In a family or among a group of friends, the possible outcomes for the next joint holiday can easily be shared digitally these days, and the discussions can be online or offline. Just create a WhatsApp group for example. VR glasses have added a whole new dimension to the experience of preparing a trip. Yes, you can actually – kind of – walk there and get more of a real feel of what it is going to be like.
As much as preparing for your next holiday is always fun, also the ‘after joy’ of the last one can be just as pleasant and actually even be a good preparation for your next holiday too. Yes, you will remember what went well, and you want to copy it, but also what did not go well and that you want to change on the next trip. Pictures and videos you have taken on holiday allow you to easily go back in place and time. It helps to revisit the hotels and places you have been to in order to remember the good things and the fun time you had. If you do not have enough material yourself, you will easily find photos or videos online from others for your reference.
Adding to the above is the option to watch documentaries on interesting locations on the apps of TV stations. A recent add-on from my side in this respect is ARTE, where I saw the Silk Road episodes (in French: “La route de la soie”). Some 10 or 12 short movies leaving from Venice in Italy via Turkey, Iran, a few -stans to get to China and eventually Xian, the capital of China in the Heydays of the Silk Road. Well. All of that has given me quite a few ideas for future holidays. It even incited me to dig deeper on Wiki-travel and Google Maps, checking out hotels, local tours or things to see. I did not necessarily find all I want yet, but it was an excellent trigger to explore before going on the real adventure.
Many of you will also have made – no surprise during the confinement days
– extra discoveries in the vicinity of your home: great walk and bike possibilities you never took the time to check out. Furthermore, many gardens have never been kept as neatly in recent years as they are today, because those who have one spent more time in them. This can easily work for a balcony, or even a plant and flower corner in an apartment. There too, I have seen amazing creativity to turn those small spaces in beautiful places in which I would gladly improvize a picnic.
Of course, as always, we are all yearning for our next real holiday. We want to just do it, be there and enjoy the real thing. Our next holiday will come, but patience is a virtue and it comes at a premium these days.
