What are travel bloggers doing during the pandemic?

HOANG LE GIANG: "WATCHING REINFORCED DEER IN THE MORNING, WATCHING THE SNOW FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON"

Travel blogger Hoang Le Giang is perhaps a rare case who had to undergo two consecutive quarantines. The first time was in Mongolia, because he had previously transited in South Korea. After completing 14 days of quarantine in Mongolia and being completely healthy, he flew to Norway and continued to self-quarantine for the second time, as encouraged by the Government of that country.

“Where I live is Finnmark, a province in northern Norway, also the northernmost part of Europe. I live in a wooden house in the forest, the average outdoor temperature is -20^oC” - Hoang Le Giang shares about her current quarantine life. “There is no shortage of anything on the mountain, and my friends are kind. Every day there is dried meat and lots of bread; if you are thirsty, go down to the river to get water; if you want to burn firewood, go cut it yourself and bring it back. If you are not busy, you can watch the reindeer in the morning and watch the snow fall in the afternoon.”

“The reindeer herders don’t talk much about the virus either, because they’re busy worrying about the weather and the reindeer, thinking about the upcoming summer and next year’s business. Normally they live in isolation, with houses 2-3 km apart, so life is no different than before, except for the TV, which keeps telling them the same problem… It’s a strange time.”

QUYEN LE (MISA GJONE): “I TRAVEL THROUGH… SCRAPBOOK”

“At first, my purpose of making scrapbooks was just to kill time during the corona epidemic, to 'show off' online after finishing. But unexpectedly, the more I did it, the more I liked it, and it suddenly felt very real - more real than editing photos and posting them on Facebook” - travel blogger Quyen Le, currently living in Norway, shared.

“When I started making the scrapbook, I had to review each old plane ticket, entrance ticket… from 2014, thanks to that, I remembered a lot about the trips. For example, the postcard of the Berlin Wall, with East and West German stamps on the back. The feeling when standing in front of the ruined part of the wall, the feeling of separation, of war… I had it all that day, then after a while I forgot. But when kept in the scrapbook, the images and feelings of that day came back to life.”

To date, Norway has recorded more than 2,000 cases of Covid-19. According to Quyen Le, the time when Norwegians panicked and "broke down" has passed, and now everyone around her is living normally, within the limited scope recommended by the Government. "Of course there are impacts, but now everyone is the same, so let's get through the storm together."

NGO TRAN HAI AN: "LEARN TO ADAPT AND FIND NEW OPPORTUNITIES"

During the pandemic, travel blogger Ngo Tran Hai An chose to return to his hometown to rest. In his hometown, he continued to explore, take photos, and spend time with his family - especially his daughter May U. These seemingly relaxing activities also helped him practice photo editing and video making techniques, improving his skills.

"I just made the photo series May U - The Green Forest Girl, first of all for my daughter, and secondly because I want to share a positive message with everyone. In any situation, you should adapt, be comfortable with that situation, do appropriate and useful things for your family, relatives and friends. In general, always learn to adapt and find new opportunities."

Mr. Hai An also said he is planning to open a homestay in the near future.

QUAN DOAN - DUC TRAN: "OUR LIFE IS NOW AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE"

Like other travel bloggers, the Covid-19 pandemic completely affected the travel plans of the couple Quan Doan and Duc Tran, two members of Wanderful Dreamers.

“Traveling is my passion, but it is currently the main way to spread the virus, so even within the country we do not travel, just stay at home and focus on long-pending work projects. The most difficult thing about working from home is how to overcome the feeling of laziness every morning. We have even discussed getting up early to exercise to work more alertly and effectively.

We also practice a healthier lifestyle, cook all day, limit eating out, and temporarily only connect with friends online and rarely meet in person. In general, our life is currently as minimalist as possible. And we are gradually adapting to that."

One of the projects that the couple is accelerating at this time is the production of eco-friendly products made from bamboo/wood. In addition, Quan and Duc are also developing Home of Wanderful Dreamers - an Airbnb room in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

“Thanks to that, we have a quiet place for both of us to work and come up with ideas. We are currently planning to build a mini studio in this room to further develop our photography. When we have results, we will 'show off' more to Travellive!” - Quan Doan shared.

QUANG VINH: "This time I spend with my family"

Many of Quang Vinh’s projects and trips have been canceled since the Covid-19 pandemic began in Vietnam. However, he quickly got used to this situation. When asked about his life in recent days, Quang Vinh listed a long list including: going to the gym, watching movies, reading books, cleaning the house, learning to cook… In particular, he also has time to practice his voice as well as return to his hobby of painting.

"The good thing about this epidemic season is that I can take advantage of the time to be with my loved ones, and at the same time arrange projects so that after the epidemic is over, I can continue to develop them," said the male singer.

LY THANH CO: "I'm resting, TEMPORARILY leaving the roads"

“The epidemic season is really a difficult time for a travel blogger like Co because normally every month I go on 3-4 trips continuously, but now I haven't been able to go anywhere for a whole month” - Ly Thanh Co said.

However, Ly Thanh Co's life is still quite busy because he is working full-time, at home, for a multinational advertising company. In the evening, he has more time to spend on entertainment programs such as Netflix, Nintendo Switch; he also always prepares enough "food" so that he does not need to go out for many days.

“Overall, life has not been disrupted too much, we just have to be more active, work from home and take a break from the roads. But during this time, Co is still planning some trips so that when the pandemic is over, we can go right away.”

In early March, Ly Thanh Co also had an unforgettable experience during a business trip to Hanoi, when the hotel he stayed at was locked down because two British tourists infected with Covid-19 had stayed there. However, less than a day later, the lockdown was lifted - after all hotel staff were confirmed negative for the coronavirus. "Through this incident, I can see that the Ministry of Health works very accurately and quickly. When detecting people infected with F1, they immediately isolate those at risk of being infected with F2 and F3. I feel somewhat more secure with Vietnam's epidemic prevention work" - Ly Thanh Co recounted his experience.

VINH GAU: "I HAVE TIME TO MAKE MY HOUSE MORE BEAUTIFUL"

During the week, travel blogger Vinh Gau is still an office worker, so his life hasn't changed much. But on the weekends, because he limits himself from going far from his house, he starts to spend time taking care of his house.

"I go to the market to buy more food to cook, then start buying pots, soil, fertilizer and seeds to make a mini vegetable garden at home. I also take advantage of my free time to beautify my house, buy this and that decoration, add this plant and that plant...".

In addition, he also spent this time practicing the guitar - a hobby that had been "dormant" for quite a while, as well as writing a blog about the journeys he had been on but had never told about.

NHI DANG: “Time to recharge your health and spirit”

In addition to traveling, cooking, yoga, meditation... are also hobbies of travel blogger Nhi Dang, so now she has more time to devote to those hobbies. "Consider this a time to recharge both physically and mentally. Every day I maintain activities such as exercising, yoga meditation, reading books, cooking, cleaning the house... In addition, I also started to study a new subject on the web; tried making vlogs, editing video clips I made on recent trips. At the same time, every day I think and search for optimistic content to post on social networks, to help people be more positive."

Lan Oanh