Dennis Sun / Jeepney Press

YOMU by Dennis Sun / editorial

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.

Life travels swiftly. Wasn't it just a few years ago that we were locked up indoors, working from home, avoiding public transit, and donning masks everywhere we went? It felt like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film, and “WE” were in it. As much as we wanted to be in the movies, this was just not the right one. For a time, we thought the virus would wipe out the entire globe. But it was our trust in humanity that kept us alive.

After a lengthy time of stagnation and gloom, I was eager to travel again when some countries began to open their doors in December. The incidence of covid infections in the Philippines was quite high at the time, and I was concerned. I reasoned that visiting Bangkok, my adopted home city, would be far safer. As a result, I spent my winter vacation there. Air travel has once again become exciting!

Travelers all across the world are emerging from the ashes of the epidemic. I checked Facebook to see how my friends are doing. Travel has truly recovered! After two years of postponing plans and deferring dreams, my friends are back to traveling as if there would be another lockdown...or another outbreak.

So, what exactly is the post-covid phenomenon? It's known as revenge travel, or the sweet and pleasant travel with a vengeance. We're all prepared to pay the price now, even if it's double the pre-covid price.

At by Dennis Sun

When I traveled to Bangkok, my hotel stay and plane tickets cost twice as much as I was accustomed to paying. To make matters worse, the Japanese yen has gone very weak against most currencies. Outside of Japan, everything became prohibitively costly. This is the primary reason why some of my Japanese friends choose to stay and travel in Japan. Most of them used to leave Japan since it was cheaper outside of Japan back then.

With the weakening of the Japanese yen, Japan has become an affordable favorite tourism destination for Southeast Asians, especially Filipinos. I see so many groups of Asian tourists whenever I go out in Tokyo. I occasionally wonder if I'm still in Tokyo because I can hear Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Tagalog here and there.

I think revenge travel is a way for people to make up for lost time and realize how short life is. People want to spend more time with their friends and family, go outdoors to enjoy nature, and try new things. People are investing their money in experiences instead of things. After everything we have been through, there's not much fear of the unknown remaining. People will go out there to enjoy their lives, and have some revenge travels to do. So, to quote the Japanese, "Itterasshai!" and safe travels to all.

Dennis Sun

Editor-In-Chief / Art Director