Hangry Backpacker

I’ve delayed writing anything about this damn coronavirus (COVID-19) because I’ve been hoping for the impossible. I’ve been hoping that something – anything – will change and life reverts to normal sooner than the media-driven hysteria predicts.

Like many others whose lives and work have been interrupted, mine has too. I have a trip planned for April. One month in Belarus. Well, I did. The last thing I’ve wanted to do was accept that this trip is not happening.

I’ve been planning this trip for several months. Since my first, all-too-brief visit to Eastern Europe a few years ago, this highly-anticipated return has been on my mind. Last Fall, I finally chose Belarus after I found an incredible deal – round trip for about $400 USD. 

Belarus is off the normal tourist radar. I believe it will be wholly unique. And, as I’ve been studying Russian off and on for years, this is the best place that’s not Russia to test my skills and learn more.

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Coronavirus Life – Plans Change

Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing mayhem has canceled postponed my plans. I know, based on the odds and statistics, my age and health will likely render little to no side effects if I were to contract the virus. But I’m not that selfish. I’m not exactly keen on the idea of being responsible for (potentially) spreading the virus to more vulnerable groups of people.

Putting off my next project for a few months is a drop in the bucket compared to the horrors and nightmares so many people are dealing with right now. It’s frustrating, but I’ve got plenty of food, books, Netflix and toilet paper (for now) to occupy my time. And I live in Oregon, so I’ve got more great beer within reach than just about anyone else.

Fortunately, my flexible travel plans make the process a little easier. The only bookings I’ve made are flights, which can be changed. I’m not losing money on hostels or anything else. This is another instance where my flexible, spontaneous travel style proves sensible.

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Madness is Winning

Yes, I do believe the media has made everything worse by driving people mad with fear. I can easily point to the toilet paper crisis as proof. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with y’all? A few people buying out the toilet paper has turned into a real problem because now everyone is buying it whenever they finally find a few rolls. It’s a vicious cycle of lunacy.

As an aside, the “bum gun” in Southeast Asia looks brilliant right about now. Little to no paper is needed with one of these. Though I snapped more more than 10,000 photos in Southeast Asia and have plenty of pics of interesting toilets, I can’t seem to find a photo of a bum gun. Check this Google image search to understand.

Despite the media stoking the flames of panic, while also throwing their hands up in the air and wondering why everyone is panicking, it is frustrating to see Gen Z flocking to Spring Break. People playing basketball in parks. Others still going to weddings. Sights like this are annoying. If I’m honest, these scenes also draw a bit of envy as I write from the Pacific Northwest, dreaming of sunshine and bundled in long sleeves, pants and wool socks. 

If everyone would just listen and follow the guidelines/suggestions/rules as they are released, we can move past this sooner. And then we can get back to the beach, the bar and sports – my God, please, bring back sports as soon as possible!

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In the Meantime…

In the meantime, what can we do? 

Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you to light some sage, find your inner-quarantined Thoreau or suggest some other self-help fluff. In fact, those who are incessantly complaining about working too much and being tired should make the most of this opportunity. Millions of us now have guilt-free excuses to let our inner couch potato shine like the sun.

Of course, you might hate yourself a little less in a few months if you make a few healthy decisions. Either way, take the time and chill. Think about what you claim you would be doing if the world was open, and start making real plans to finally do it.

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So What’s Happening With the Hangry Backpacker?

To be honest, the time of the coronavirus is not a great time to be a travel blogger. For obvious reasons, there’s basically no traveling happening. And despite what memes might say, I can promise you, people are not very interested in planning or researching travel right now. 

A greater-than 80% drop in traffic to the Hangry Backpacker is clear evidence. Revenues falling off a cliff in the last few weeks – seriously, nearly-100% drop in all Hangry Backpacker revenues – is the only proof I need that travel is not on the forefront of most minds right now. It’s understandable but still frustrating. It makes focusing on work right now – that is, writing about things that no one is thinking about – even more of a challenge for me, personally.

For most people (those not in the travel content business), I understand why the focus is elsewhere. Now is the time to figure out work arrangements, stay safe/clean, hoard toilet paper and all that. We’ll keep chugging along here and try to remain patient. 

Future Travel Plans

When binge-watching and “working from home” no longer satiate your boredom, think about what you’ll do when all this is over. Consider where you’ll go when the all-clear is given. Make some travel plans.

Don’t let all the scare tactics keep you from traveling forever. This whole ordeal is temporary. It will end.

Whether it’s going to a game in person, seeing your favorite band perform in a cool location or finally ticking off that elusive bucket list destination, think about those future travels. 

When life gets back to normal, remember how annoyed we all are right now. When travel and the freedom to move about returns, take advantage of it. It doesn’t matter where or how far you go, make it happen. 

Things like this pandemic are rare, but there is no guarantee when the next one will happen. I can’t wait to continue my travels. I’m still going to Belarus soon. And in the next 12-24 months, I’m going back to Southeast Asia. I’m also going back to Spain, and I will continue to work on my own bucket list (eyes on you, Mongolia).

Before you write off travel as prohibitively expensive, know that you don’t have to stay in the Marriott or the Four Seasons. Organized tours are easy, yes, but they are insanely overpriced. And guess what? London, Paris, Amsterdam and so on (and so on) are expensive cities. There are incredible places in Europe and beyond that are beautiful, fascinating, cheap and probably not so packed with crowds. 

