Will traveling ever be the same?

We travel a lot as a family. It is something we always look forward to every school holiday. Near or far, local or abroad, it doesn't really matter. There is always somewhere to go to suit our budget. Just a click and off we go.

That is pre-covid days, of course.

Last year, we travelled quite a lot. We went to Singapore a bunch of times, we went to Legoland a couple of times, we went to Bangkok a lot too. We went to Kuantan, Penang, Desaru and of course, the highlight of our travels last year was our year end trip to Dubai. It was definitely a holiday to remember. Dubai is AMAZING!

Right before lockdown, we went to Makkah and Madinah for our umrah. That was the last trip abroad. Who would have thought, things will be so different just few months later? We had plans to travel to Europe this year too. Luckily, we didn't make any payment or bookings yet for that trip.
I guess you can say, you can plan all you want but Allah is the BEST planner.

Will traveling ever be the same again?

I don't know.

I worry about a lot of things. I worry about staying in the hotel. I worry about the cleanliness and food. I don't know if we will ever feel safe about traveling again.

Things are different now.

But in times like this, I do believe that it is important to support local. At the moment, our borders are still closed. Most countries aren't allowing and accepting tourists just yet. We don't have much options but to travel within Malaysia.

First stop, Kelantan!

You know you're in Kelantan when you see adverts like this

My husband has some business in Kelantan and since it is our school holidays, we decided to tag along. Although we come to Kelantan a lot, I can see that things aren't the same anymore.

A lot of shops are closed. Things aren't as lively as before. Food in Kelantan is amazing. Although we still got to eat the usual stuff we normally go for, the fear of eating out is there. People in Kelantan don't wear masks like we do in KL. They go about their day to day life as normal but not as full on like before.

The service at the hotel was disappointing. The rooms don't feel as clean. It appears to me that they were understaffed. They probably had to let go a lot of them during the lockdown and now only hiring the very minimum. Took them ages to get something sorted. Buffet breakfast was also very disappointing but luckily we know where to go for breakfast and it was amazing.

The amazing kuihs in Kelantan

Next stop, Kuantan.

Beautiful view from my room

The beach and view was amazing. I loved it and kids loved it too. The resort was full! We didn't get the rooms we wanted although we were a regular at that resort. We had a nice relaxing stay there and it was everything we needed. It is so good to be back.

Vitamin Sea

It was a much needed break. A short one but still very good. Despite the new norm, although not as comfortable as it was, it was still good. I don't now if traveling will ever be the same again but I'm hopeful. For now, we just have to make the best out of what we have. Support local and remember to practice social distancing! Soon, I hope we can travel like we used to again.