Last year was pretty miserable for most people around the world. The pandemic has meant that unemployment rose, businesses were closed, and lockdowns prevented social gatherings.
Travel has been curtailed for most people, and holiday destinations have seen a fraction of the normal amount of tourists. In 2019, a record 39 million people visited Thailand, but last year saw this number drop to just 6.7 million.
Being stuck indoors for much of the time meant many people picked up new hobbies. Some of the more popular hobbies of 2020 were learning new recipes, trying to learn a new language, and playing instruments.
Now that there is an end in sight for holidays once more, people are starting to dream and plan where they might go. If you were one of the many people who decided to learn guitar during the pandemic, then you are probably not planning to take it with you traveling. Here is why you should.
What is happening with guitars right now, and why should you get one?
You may already have a guitar, but if not you might want to join the 2.7 million people who bought an electric or acoustic guitar in 2020. Guitar sales are soaring and some manufacturers such as Fender are breaking all-time records.
One of the reasons for this was simply the boredom that set in during the lockdowns of last year and early 2021. People sought out new forms of entertainment, and learning the guitar was one of them.
Playing the guitar is well known for reducing stress, improving memory, and helping concentration. It can also be a great booster for a person’s confidence, and even make them a better listener.
There are many other benefits to playing the guitar or any instrument, and perhaps surprisingly, it could also improve your holiday, depending on the type of vacation you are taking. Flashpacking in particular would fit well with a guitar.
Why go flashpacking?
The pandemic has meant that many people didn’t get to see their planned holiday destination in 2020, and that has led to a lot of dreaming about where to go when it is viable. Also, a lot of people found themselves remote working due to Covid. Put these two together, and flashpacking suddenly seems like a great choice.
Many younger people enjoy backpacking during a gap year, but for someone with the financial means, or a suitable lifestyle, flashpacking might be the better alternative. Remote working allows individuals to explore different countries while still earning a living, which means extended trips are a genuine possibility.
Flashpacking allows the individual to experience a longer trip and take in more regions and countries than a normal vacation would but in style. This way you can enjoy real authentic experiences but with some luxury too. If you want to know how to look good while you are traveling and seeing the sights, then stay in comfort instead of a cheap guesthouse.
Why take your guitar with you?
For many younger travelers, taking a guitar is a natural choice, and for several good reasons. As someone looking to enjoy a luxury vacation, it might seem odd to consider carrying a guitar around with you, but a longer trip might be the perfect time to get more accustomed to your instrument.
If you are one of the many beginner guitarists then you can spend quality time learning more while in a relaxing environment. It can also help you engage with other people, which may be desirable when traveling alone. Below are some reasons why you might want to take your guitar.
It is the perfect time to learn more
Learning might not be something you want to do on your flashpacking trip or vacation, but you will be doing so anyway. Everywhere you visit you will subconsciously be learning about diverse cultures, food, and history. You will likely visit interesting sights and learn about the past, and pick up some new words in another language.
There is no reason why you can’t use some of your time to learn the guitar. Relaxing in a hammock or on the veranda of your luxury beach bungalow is the perfect time to learn a few chords. And, with WiFi commonplace in holiday destinations, you can download some apps to assist you.
Get a cool drink, sit back, and learn a new song with the help of one of the many guitar apps. Fender and Gibson both have applications specifically to help budding guitarists, and Chordify is another app that helps individuals learn chords for new songs. Simply choose a song from their library of 22 million songs, and follow the chords. Although, do consider your neighbors too.
Play with local musicians
If you are slightly more accomplished, or a confident beginner, you could end up jamming with some locals. Many holiday destinations are popular with local musicians, and having your guitar with you is a way to meet some new people.
People lose inhibitions on holiday, and while you may not have the confidence to go on stage back home, things are more relaxed on vacation. Not only might you make some new musician friends, but you might return home more confident about your talents.
Guitarists who are starting out are encouraged to try busking to build up confidence. Playing with some locals on a beach in Southeast Asia is probably a lot more fun than being heckled in a park in the states. Plus, you might find someone willing to give you a few lessons.
You can learn new styles from a teacher overseas
Different countries have different guitar styles. If you tracked down a teacher for a few lessons abroad you might pick up some things you never would back home. For instance, you could learn some mariachi chords in guitar for beginners from a local musician or teacher in Mexico.
Accomplished guitarists can often play more than one style. and anyone who wanted to try their luck at being a session musician should definitely know more. Being a professional musician is a dream of many, and session musicians get to play with household names, especially if they can play a few different styles.
You will look good
Ok, so this is a bit shallow, but taking your guitar with you when you go flashpacking could make you look a bit more mysterious and cool. When you look at a list of the hottest travel accessories you need this summer, you probably won’t find a guitar on there. But, perhaps it should be.
On a more serious note, having your guitar with you means you can entertain yourself on those occasions where you just want to hang back at the resort and avoid sightseeing.
Summary
For beginners – and many adults are taking up the instrument – a vacation is a great time for learning the guitar. There will be quiet, fewer distractions, no worry about work (hopefully), and you will be more relaxed.
Practice is very important when learning the guitar, and in between sightseeing, swimming, drinking cocktails, and exploring, there will be plenty of opportunities to learn some new chords and songs.
Many people take laptops and books with them on holiday, so why not a guitar?
Carol
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. Featured Photo by River from Pexels.
