How Planning Adventures Can Help You Get Through The Last Months Of Lockdown

Photo credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash

With the arrival of spring and the gradual easing of restrictions, it seems like there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. Although we have at least a few more months left to push through before we can return to some level of normality, planning future adventures can help us remain optimistic during this final stretch.

As the roadmap out of lockdown is still subject to change, you might want to avoid having any adventures or holidays set in stone, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t plan them ahead of time. Whether it's a staycation, a camping trip or a holiday abroad, researching destinations and shortlisting your favourite accommodation and activities means that most of the work is done by the time it’s safe to book. Here's why we think planning your adventures now can help you get through the remaining months of lockdown.

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Photo credit: Christin Hume/Unsplash

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Planning is half the fun

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Many adventurers and travellers find that planning for their trips is almost just as much fun as the trip itself. That means that you can start enjoying your adventure even before actually embarking on it. If anything has the chance of bringing us more joy within the lockdown restrictions, it's probably worth giving it a go.

Whether you're a spreadsheet type of person or prefer a more spontaneous approach, you can still start your plans now. As long as you accept that your schedule will most likely have to change slightly, there's no reason why you can't create a detailed plan. On the other hand, you can start with generic research into the places you want to visit and narrow it down to a selection of destinations with a rough idea of what you want to do in each one. Either way, you will have a better idea of where you want to go after lockdown finishes. All you will have left to do then is choosing the dates and completing the booking while everyone else has only just started planning.

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Something to look forward to

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Even if you can't officially book anything just yet, planning an adventure for the future can offer something more tangible to look forward to. Knowing that you get to make those plans a reality at some point soon can add a fresh boost of energy to your daily routine. Maybe you can't count the days, but you could change your phone wallpaper to a photo of the location or listen to music that you associate with it to get you in the right frame of mind.

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Keeps you busy

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Planning your adventures can be a surprisingly time-consuming task, so if you are running low on things to do, this could be a fun activity to try next. Whether you're simply researching new destinations or making some more concrete plans, you can easily end up immersing yourself in the planning for a couple of hours. Even if you're familiar with the location, taking some time to research it again can get you excited about the prospect of going there soon. It could also highlight new things you've never noticed about that place before.

You could even create a personalised kit list and start checking your equipment to ensure you have everything you're going to need. If anything is missing or broken, you now have plenty of time to source the relevant items before the adventure starts. Make sure you check your backpacks and luggage for potential damage too. Additionally, if anything needs a repair or just a good clean, you can take care of it now and not have to worry about it at the last minute.

 

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Helps you connect with people

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If you've noticed that the topics of discussion with your friends and family are becoming increasingly repetitive, you're most definitely not alone. When there isn't much to report, you might not feel like talking to anyone anymore, whether it's the people you live with or calling someone else. But staying in touch with your loved ones is of course extremely important, and that's why planning a trip together can provide a much-needed twist to the conversation and help you feel connected.

Also, if you take the time to plan an adventure for the future with another person, you will want to check on each other throughout the rest of lockdown and discuss the details relating to your trip. That means you have a good reason to talk to someone regularly if you're struggling to stay in touch otherwise. Sharing that anticipation can also add to your excitement and help the rest of lockdown fly by.

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Reminds you that there’s life after lockdown

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During these strange times, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that eventually things will return to some degree of normality. If the past year has taught us one thing, it's to stop taking adventure and travel for granted. The many months of uncertainty has probably at some point caused you to avoid making any plans, so starting that process again can already feel like a step closer to post-covid life. If we avoid focusing on specific dates, we can stop worrying about whether or not the plans are going ahead and instead start adding a bit of variety to our daily schedule in the form of adventure planning.

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Don't forget that help is available if you're struggling with your mental health. Ellis Brigham have been supporters of the Mountains For The Mind campaign for the last two years. They have an extensive list of resources here if you need additional support.

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