Quarantivity: this week’s quarantine + creativity roundup across the globe.

Virtual beer tastings, drone dates and hand washing songs. How we’re staying sane during COVID-19, here and everywhere.

It’s fair to say these last few weeks have been…emotional. Sitting here writing this, I myself am half way through a 14 day quarantine — flying back to Australia to be with family. Self isolation is not a natural thing for us social beings. Quarantine is worse.

Nevertheless, we’re taking it seriously here at Travis and are all #WFH 👩‍💻 and limiting our need to leave the house. While it is a frustrating and scary experience, we’re all going through the same thing. In fact the entire world is going through this with us.

So every time we catch ourselves feeling overwhelmed (happens multiple times a day!), we’re looking to see what others are doing. Past the numbers and news, there are all sorts of creative and resourceful thinking. In fact, after being moved by videos of Italians turning to song, one guy created a whole quarantivity site to celebrate the coming together of quarantine + creativity.

Yes, this will eventually be over. But for now it’s our (unwelcome) new normal. So take a comfy seat, grab your drink of choice, and let’s do a bit of virtual travel to see how others are creatively coping across the world. We can get through this 💪

🇬🇧 London, UK — the Brits are known for their love of meeting over a pint at the local pub. But when the pubs are forcibly closed, how do you enjoy that one escape that was weekly pub trivia? Pub quizzes, live streamed music and even virtual beer tastings — it’s all here and more as pubs are making entertainment virtual.

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NYC—when you’re in the city that never sleeps, it’s hard to find yourself alone in your apartment for weeks on end. The great thing about NYC though? The abundance of rooftop access. One guy happened to see a girl dancing on hers and thinking of how he could start a conversation, asked her out on a date via his drone.

🇦🇺 Sydney, Australia — what happens when you run out of hand sanitiser? Look to some local spirit brands. Archie Rose and Manly Spirits are two gin makers who have used their alcohol distilling expertise to create sanitising products, purchasable on their website.

🇺🇸 USA — but hold on a sec, alcohol and hand sanitiser? So can I just use a bottle of, say, vodka to do the job? Unfortunately, no. When a few people started talking about getting a bottle of Tito’s vodka to homemake hand sanitiser, the company was quick to state why this doesn’t exactly work.

🇫🇷 France —if soap is what you’d prefer, why not mix things up by making your own? Marseille has a history of soap-making and local handmade soap businesses in this city have been seeing an increase in demand. Owners are happy to assist, but still taking precautions when serving customers. Better to be safe!

🇪🇸 Spain & 🇮🇹 Italy — what happens when your usual social weekend gatherings can be no more? Get creative and use your balconies to connect with neighbours. All over Europe hashtags like #BalconingMarcaEspaña have been appearing, with posts on everything from group workouts to live music.

🇻🇳 Vietnam — we all know now that regular hand washing is a key step in the battle over the virus. I’m even sick of writing about it. But a few guys in Vietnam decided to make this message really stick with a song that’s now gone viral and hard to get out of your head.

🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia — coffee. No where else is a city so well known for producing a great cup of the black stuff. But don’t despair, a lot of cafes and restaurants (even bars!) are spinning up online offerings. You may not get the barista touch (how about supporting them on social media) but you can still enjoy your favourite coffee beans delivered direct to your door.

🇨🇳 China — if you were planning a trip to an attraction, or even just curious about it, why not take a virtual tour? In fact, here’s a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China. Stretching over thousands of miles, it’d be a good idea to do some planning. Or read about the trio that walked the entire length!

🇯🇵 Japan—while things are going missing from the shelves of supermarkets all over the world (hope you’re not running out of toilet paper any time soon!), other places are facing a surplus of items. Such as milk in Japan, where a fair proportion is usually sent to schools (but then they abruptly closed). Never fear though, the baking trend that has hit the world helped revive a 1,000 year old dish in Japan.

This is only a snapshot of ways we’re trying to stay positive and productive. What’s going on in your part of the world?

Here at Travis, we’re a group of millennials working on the future of creating, organising and sharing travel content. Head to travistravis.co for more info.