Why a desert island need not be desert or deserted – remote and little known will surely do after all our self-isolation
- When we say we want to holiday on a desert island, isn’t it partly for the bragging rights of saying to our acquaintances we got there before them?
- Post-Covid 19 we’ll want a little company but not too much, whether our island is Venezuelan, Icelandic, or a bit of France in sight of Canada
Do we still dream of desert islands?
The image of a palm-fringed crescent of pale sand gently lapped by azure waters and empty of anyone but ourselves is the one that says “holiday” more persuasively than any other. It says freedom from the familiar, from the daily commute, from phone calls and meetings, and from other people.
But having spent months keeping a distance from strangers, been prevented from seeing those we most love, and with the prospect of many more months of caution to come, does isolation when on holiday still seem an attractive idea?
Maybe when we think of the perfect deserted beach we unconsciously assume that somewhere out of shot, perhaps just a short walk away, there’s hot and cold running everything, and a waiter who is presciently present when a cryogenically cooled margarita is needed, but otherwise invisible.
And perhaps there’s also an “undiscovered” ramshackle hillside village with photogenic architectural quirks, quaint crafts on sale in a friendly, browsable market, and rustic restaurants offering dishes unique to the locale.