In a pandemic world where travel is at a standstill, where destinations are bereft of tourists, where airlines have had their wings clipped and seafaring vessels have been forced to remain on their lees, travellers and those of us that write about travel are potentially left twiddling our collective thumbs.
We the mere holiday-going mortals who long for new experiences can still plunder our memories of past trips and reminisce those delicious moments, pore over the pictures we took, the ones we placed on social media and talked about over dinner so many times. Why? Because each time we visit that part of us that is in charge of our joy and happiness these images pop back up, bringing with them feelings of profound well being.
In effect, our own memory banks have become our own source of inspiration during a time when holiday companies are temporarily on slow-down. Yet it’s worth wondering if travel writers and travel influencers should take this time to release even more of their creative juices.
Cast your eyes over the next paragraph written by Angela Abraham:
The sand is the most gentle hue of gold, almost earthen and muted, the humble star of the scene. I love this beach. I love the driftwood that comes upon the buoyant waves as tiny rescue boats. Then there is the seaweed, that flora of those salty waves, as deeply green as any high summer foliage. My favourite though, of everything that is here upon the softly rolling dunes, is the tall, tall grass that whispers so sweetly into the gusting breeze.
Did it transport you? Please bring yourself back and join me here.
Inspiration is a valuable commodity and holiday providers know this, and that’s why they collaborate with writers and influencers who have honed their skills with the written word, video and beautifully crafted images on Instagram. A travel writer is at their best when they fall in love with a destination.
when a journalist or influencer genuinely falls in love with a place, and with the people who live there, they become emotionally invested
The pandemic has created a void, and nature abhors a void. It will have to be filled. That is why it is even more essential that savvy destinations will keep on plying their message to remain top of mind for holidaymakers.
This is especially so for emerging destinations such as Uzbekistan. Sophie Ibbotson a die-hard lover of Uzbekistan and an accomplished influencer said:
I was able to specialise in a region that the rest of the world knew little about. My knowledge and also my enthusiasm, brought me to the attention of Uzbektourism. They asked me to become Uzbekistan’s official Tourism Ambassador to the UK in 2019, and in 2020 I was awarded the Turizm Fidoyisi medal of honour for services to tourism. Having a background in writing and journalism is hugely helpful in this role.
Some say that those involved in writing about travel are on one long jolly. Not so says blogger Portia Jones:
Life as a grounded travel writer not only an exercise in patience but also having the self-restraint not to have a wine at 3 pm. Whilst imprisoned at home in endless lockdowns, I started asking myself the indulgent, soul searching question of ‘without travel, what am I?’ What’s my raison d’être? What the hell am I going to talk about on Twitter? Do not say ‘armchair travel’, I am at a breaking point of my patience with that insufferable phrase.
This article is sponsored by Intellifluence.
