stuck to all the protocols necessary for keeping everyone healthy – no different to the way we behaved at home.
My husband and I even managed to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, albeit a quiet one, but with a lovely dinner of braaied (grilled) steak. Tender and tasty, it might not have been a dinner at a 5-star restaurant, but I was more than satisfied.
I don’t regret taking the trip and am glad we were able to see at least some of our family. In fact it was necessary. After our visit we took mom back to her retirement establishment where she had to self-isolate for ten days. Thankfully she is fine, albeit slightly bored from being confined to her flatlet. She has now been let out of quarantine (or prison as she calls it) after her recommended period. The rest of us all stayed healthy.
Killer mosquito fighter pilots
To continue with our trip back home, we backtracked the way we came and spent the night in the Karoo at The Shed Farmstall just outside Beaufort West. Located in an arid to semi-arid desert climate, the Karoo is prone to drought with an average rainfall of 190 millimetres per year. The temperatures vary from icy cold in winter to sweltering heat in summer.
We were upgraded to a De Luxe Chalet instead of the Thatch Chalets where we would have originally spent the night. The reason was that the Karoo had much needed rain for a few days before and the thatch chalets were surrounded by water.
We quite liked the upgrade and sat outside while having tea. We decided we would have our dinner outside because it was cooler. Quite pleased with that idea we started eating.
My words weren’t even cold in between two mouthfuls of food where I still commented how great it would be to leave the sash windows open that evening, but close the outer wooden shutters, to allow cool air in through the slats. We charged inside. Bang went that idea - as in banged the door and windows shut, firmly.
The giveaway should have been the water lying around on the drought stricken parched earth. We were being chowed by mosquitoes. A few of them don’t usually bother me that much. Hubby though usually bounces around like a pogo stick to swat them away like a cymbalist in an orchestra. A few more though can be rather irritating, hence the hasty retreat.
But we were in the Karoo, an ideal star gazing destination. We couldn’t miss out. On a clear night the velvety black night sky is usually littered with stars and it was one of those nights.
We slipped through a tiny slit as we opened the door to go outside. Now let me tell you, fending off one or two mosquitoes is acceptable but when you have a battalion of them ready and waiting outside on high alert to attack or else carry you off like a prisoner of war, it is not worth taking another step. We surrendered and gave up on enjoying the night’s spectacular display. Peering out the pane windows was impossible as there was a black blur of buzzing bodies trying their best to penetrate the glass.
With all the windows closed the chalet was a sauna. There was no air conditioning but there were 3 portable fans. We used every single one of them. We would not have survived otherwise.
Even with our quick retreat we still found those pesky fighter pilots bombing us in our bedroom. We made short work of them swatting them to kingdom come which only brought on a hot flush for me.
To freshen up and help cool me off a shower was in order. Until I stepped into the bathroom. The backup regiment was ready and waiting. They must have leopard crawled through the plughole.
Now I’m not one to resort to chemical warfare. I prefer the approach of a gentle shoo, go on, fly out the window - you’re better off in the wild, where you can join your friends outside for a sundowner on someone else’s blood. This time, I was ready to resort to lethal methods.
The can of insect spray left on the kitchen counter for our use was not just there for show. I had murder on my mind. Down to business, we spray painted the entire chalet and doused ourselves in the process. The floor was a battlefield. Bodies of wounded or deceased mosquitoes everywhere. The battle was won. We managed a fitful night of sleep and the following morning continued our journey home.
All the way home we could not get over the amount of water lying around. This year was off to a good start with regards to breaking the drought in many places.
A dusty Karoo
The wisdom and hindsight of 2020
From a travel point of view this blog might not interest you much as I don’t have any tips or suggestions of where to go as we made the most of being with family. We ranged from 60+ to a few years short of 90 which put us all in the high-risk category. We kept our movements to a minimum except to do the necessary shopping and go for the odd stroll in the fresh air.
Why am I writing this then? After all, I have not given you any ideas of where to go or shared any plans where I would like to go. That is because I have no plans. I shall wait and see what the year holds.
Until then, one thing is for sure, there are a few things that 2020 has taught us and there is much that I can be grateful for. Here they are:
Don’t shut yourself off from the world even though you have to maintain a social distance.
At the same time don’t be reckless. Abide by the rules set out by the governing parties of your country. You might not understand them, but they are there for a reason.
It is your responsibility to look after your own health first of all, but thereafter it is your responsibility not to make others ill by passing on the virus.
Travel is still hugely important to me, in fact even more so - local travel as well as international travel. Most of our family live away from us whether it be 50 kilometres away, 1500 kilometres or 15 000 kilometres.
During this continuous difficult period if at all possible take some time out for yourself and step outside your door, even if it is only for a short walk. Smell the roses, or the rain. If possible, venture further into nature. It is the best place to be. Visit a park, a game reserve, a mountain or if you are allowed, a beach. Unfortunately that freedom was taken away from us for a good few weeks, in fact months. Let’s hope we can return to those beach walks. Oh, wait, I live inland, far away from the sea!
I am grateful I have family, even if they are far and wide and I am grateful if they stay healthy. I am thankful to still have good health. This list can go on and on… but then I don’t want to bore you even more.
The display outside The Shed Farmstall, Karoo, Beaufort West
Delightful little garden in a pot at The Shed Farmstall
I hope at least some of the things you have added to your 2021 travel wish list will be ticked off but at this stage I think it is still baby steps. Hopefully we’ll get there, walking proud.
Click on image and pin for later
Click on image and pin for later
About the Author
ALMA VAN AS | ROAMING FOX
Alma is a South African travel blogger and writer. She hopes to inspire you with facts and fables about her adventures, road trips and international travel.
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I think we would be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t like butterflies. Who wouldn’t be enchanted?
Beautiful, fragile and gentle, flitting from bloom to bloom.