March 21 2020
So here we are. The world appears to have gone to hell in a handbasket thanks to the pandemic caused by Corvid-19, a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus. I could dwell on this in more scientific detail, but what’s the point, this, at the end of the day, is not a scientific journal of importance.
So this puts an end to our adventures, and what adventures they have been! It really has been an incredible 5 months exploring the far reaches of the globe. We practically managed to live the dream of being in perpetual summer (which, at some points, really didn’t feel much like summer).
We also managed to meet some of our friends along the way, as well as make some new ones too. It was really cool catching up with those that had decided to emigrate and hear the stories of where their lives had taken them.
So, the real question, what next?
1. Write up all the remaining adventures
Well, thanks to most of the world currently being in lockdown, it gives both of us some time and space to take our online journey a bit further. We are still a little bit behind on our stories, and we were struggling to keep up near the end. Technology fails combined with an impending sense of panic to book last possible flights out of South America can be attributed to this.
2. Create the trip summaries
Okay, so I love detail. And I love data! And my passion for these things (despite making me a buzzkill at parties) means we have been collecting data of all sorts as we travel around. My plan is to collate all of this into a collection of reports. This will help inform our:
3. Travel guides
One idea that we discussed while gallivanting around was to write a few of our own travel guides and itineraries. We found many on various blogs which really helped us create our own travel plans. However, they tend to be focused on really catchy SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) language. I.e. 8 things to do in location X that you couldn’t possibly miss.
While informative, they got a bit annoying after a while as they all tended to hone in on this click-bait type nonsense. Our plan is to create guides that can hopefully help others fully frame a trip to various locations, inclusive of ideas of costs and travel times and whatnot.
4. Update the website
One skill I really wanted to hone in on during the time away from home was website development. However, wanting to do this was proving to be quite a time consuming and started to take away from being in the moment and enjoying the adventure we were on.
Now we are back home, I want to dig into creating my own WordPress theme, which will be unique to our website. Not wanting to spend days on end on this task but more wanting to have a knowledge of how this is done and have a complete sense of achievement.
5. Write/Record other bits of advice
This one may well fall by the wayside, but then again, I may dive into it with the earnest if my interest is sufficiently peaked. During our time travelling, I have been developing skills I really wouldn’t have the time or inclination to bother with during my regular routine. Primarily this has been photo editing. I have put some serious time into developing not only my Lightroom skills but also my photoshop skills! On top of this, I have put some serious time behind the lens of both my DSLR and my Drone.
Definitely, there are some lessons learned which others may find useful on their own travesty which may be good to share.
So, to those that have been with us on our journey, we hope you have enjoyed our stories. Please do keep in touch and stay tuned. There will be some exciting stuff on the way.