Travel Blogging and Coronavirus
This video was recorded in our living room to express my general feelings as COVID-19 took off. I was in the midst of settling into a routine with my travel blog as my focus, my passion project. I had literally just enrolled in a blogging course to improve my digital communication skills, to expand my knowledge and to connect with like-minded individuals. Then COVID-19 happened presenting a monumental challenge to my sense of purpose and productivity. Not just mine, but so many others too…
COVID-19 Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Transcript from my video
Good afternoon, my name is Emma and I’m a blogger based in Brisbane, Australia. I started my travel blog ‘Oz to Anywhere’ around four months ago and it has changed my life. Basically, it’s allowed me to get in touch with my creative side and to find a voice for expressing myself. I’ve always considered myself to be a good writer but this is the opportunity to actually write for an audience and also to combine my two passions, travel and writing.
So what are the challenges I’m currently facing?
Well it’s the 20th of March 2020 and we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and basically it’s complete chaos out there! Now, this is a really challenging time to be working on a travel blog. First of all, to stay focused with all of this happening outside in the wider community and because I’m scared and concerned about all the people who are suffering. In particular, you know, Italy. We traveled to Italy just a couple of years ago and Italy has had, I think, 4000 deaths to date and has so many people not well that it’s putting enormous pressure on their healthcare system.
Here in Australia, we’ve had 800 people diagnosed with with COVID-19. We don’t know if we can continue in our work, day-to-day work at the moment. A lot of businesses are making arrangements to work from home. Whole restaurants and bars and hospitality industries are closing down. The government’s trying to work out relief packages and aid for people who are going to be without income so they can pay their day-to-day bills. We just don’t know what the far-reaching consequences of COVID-19 could possibly be in terms of how quickly we will get things back to normal. Indeed people will not be in a position financially and emotionally to even think about travelling for leisure again. It’s really going to take quite some time because at the moment people are in survival mode, it’s just about surviving.
Stay safe everyone!
