CALLUM SKEFFINGTON

many people, like me, who are desperately craving a holiday. There are some who have been fortunate enough to get away over the past year and a half (and too many influencers flaunting their travels all over social media and calling themselves ‘essential workers’), but it’s now three years since I was last out of the country… and if there’s one thing that could cure the monotony of life right now, it would be a holiday.

Travel currently seems like more of a chore than ironing every piece of clothing in my wardrobe; with ever changing travel restrictions, uncertainty over travel insurance cover and the impending possibility of testing positive before you go. But people still seem to be doing it, so maybe it’s not as impossible as it seems.

There have been far less this year than pre-pandemic, but when I see the infrequent pictures posted on Instagram by people on holidays I feel incredibly jealous as I sit tucked up in bed with the rain pouring down outside, and all I have to look forward to is yet another day in work. This is, of course, a very trivial problem…but surely there are others craving the sun and sea as much as me.

My desire to travel again has recently led me down a rabbit hole of reading through my travel journals, reminiscing over the good and the bad times that I experienced along the way. One of the ones that stands out the most would be the time that I left my wallet on a train after getting off in Brussels, and then had to run to find a taxi, rush to the next station, and frantically sprint through the different platforms looking for the train I had just gotten off.

The worst bit about this story is that it wasn’t the first time something like this happened to me. Three years before I was sleeping on the floor

of Newark airport after leaving my passport on a plane (that swiftly took off for Los Angeles). I was left stranded with no hope of getting on the plane home. Unfortunately my UK drivers license didn’t count as appropriate identification (yes, I was definitely chancing my arm), but channeling my inner Karen and asking to speak to the checkin manager resulted in the flight change fee being waived and access to the staff wifi so that I could

text my family and friends.

In the end, I had to pay $200 for a taxi into Manhattan to get a temporary passport so I could fly home a day later than expected, and it was an anxiety ridden day, but now I look back and laugh; although I would imagine my Dad still feels the same dread he did back then when he got the texts from me explaining what had happened.

The passport story has turned into a fun(ish) story to tell: how I missed my 21st Birthday party because I stupidly forgot to check the pocket of the seat in front of me before getting off the plane. I guess it’s usually the bad moments that become the most memorable, and the ones we consider to be the most entertaining to share with others. I’d like to say the same could be said for the past year and a half, but I don’t think that would be accurate to say…we can probably all agree that the bad has been simply terrible, and we’d rather forget the whole thing than ever look back at it ‘fondly’.

So yeah, my restless need for adventure was stifled by the pandemic, but it’s crept back up hungrier than ever. Then again there’s the fear of catching COVID whilst holidaying it up in Spain and having to self isolate over there, resulting in a very awkward conversation with my manager as to why I’m not able to make it into work the following day. Maybe if I do go away, I should just bring my laptop with me, and if I need to, I can call customers from a sun lounger by the pool with a margarita in hand. A boy can dream.

This past year has been a series of highs and lows. I’ve said before that taking joy from the simple things I probably took for granted before has helped me through the pandemic, but so too has dreaming of all the things I want to do again (when restrictions allow for it). Travel is seemingly more possible now though, so I really am hoping to get away as soon as possible.

Side note: the lockdowns and closures have been beneficial for my hobby as a writer, and in that time I have self-published a book on Amazon titled Between Bedsheets and Breakups. It is a collection of 5 short stories that all feature gay characters who are experiencing the highs and lows that occur during and after a breakup. Some of these stories are loosely inspired by previous travels of mine (in terms of location at the very least). I don’t want to give too much away, and the description is posted on both amazon and my Instagram, so check it out if it’s something you are interested in, because if the drag race empire is anything to go by, you can never have enough LGBT representation in the media.

This is an opinion piece from the columnist/contributor and not the opinion of GNI MAG / Romeo & Julian Publications Ltd.