It’s New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2019, everyone is celebrating... 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year. Excitement all around as the year 2020 begins, if only we had known. In the months to come, we would lose all sense of normality as borders closed, countries were locked down and an unknown virus spreads across the globe at an alarming rate. It has become a year full to the brim of pandemonium, fear, and stress.

We, in the tourism industry, can relate all too well to the stresses of this pandemic. With people unable to travel, we saw no guests for the good part of 5 months. And even now, in the light of travel restrictions being lifted, and the lockdown coming to a gradual end, travel is not at the top of everyone’s to-do-list. For many, it is a time for picking up the pieces and finding a way to carry on. The uncertainty of the future is enough to send anyone over the line from concern to stress, and this is completely understandable, considering the circumstances.

But this is all the more reason that it may be time to wind down a bit. Yes, we do not know what the future holds - more so now than normal – and yes, it has been a challenging year, but now that we have been through the thick of it, things will hopefully start looking up again. Maybe now is the time to take a break from the stress and give yourself the chance to heal. But it is difficult to take that first step, especially when we are fearful of the unknown and of exposure. Why not choose a place where social distancing, and trying to feel like the only person in the world, is the whole point? Where experiencing the feeling of isolation is part of the package, and you are encouraged to let your stress fade away.

For some people, healing requires spending a few hours being pampered in the spa. Tension is held in different places in the body, and sometimes one requires a bit of assistance loosening the knots to feel completely rejuvenated. A facial, a hot stone massage, a treatment to heal the body and relax the mind, could only be improved by walking out of the spa to be served lunch on a deck overlooking a waterhole where wild animals are having a midday drink. What could be better to melt the stress away? Perhaps enjoying a glass of good wine or a refreshing gin and tonic while watching the colours of the sky change and transform before your eyes during a sundowner stop on an afternoon safari. Almost as good as your first cup of tea or coffee in the morning being enjoyed as the sun rises and the birds start their morning chorus, you could never experience something so noisy and yet so peaceful at the same time.

For some people, myself included, the way to heal, is to immerse yourself in nature, and let it wash away your fears and reservations. Everyone has their bad days, it can happen to the best of us, sometimes there is just too much going on in our minds to handle. And then, you drive around the corner and see an elephant and it all just melts away. You can’t fight it, the effect of an elephant, it has the most powerful aura of peace and tranquillity. You watch as he gently uses his trunk to play with the grass, watch as the muscles contract and relax to twist and twirl, amazed at the dexterity as he grasps and rips it up. He plays with the bright green blades, beats the clump of grass against his chest to get rid of any soil amongst the roots and manoeuvres the green goodness into his mouth. After a second’s pause, he chews, as if in slow-motion while already feeling around with his trunk for the next morsel. His ears are resting against his shoulders, occasionally flapping gently to cool himself down, his eyes look half shut, like he is trying not to fall asleep where he stands, but his trunk is ever searching. And suddenly, he is moving, his trunk drags along the ground, picking up a handful of sand as he goes, then ‘pffffff’ sprays it over his back in a cloud of dust before reaching the next piece of shade with the next piece of vegetation that he likes the smell of.

Even just imagining that scene with my mind’s eye so I could write it has sent me into a strange sense of calm.... I had to take a break there to regather my thoughts and remember what I was talking about in the first place. Okay, I’m back on track.

You see, it’s not only elephant who have this healing effect, just being out of the hustle and bustle of a busy life can help. Being surrounded by fresh air and watching the lives of the animals just carrying on around you, where there are no strict schedules or deadlines, only the goals of finding food, sometimes finding a mate, but always just trying to stay alive and continue their bloodlines. It puts everything in perspective, and you find yourself fully invested in what that animal is doing and why. You forget about your stress and your woes and instead your focus is captivated by the struggles of survival playing out in front of you.