2020: What we missed the most about (not) travelling this year

The year 2020 has been dedicated to lockdowns and travel restrictions. Never have we imagined that there will come a time when we will not only be able to travel, but will also have to work from home for a long period of time.

Although it is too early to predict when we can go back to travelling like we used to, we can of course check out our travel diaries that are full of reminiscences of the bygone days. When we gradually step out to travel with masks on and hand sanitizers in our pockets, there will be many things that would have already changed in the travel scene.

Here is a roundup of the basic experiences about travel we have missed this year.

Who can forget the anticipation, and anxious months that go in planning a trip. While going on a solo trip, one had to be well-researched, whereas planning group trips involved bringing everyone on the same page has always been a crazy task. Researching, deviating from the planned itinerary, and trying to stick by the timeline are some of the things that we definitely missed this year.

No matter whatever goes in that suitcase, almost all of us can swear by the last-minute packing spree. We miss searching for that one essential thing we always forgot, including passports!

Airports are the most exciting place to be when travelling. It is the spot that signals the beginning of a new adventure, and the excitement of infinite possibilities that awaited us ahead in our trips. We definitely miss airports, and are sure you do as well.

This seemed like a distant dream in 2020. Although trains have gradually resumed operation, the risk of travelling via train looms large. Also, we miss those endless chats with complete strangers, and striking bonds that lasted for years at times.

We are mostly not satisfied with hotel rooms. With the whole year sans any hotel stays, a lot of us are also missing complaining about hotels! Be it the hotel rooms being small, lack of necessary amenities, washroom faucets not working, we had one or the other reason to complain about.

The thrill of exploring new places has to be one of those experiences that we have definitely missed this year. The accomplishment of having discovered a secret waterfall, a mysterious cave, or just a new local café, we miss it all.

With smartphones in our pocket, we all become photographers. 2020 definitely made us miss photography, including sorting the best photos from thousands at the end of a trip.

Coming back home from a trip had us full of mixed emotions. The pain of leaving behind beautiful places, coupled with the thought of sleeping comfortably in our beds at home; that feeling of missing home and craving to go out, we missed it for sure.

Hoping 2021 gets us back to our travelling days.