Lyn Hughes: "Use this travel hiatus to dream, research and plan"

As 2020 dawned, none of us could have predicted the extraordinary and challenging situation we would now find ourselves in. Even a month ago none of us would have guessed that a previously unheard-of virus would be declared a pandemic by the WHO, and that travel would effectively screech to a halt. 

In 27 years of Wanderlust, we – like so many of you – have travelled on despite natural disasters, pesky volcanoes, terrorist attacks, economic downturns, and all the other challenges. But there has not been anything as universal as this, and each hour seems to bring news of further barriers to travel. It’s also grim news for people working in travel, for communities who benefit from your travels, for beleaguered wildlife and wild places which need sustainable travel to survive.

We have, however, seen glimmers of hope. In China, new infection cases are going down, and businesses are gradually reopening. It’s early days of course, but the media from that part of the world is certainly predicting a bounce back.

Last week, we polled a few thousand of you (thank you) and found that a significant majority still wanted to travel. This was no surprise: after all, wanderlust means a “strong desire to travel” and that urge can be both a blessing and a curse. So, we know that you are going to be the travellers who will be burning with desire to get back out exploring the world when you can.

In the interim, many of us are grounded. I don’t know about you, but I am picking up the backlog of travel books that I have been waiting for an opportunity to read. The latest issue of Wanderlust magazine went on sale a few days ago, and it has so much good stuff in it.

The Sri Lanka trip planner has made me want to revisit (Gal Oya NP has jumped straight up my wishlist), while I can’t stop gazing at the Mongolia feature. And, we will, of course be continuing to update this website daily with inspirational new content – do let us know what you want to read.

So, let’s enjoy this hiatus and use it to dream, to research and to plan. Then when all the current restrictions lift, we can catch the trade winds in our sails again and explore this fascinating world of ours.


Lyn Hughes, founder & editor-in-chief

#grounded