From exotic escapes to Hallwaii to game viewing in Balconysberg National Park, this Gauteng traveller is redefining home travel

Jetsetter Phindiwe Nkosi creates 'isolation holidays' to fuel her wanderlust. Picture: Supplied.

Jetsetter Phindiwe Nkosi creates 'isolation holidays' to fuel her wanderlust. Picture: Supplied.

Published May 25, 2020

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Jetsetter Phindiwe Nkosi is used to travelling the world. As a travel writer, she visits some of the world’s most stunning locations. In the months leading to the coronavirus pandemic, she travelled to Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. 

Being stuck at home for two months has given the Gauteng resident serious FOMO. Instead of sulking and swiping through old Instagram pictures to fuel her wanderlust, the 34-year-old decided to do some exploring in the comfort of her home. 

“As someone who regularly travels to new destinations, indulges in foodie excursions and mingles at social events, the South African national lockdown has given me serious FOMO.So, I decided to become a bit creative in fuelling my wanderlust. As I was not able to travel, I added a lockdown twist and created isolation holidays,” she said.  The first stop was Hallwaii (the hallway). Nkosi packed her suitcase, grabbed her passport and headed to the new destination. 

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Game viewing from *Balconysberg* National Park 🌳🐈🐕🐁. Swipe ➡️ to see how it really unfolded 🤪. Ain't nothing going to stop this travel writer 🤭 #isolationholiday #stayhome . . . #travelwriter #IamATraveler #CNTraveler #traveldudes #Femmetravel #wearetravelgirls #bestvacations #dametraveler #igshotz #worldplaces #travelandlife #TLPicks #sheisnotlost #travellershouts #Backpackerstory #passionpassport #mylpguide #lonelyplanet #radgirlslife #radgirltravel #culturetrip #discoverearth #theglobewanderer #discoverglobe #outdoorwomen #cnn #traveller24_sa #grün @onechelofanadventure @travelanddestinations

A post shared by Phindiwe Nkosi(@phindiwenkosi) on May 22, 2020 at 3:41am PDT

She then 'travelled' to Balconysberg National Park(the balcony) where she took in the picturesque views. Balconysberg National Park, according to Nkosi, offers superb animal sightings. Nkosi, who had to cancel all her travel plans for the first half of the year, also added glamping in her backyard to her list of activities during the lockdown. 

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Glamping with a lockdown twist ✨🍹🏕️🌌🔭. Swipe right ➡️ to see how it really unfolded 🤪🙈😂. . . . #isolationholiday #stayhome #lockdown #passionpassport #dametraveler #passionpasport #alpinebabes #mountaingirls #wearetravelgirls #outdoorwomen #wildernessbabes #sidewalkersdaily #darlingescapes #globelletravels #traveldudes #cnntravel #jetsettingchicks #girlsvsglobe #sheisnotlost #instagram #instatravel #blogger #instatravelbloggers #travelblogger #blogueur #grün #schön #glamping #camping #phindiwenkosi

A post shared by Phindiwe Nkosi(@phindiwenkosi) on May 23, 2020 at 9:04am PDT

“Having my life change tremendously, and my livelihood affected by Covid-19, social media ‘lockdown holidays’ was my only form of escape. It allowed me to ‘travel’  again and share my innate passion for travelling and writing with my followers. These quirky trips give me hope and add an element of laughter which we can all do during the lockdown. Hallwaii and Balconysberg National Park were awesome, but they are not paired to the new destinations on my isolation holidays bucket list,”  she said. 

Her upcoming bucket list includes skiing in Bathsothos, breakfast in Bedapest, brain freezing in Fridgeland and strolling along Eritreea's evergreens.

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