As I was browsing through my Twitter feeds, this quote from my favorite chef caught my attention. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” This quote from Anthony Bourdain, who did a lot of travel documentaries. One of his shows “Parts Unknown” was very interesting as it gave the audience vivid pictures of experiences of food culture in different parts of the globe. Indeed, not all travel is exciting and beautiful, but they always leave a significant spot in our hearts. Sometimes the most memorable experiences in traveling are those with unforeseen events. They may turn out to be a disaster or a blessing! We all hope it’s always the latter. Nonetheless, either of which does not halt our desires to travel.
This coronavirus pandemic has been very painful for globetrotters, hodophilias and roadies. This culprit (Covid19) impeded all our travel plans. Just before the Philippine government declared lockdown, I was ready to fly to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The plan was perfect and the itinerary was already final. Me and my travel buddies were all excited! Until the executive head declared total lockdown. In our terminology, we call in Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). All land, sea and air travel were suspended! We were very sad but it was an inevitable circumstance. We’re still grateful that the lockdown happened before the scheduled flight. Otherwise, we’d be stuck in another country! Good riddance! This is the year that my passport is literally useless! Still, keeping my fingers crossed that I can travel next year, just before my passport expires.
Despite the pandemic, friends and family are still able to communicate. Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp are just a handful of tools that we can use to communicate with other people. Last month, I had a chance to have a casual conversation with my college friends. One of them is from Singapore, the other is based in Malaysia, and the rest from the Philippines. Technology is amazing! Zoom brought us together and closer! We are all travel addicts! If traveling is considered a knack then we all possess this skill! One of my friends, Ogie, is currently based in Malaysia. She is planning to have her own website. During the zoom meeting, she was soliciting ideas on how to start with her website. Everyone present during the zoom meeting had one idea in mind. We all agreed to focus on lifestyle. Lifestyle trends are quite popular nowadays. The website that our friend was conceptualizing can be classified into different categories since lifestyle itself is very broad. Categories may include health and wellness, family, business, relationships, and of course travel and leisure. Since my friend is based in Malaysia, she would like to focus on exciting things, places and activities in Malaysia. Apparently, there have been numerous sites and accounts about Malaysia. The website that she wishes to introduce should be unique and striking! The difference it exhibits should make the audience curious at the same time baffled about the content of the site. Since everyone has been spending too much time on the internet, she must invest in an excellent web design. The web design plays a vital role as it gives the first impression. It is like buying a book. As a reader, the book cover creates an impression. Most of the time I look for a book with an enticing cover design. It could be the color, title or the design itself. Unless the book is from my favorite author Paulo Coelho, design is no longer a factor. In other words, the design is a big aspect to attract a reader, viewers or consumers!
If the content of the website is about lifestyle, creativity and resourcefulness are also considered. As mentioned earlier, there are several sites with the same content. Therefore, the competition is stiff! So why not start with a web design that does not focus on the popular ones. For instance in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang , Petronas Twin Towers, Sarawak Cultural village etc. are already famous. People who are planning to visit Malaysia have these places in their itinerary. Create a unique web design like showcase the eye-catching travel destinations in Penang including its superb food! Penang has fascinating beaches and sumptuous food! Scenery, food and culture are the basic interests of travelers. So a web design company in Malaysia has to get a grip on the interest and feed the curiosity of the tourists. This is just basic but if met, surely a significant number of audience will escalate. From there, the web designer or creator can ask more input or suggestions from people. The likelihood of the site to improve will also increase. The goal of this project is clear, web design Penang.
This is one of the relevant issues that can be tackled in web design and content. Everyone, including myself, is itching to travel. Strike while the iron is hot! Finally, be open for criticisms and always encourage suggestions and comments. Treat all feedback as constructive. Be responsive to questions or queries. One thing that discourages me from sending queries to other sites is their unresponsiveness. Sometimes I have this hunch that the people behind these sites are not only lazy but lack a sense of commitment.
We are all excited for my friend’s web design company in Penang. I am more excited about the content since I have plans of traveling to Malaysia. My decision to stay longer in Penang will depend mostly on the content of the website. But at the moment, everybody is wishing that this global crisis will end so everyone can go back to a normal life.
