This time of year, the team at Seeker is usually movin’ and groovin’: jet-setting, crossing new spots off our bucket lists, attending conferences, and planning blow-out events. But when the Coronavirus brought our big 2020 dreams to a screeching halt, we were forced to plant our feet on the ground, refocus, and slow the heck down. From weightlifting with coconuts to binge-watching Tiger King (and everything in between), here are a few ways that we’re staying sane while stuck at home.
Jody Vandergriff, Co-Founder, CEO, CTO
Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen a sharp shift in the type of content our readers want and need. With endless travel bans and advisories in place and airline refund policies changing daily, travelers are overwhelmed. To do our part, we launched a new Q&A feature to help stranded travelers get the answers they need quickly, a project that has been both fulfilling and fun. Outside of Seeker, trying to provide some level of normalcy for two kids, baking up a storm, celebrating two birthdays in quarantine, and finally sorting a basket of socks that had sat in my laundry room for 6 months has kept me pretty busy.
Steve Rabkin, Co-Founder, CEO, CTO
Our team is distributed, so it’s been pretty easy to transition, but our focus has somewhat shifted to meet the demands of stranded travelers. I have two energetic children at home which certainly has its challenges, but my son and I are on a mission to watch every Marvel movie ever made (we are currently 6 deep), so there’s that.
Lauren Allain, Writer
Birthday trip to Hawaii? Canceled. Three months of European gallivanting? Canceled. And so I’ve planted in Yuma, Arizona with family – the sunniest city in the world. Initially, I focused on running. Until I fractured my foot walking around the backyard. Why do broken bones always happen from doing the lamest thing? Now I spend my days listening to family say things like, “crutches are not toys. Don’t play on them!” Afternoons are for swimming in the pool (yeah, we know we’re lucky ducks) and then it’s onto the mixology lab. I hope to never again need to use the skills I’m learning from living on crutches. But bartender skills are for life.
Joanna Heitz, Strategic Partnerships
I’ve been perfecting my pasta and candle making skills. I learned to drain pasta noodles two minutes before they’re fully cooked then pour them over the sauce to finish cooking IN THE SAUCE. Drizzle olive oil over the noodles before mixing together. Deliziosa! I also mastered a fun candle making technique. Use chopsticks to hold the wick in place before pouring hot candle wax into the candle holder.A surprising gift during this quarantine has been a deeper bond with my family. We began an ancestry.com search to locate distant relatives in Italy. We located the village originally inhabited by and named after our ancestors (my father’s last name). We’re hoping to visit surviving relatives when we’re on the other side of this pandemic.
Farhan Khalid, Engineer
I am being entertained by my two young kids: my daughter who’s two-and-a-half and my son who is seven months. They are always home, and we can’t really go anywhere, so we recently purchased a small basketball hoop, which helped a little, and a little later we went all out a brought a trampoline. My routine is pretty much unchanged, since I am a work-from-home dad— cooking, programming, taking care of kids, repeat. Once a week I go out to get groceries, and sometimes I get groceries delivered. Our frequent trips to the mall, to restaurants, to coffee shops, etc, are on hold. It’s ok though. We have a little garden which works as a short trip to the ‘outside’. Need to find new ways to burn my kids’ calories though!
Georgie Darling, Writer
As I’m still on Gili T, Indonesia, I’ve been taking this as a chance to spend more time outside. I’ve spent most of my time cycling around the island, swimming in the sea and wandering through the fields of palm trees. It’s easy to self isolate on an island this remote, especially when almost everyone has returned to the mainland. I’ve also been catching up on Netflix (“Tiger King”, anyone?), blogging more and editing my travel photos.
Sarah Lempa, Social Media Manager
In between newsfeed binges, I’ve been biding my time making oversized pots of veggie chili and attempting at-home workouts. Since I’m stuck in the tropics of Bali until further notice, I’ve been using coconuts as weights to spice things up (they’re surprisingly heavy). I’m working the weirdest schedule from home, fitting in an hour here and an hour there whenever productivity finds me. I finished reading a book I started months ago: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks. If you’re into psychological thrillers, check it out!
Matt Hughes, Advisor
I love to cook, so I’ve been spending a lot of time in my kitchen with those dishes that you require a pinch of extra time (and cleanup!). My current favorite is scratch-made Shakshuka, a stewed tomato and egg dish originating from the Middle East (long debated origin story). I’ve also kept busy by tending to my many plants and taking advantage of the quiet city to enjoy long walks with my dog, Mozart. Of course, my quarantine hasn’t been void of shameless media binging. I’m deep into “Ozark” and “Succession” rabbit holes at the moment.
Briona Lamback, Writer
I’ve been reading and having virtual writing happy hours with friends to stay inspired. I just finished reading The Alchemist for the first time ever and this feels like the perfect timing for the book’s message. Last week, I virtually linked up with different writer friends– one for a write & chat hour and with another friend for a poetry and wine session. Also, binging “Ozark” on Netflix for some much-needed thrills!
Jessica Esa & Will Harris, Writers
We got back to London and holing up here, we’ve been binging immersive video games. Maybe travelling virtual worlds instead the real one and trying to learn some new and useful skills like Japanese language and basic sewing. Some days are definitely more productive than others but at least we’re together!
Leah Fishman, Content Manager
One super rad thing about being an introvert? My house— tucked away behind trees and 30 minutes from the nearest city— is a quarantine dream. My neighbors are still cows, frogs, and the red fox that yells when I turn the porch light on. I still wake up early, walk the dogs, cozy up, and get stuff done. Don’t get me wrong. I’m 100% missing good coffee, spontaneous day trips, and all of the summer 2020 travel I had to cancel (RIP), but trying to find extra joy in extra time: organizing my Trello boards (anyone?), fresh flowers on the table, impromptu book clubs, matzo ball soup, and “The Office” on repeat.