The freedom to travel again

Pandemic and travel

When we talk about travel today there is an elephant in the room: the Covid. The pandemic from Covid-19 became part of our daily newspaper two years ago, in 2020, and since then our lives have changed radically and probably will not return as before. You know salmon, right? No, we’re not talking about the smoked salmon you buy at Ikea, but the live salmon that live in the sea and go upstream to lay their eggs. News flash, we’re not salmon. Because of this, we cannot expect to return to the same life before the covid, but we can adapt to live better.

Limitations? No, thank you!

We have all suffered from the pandemic, particularly in the catering and tourism sectors.

Unless you live on the moon, remember that, to contain the outbreak of the pandemic, everything was closed and then, gradually, reopen and start again but we are not yet free: to travel we need tampons and Green Pass and, Some countries still impose restrictions and prohibitions in order to enter a country. Just think about the closure of the United States of America: until last October, in order to enter the USA, it was necessary to spend two weeks in a country outside the Schengen area!

From 1 March 2022, you can go freely to any European country, provided that the vaccinations are valid; now it is enough to be in possession of the basic Green Pass, also called Covid-19 Digital Green Certificate or EU Covid Digital Certificate. Of course, every country must bear in mind that it takes the most appropriate preventive measures.

Honeymoon

We’re sorry to disappoint you, but we’re not talking about Carlo Verdone’s 1995 comedy of the same name. You can imagine Ivano and Jessica (respectively Carlo Verdone and Claudia Gerini) at the time of the covid?!

Even the newlyweds have suffered the pandemic: with the closure many have postponed the wedding, unable to celebrate with their loved ones, and the related honeymoons.

The progressive reduction in pandemic containment measures is making couples return to travel agencies to book their honeymoons. It is enough to think that many couples did not simply go to the agency to book and plan their honeymoon, but had to do it a second time because they had to postpone the wedding. Many have even lost advances given to restaurants and agencies, due to a lack of seriousness on the part of direct operators (restaurateurs and agencies) and/or indirect (suppliers, hotels, flight companies) and related policies. This last aspect, unfortunately, has been a rather unpleasant and not indifferent experience for many people, marriage or not.

The trend of travel bloggers

Tourism in the last ten years has changed: many people decide to travel even just for a weekend between Italy and the big European cities, shifting the trend of honeymoons to exotic locations. Accomplice of this trend is the spread of the figure, on social, travel blogger. A travel blogger is a different influencer from what we usually think: the travel blogger travels, often to exotic destinations, invited or not by the structures. Often they are luxury facilities, with hammocks and swings in the middle of the sea, or even a bedroom that overlooks the sea in the true sense of the word. We talk about unusual destinations, but we tend to give this term the meaning of bizarre or totally unknown to us. In addition to making social users dream with their well-kept and colorful content, they inspire them, creating in them the desire to visit a certain location. Wish that we of Amami are ready to fulfill.

Among the profiles with the most interesting feed, in terms of goals and content in general, we feel obliged to recommend Catarina Mello (@professionaltraveler), Ellie (@thegingerwanderlust) and Diana (@dwanderss).

 

• The most popular destinations

It’s time to take a look at the most beautiful destinations and dreamed of by the newlyweds.

Maldives – live Blue Lagoon.

First of all we find the Maldives: for some years now, the islands of the former British protectorate have become a must for exotic beach-themed trips, flip flops and sunscreen.

In the Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, you can visit dreamy islands and lagoons, in the style of the classic Blue Lagoon movie (did you know that in 2012 it was made a remake?), snorkeling, boat trips and diving with sharks, races and many other marine species.

Don’t forget to visit the capital, Male! There you can visit the characteristic fish and fruit markets, the main mosque of the city and the national museum, which we recommend to visit during the week.

Mexico – not just crystal clear waters

Acapulco, Guadalajara and Cancun. We could say that, in recent years, Mexico has passed the Maldives as a favorite destination for young newlyweds. Thanks to its exclusive resorts, often childfree, it offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in a state of total tranquility and relaxation.

Of course, there is so much to see in Mexico: like Italy, Mexico offers remarkable archaeological sites. We’ll mention a few of them:

Palenque, one of the most beautiful sites to witness the culture of the Maya;
Monte Albàn, which testifies to the Zapotec civilization, a pre-Columbian civilization that lived in the Oxaca Valley;
Teotihuacán, pre-Columbian city known for the great pyramids and surrounded by an aura of mystery;
Cholula, a city in which is located one of the oldest and most important settlements in Mexico and in which is located the largest pyramid in the world!

Australia – koalas, kangaroos and coral reefs

Ah, Oceania! And we’re not referring to Disney’s colorful animated film, but to the actual continent, where Australia is located.

Although it is full of animals ready to eat you, sting you or beat you (such as spiders, crocodiles and kangaroos), Australia is one of the few countries that turn out to be the most spectacular when you see them live rather than in photography or postcards, to quote the Peruvian writer Sergio Bambarén.

As you already know, it is a vast territory and perfect for making trips on the road, a tour between the amazing national parks and the coral reef, where you can dive, snorkel and sail in the Whitsunday archipelago.

Thailand – land of freedom

Remember the games in Risiko? We know you were more focused on winning Kamchatka, but who remembers Siam? What if we told you it’s the current Thailand? Yes, Siam was one until May 1949, when it finally adopted the name Thailand, which means land of freedom.

If you love architecture, you can not miss Bangkok, which we could define a Thai Venice: through the long tail boats (long boats similar to gondolas) you can admire the city through its canals (khlong). If you suffer from seasickness, you can still admire the city through the causeway (probably will remind you of an episode of The Simpsons, that of the monorail, but we assure you that this causeway works!) or through scenic spots, such as rooftop bars!

If you fancy a dip, we recommend the PhiPhi Islands archipelago, a paradise on earth with emerald waters. But also worth mentioning are the excursions to the Khao Sok National Park and the Similan Islands National Marine Park. In addition to dreamy beaches, Khao Sok National Park is home to the world’s oldest evergreen forest and the traditional Rafflesia Kerrii, a large red flower. The Similan Islands owe their name to their number: Similan, in fact, means nine. These nine islands are surrounded by a vast marine fauna, protected by the national park, constituting one of the most beautiful diving sites. It is not possible to visit all the islands due to the presence of turtles laying eggs on the first three.

Bali

Bali, an Indonesian island, is one of those destinations very popular with the aforementioned travel bloggers.

If you are a creative and artistic type, stopping in Ubud is a must; it is an artistic center, a source of inspiration for artists and intellectuals: not surprisingly it was defined as the village of painters. You can not miss the Puri Sarei Agung, the palace of the royal family: you can visit the interiors only partially, but you will have the opportunity to fully appreciate the garden.
Do you love hiking and nature? Then Bali is really for you: between tropical forests and jungle, your walks will be something absolutely different from the trekking you have done so far!

Without getting too far from Ubud, we recommend you try the hike on the Campuhan ridge: it consists of a walk in the hills, without any shadow but that will give you the opportunity to take spectacular photographs. In Ubud you will also have the opportunity to visit the monkey forest (Monkey Forest), but watch out for the monkeys and enjoy the view!

Finally, for the more spiritual, we recommend the Hindu temple of Pura Gunung Kawi. The temple contains altars and royal tombs, as well as being an archaeological site and from here you can also admire the surrounding rice fields, typical of Bali.

We would like to conclude the topic of honeymoons by quoting the Czech photographer Josef Koudelka:” When you live in a place for a long time, you become blind because you no longer observe anything, I travel not to become blind.” We believe that this maxim marries perfectly with one of Saint Augustine of Hippo: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page of it.”