If you have questions on how to travel cheaper, send me an email. If I can’t help, I’ll send you to one of the countless travel bloggers that write about budget travel and money-saving travel tips.

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If You Really Want to Travel, Make it Happen

Travel is possible. And now is a great time to consider where and how you might go when life (as we once knew it) resumes.

Here’s one example: I personally know people who spend more money on football tickets each year than I spent over 6 weeks in Spain, Portugal and Morocco last Fall. Including flights! I’m obsessed with college football. Too much, honestly. Geaux Tigers. Forever LSU. But I’ll take the experiences from that trip to Iberia and Morocco over a few games every time.

How about bars? If you’re spending hundreds of dollars a month drinking at bars, you can afford to travel. 

Sorry, I’m not sorry, but if you’re dropping nearly a hundred bucks on new video games several times a year, I do not have the time to hear about how you cannot afford to go anywhere.

If those are your happy places, by all means, knock yourself out! Just don’t say that travel is not practical if you’re unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices.

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The coronavirus situation sucks, but I’m still not convinced it’s the end of the world. In my opinion, current fatality rates (at least in the US), which are inflated due to the low number of tests being performed, do not compare to actual death tolls from other outbreaks with too many zeros and commas. 

Maybe I’ll be eating my words in a few months, but I certainly hope I’m right. While it’s clearly nowhere near so deadly (yet) as the seasonal flu, TB or the measles (vaccinate, people!), this virus is something to take seriously. The number of deaths – about 23,000 at the time of this writing – is too high already. We need to follow what health professionals and government officials tell us.

My skepticism of the magnitude and statistics of the coronavirus pandemic is irrelevant. Perhaps I’m searching for optimism, but at least I’m staying home and following guidelines.

Right now is not the time to worry about the historical seriousness of this virus. And it’s not the time for leeches – excuse me, “politicians” – to point fingers or push funding for completely unrelated projects and programs in the name of “economic recovery.”  The only way we can curtail the spread, get back to doing what we want and stabilize the economy is to follow the rules. 

I was mad that my trip to Belarus is not going to happen on schedule, because some idiot served some bad bat in China. Then again, I like to eat strange foods, and I probably would have been the other idiot eating the bat soup. 

All of that is irrelevant right now. We have to follow these annoying rules so we can get our lives back to normal as soon as possible. Whatever reason you need to find and follow the guidelines, find it and do it. I’m doing as instructed because I don’t want to be responsible for someone else getting sick, and, perhaps selfishly, I just want this whole ordeal to end. I’m hangry for new foods in new places.

In the meantime, seize this opportunity to plan for all the things you can’t do now. When this coronavirus chaos is all over, remember your current frustrations, and use that as fuel to finally do and see the things and places of your dreams.

Update: Questioning Our Leaders

In the weeks since I posted this, the numbers have increased dramatically. I’ve continued to follow the give-up-your-life, stay-at-home guidelines. There’s not much other choice in Oregon. Most businesses are closed.

However, my skepticism has significantly increased. I, like many others, have read a lot of stories about people who the government and mass media (both conservative and liberal media outlets) claim died from the Wuhan coronavirus. I’m referring to the headline-grabbers – a teenager here or a healthy 30-something there. Seeing headlines like this is unnerving. At first.

After doing some very light digging into local news reports on certain scary headlines, it seems these people died from other ailments. They tested positive for the virus, so officials counted these deaths as COVID-19 fatalities even though that is not what caused the death.

It goes something like this: A headline reads, “Teenager Dies from Coronavirus.” People panic. Fear spreads. But the true story is the teenager had a serious heart problem, terminal cancer, epilepsy or some other horrible health issue. Since they tested positive for COVID-19, that’s what officials say killed them. Another tally on the ‘rona board.

That’s a fictional example similar to the accounts I’ve read. The deaths are tragic, but it seems to me that they are coincidental and not due to the virus itself.

I’m not saying that most of the deaths reported from COVID-19 are lies, but I am saying that stretching the numbers is not beneficial to anyone. And the governors in the United States using misleading headlines to shut down society do not have society’s best interest at heart. It’s hard to trust officials when information is inconsistent at best.

Above all, I cannot trust any officials who ban fishing or close state parks and hiking trails. It’s fine for me to go to the grocery store in Oregon. I can even get on an airplane, fly across the country and interact with hundreds of people. But they’re closing hiking trails and campgrounds at state parks? This is nonsense.

I can buy liquor, but I can’t use a library or go to the DMV. Recreational marijuana dispensaries are “essential” business, but bookstores are closed. Nonsense.

I’m still following official guidelines for the most part. For now. That being said, I’ve lost all faith in local government in Oregon. It’s hard to trust people who are dictating our daily lives. And it’s hard to trust people who make such foolish decisions like closing nature in the name of social distancing. I, and many others, are growing impatient and skeptical.

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More from the Hangry Backpacker:

• Food Safety in Southeast Asia
• Alhambra Visitors Guide
• The Ancient City of Bagan, Myanmar
• Weird and Unusual Food in Southeast Asia
• The Ultimate Guide to Pizza in Portland