How does the Corona-pandemic affect us & our travel plans?
„Social Distancing“ is probably on a successful track to be the non-word of the year 2020, just like „self-isolation“ and „quarantine“. You are only allowed to be in public with people you live with, or one other person. „Flatten the curve“ – keep the intensive care unit free for the risk group.
Keeping 1,5 meters distance means long lines in front of supermarkets; but you’re not supposed to go anywhere else anyways, because restaurants, cafés, cultural- and leisure facilities remain closed, events and shows are canceled. Wearing a mask covering your mouth and nose is mandatory in public transportation as well as in stores where you’re noted to only buy toilet paper, pasta, flour and yeast in normal household quantities.
Schools, daycares and playgrounds are closed, everybody’s working from home – except the people who are working jobs that are relevant to keep the system running.
There’s a first easing of restrictions, more are promised to come soon, but at the same time there’s a growing concern for a second wave of infections.
Corona has the world under control. But the world does not have Corona under control. There’s no forecast, no prognosis, no medicine and no vaccine – not yet. Maybe next year, maybe 2022, no expert knows.
In our digital age, it’s easily possible to stay in contact despite the contact ban. Traveling despite travel restrictions is not. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises not to travel. The Federal Government even advises not to travel within Germany. Planes stay on the ground, ships stay in port and we stay home.
Well then?
Postponed or canceled – will we give up the dream for which we gave everything for several years now?
The conversion of the Sprinter from a cargovan to Overland-Campervan is completed just as planned, we’ll write and publish detailed blogposts about the conversion in the coming weeks.
The dream of traveling the Panamerican-Highway stays. But it looks like we’ll only be traveling local, regional and national for now instead of international and transcontinental.
The current situation is devastating, because everything we worked so hard for so long is cancelled due to Coronavirus. Our life is not designed to stay here. We quit our jobs; I (Ines) could keep my job, Jan is currently unemployed looking for a job. We’re lucky we did not yet sublease our apartment. The TÜV of our car expired on time for our planned departure though.
Corona forces us to question our future life plans: long term travel or vacation travel, starting a new job or starting a Master’s degree, keep or sell the Sprinter? These questions accompany us every day now…
We planned and imagined this quite different. But the way it is now, nobody could have foreseen or imagined that. We’re trying hard to stay positive anyways and are excited to see what the future holds for us 😉