No family or support group in a country that is in full quarantine. So why did we decide to stay in Vienna, Austria instead of flying back to Australia? Being married to the queen of data, we took a more pragmatic approach. The numbers don’t lie. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ Firstly our travel insurance is now void (specifically for COVID-19), and the thought of flying and being in close contact with others helped make our decision easier. Some Australians are definitely not showing that Aussie spirit, especially after the terrible bushfires and floods that have recently ravaged large parts of the country. Austria just gave us the impression that they are well prepared. https://metropole.at/coronavirus-in-austria Having a strategy and plan The youngest head of state 33 years old, Sebastian Kurz Closing their borders early Convert an exhibition centre in Vienna to an 880-bed hospital Two dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Vienna (a city of 2 million) Closing Tyrol, no one in or out (the main hot spot for COVID-19) Practising physical distancing Acting early to introduce a quarantine Can test for the virus within 90-minutes A people-first approach Regular updates (considering English is not the main language spoken) No panic buying or hoarding Below is a video from a supermarket in Vienna today, physical distancing and no hoarding. We are allowed to leave our Airbnb to shop only. Some random thoughts from today. It’s physical distancing, not social distancing, thank you, Clayton Oates, for keeping it real. Things move fast, as shown in the United Kingdom. Keep reaching out to people one by one, no group messages. Give your mind time to process what is happening and reflect what you have already. Social media is so important right now for allowing us to stay connected and share experiences. In 2021, will you be proud of your actions in 2020? Let’s rise to the occasion, stay united and support each other.

We enter our second week of at least four weeks of quarantine in Vienna, Austria. How are we making use of our time? Ted talks are always a great personal development resource. Scott Kelly spent a year in space. He has some practical tips on isolation. Scott's recent article in the New York Times is well worth reading. Which tips am I following from his article? Give your business an online brand refresh. Six quick online marketing tips for your business. Give yourself an online profile refresh. The first twenty-minutes of the video below shows how to refresh your LinkedIn profile. Learn new skills I improved my knowledge of developing and designing websites using the Wix platform. My Digital Nomad tool kit Make sure you’re using all the latest remote working tools. Finally, make sure you’re in contact with people.

#COVID19 It is so important to keep socialising while in quarantine, remember it’s just physical distancing. After seven days in quarantine, I thought I had it all nailed. I was wrong. Heather Smith runs a daily online webinar for those in the accounting industry, with people from Malta, Australia, Slovenia and Austria joining the discussion. I dragged myself out of bed for the early 7 am in Vienna (4 pm Melbourne) chat. This session just made me more aware of how social us humans are, so if you are in the accounting industry, feel free to join Heather. Music To keep us positive during the day while we eat and work we re-discovered the benefits of Spotify. We put music on as soon as we wake up now, and keep it on while we work. We are grateful we built a playlist as we travelled, as a song we loved or reminded us of where we were travelling. We added it straight to the list, we now have 1500 songs to keep us in good spirits. We have found that music is perfect for our mental health and keeps us positive. Listening to all the beautiful songs that are full of special memories of loved ones, moments and places. Sorry, Sally, for my terrible singing and potentially eclectic playlist. Dancing This lovely lady used to walk past the restaurant opposite our place we rented while in Koh Samui. Red Moon always had fantastic live music, and she always stood with her husband both in their 80’s, tapping away to the music. My motto in life is first on the dance floor, enjoy and dance like no one is watching.

Home in Downtown - Three Nights Look no further if you are lucky enough to be viewing this beautiful apartment, and it is available. By far one of the best Airbnbs we have stayed in throughout our 7 years and over 30 stays on Airbnb. Britt, our lovely host, should be incredibly proud of her home and all the thoughtful touches she has made. The design and quality of the home are incredible. You will wish you had booked more time (we even tried and unfortunately were too late and it was already booked). The home is fully stocked with absolutely everything you need for cooking up a storm, a full range of cleaning products and an unlimited supply of towels for your visits to the beach. There is even a bag for groceries. The bathroom has the most amazing water pressure and a brilliant shower! Location is perfect and a short walk to all the must-see spots and lots of dining choices too on your doorstep. Definitely recommend Britt's beautiful and spacious home.

Boutique Apartment Borghetto - Two Nights We only had two nights in this Airbnb, that is about ten minutes by car from Pula. It's a nice clean, well designed with nice decor. Has a beautiful large pool and surrounding area to relax and enjoy. It continues to surprise us how these places can squeeze in a fully functional kitchen. We were able to dine in for breakfast and dinner, a great little market across the road. Perfect. Vili, the host, was very accommodating and responsive; his Mum also lives onsite if you need anything. The guests were all young during our stay and had a good vibe and energy. The only thing was the address was incorrect as there are two ''Centar 3' in Pula, be sure to confirm with the host before arriving. Location was close to the beach areas, and Uber was always available. Definitely recommend great value and relaxing weekend away. The highlight was making new friends from England and catching up from a friend from Australia. It's amazing what you can achieve in two nights: great conversations, laughter, food, wine and live music. Drinks and live music at Bonaca Restaurant & Lounge Bar - Pula, dinner in La Puntulina - Rovinj and drinks our two favourite bars in Rovinj, Molo Grande Caffe bar and Riviera Aperitive Bar - Rovinj. Big shout out to our new friends from England, Emily and Gus. You are both so perfect for each other. Now how do we work our way into your wedding? Thank you, Troy, for changing your plans to extend your stay in Croatia.

Boka apartment 5 - Four Nights Incredible views and beautifully furnished apartment. We enjoyed four nights, and the apartment has everything we needed and more. The kitchen was very well equipped, we cooked most days, and the bathroom had ample towels and amenities. The bed was very comfortable, and the room was also very dark to ensure you had a solid sleep. Internet was strong as we were working for a few days and experienced no issues, note the upload speed was low though. The views from inside were magical, and the terrace was very comfortable and spacious. You are also spoilt with the sunsets. Location was perfect, a few steps to the beachfront and wonderful esplanade, great for walks and sunsets. You are also a short walk from the old city where we enjoyed some delicious meals at Portofino and cocktails at Kod Spira. Nada and her husband were an absolute pleasure to deal with, and nothing was too much for them, they were incredibly kind to help us carry our luggage to and from the apartment, there are a few minutes walks via some stairs to access the apartment. We also needed a transfer to Budva, and they organised everything at a good price. Definitely recommend staying here, you will not be disappointed.

Boat restaurant Silistria - One Visit Located on the water with lovely views in a small village. This place was making a great trade, as it was the only place open. Considering our visit was after tourist season and during restrictions, the restaurant was well visited. You could feel the soul of this restaurant is gone at the moment. Yet the number of covers on the day we visited would make this quite a profitable business. We enjoyed a quick bite and glass of wine, clean restaurant, service was fast, and quality fresh food. A little overpriced for Montenegro, but I assume this is a popular location for tourists during normal times. Only accepted cash. Bring on competition, as let's say it's overpriced for the quality of the food. I would assume the place in summer would be quite different, as there was a collection of plastic rubbish in the waters. Trust me, and I used every trick in the book to make these photos look good and careful cropping. You were kept company by a clowder of cats throughout your meal, therefore I would recommend avoiding if you are not a fan of cats.

Lake Skadar National Park The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from the Adriatic Sea. Two-thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro, and the rest is in Albania. The size of the lake varies from 530 to 370 km2 it is 44 km long and 14 km wide. The coastline is mountainous, especially on the north-west side. We visited in the off-season (so the main entrance was closed) and to be honest; it's already starting to get pretty polluted with plastic waste. Skadar Lake is the largest lake at the Balkan Peninsula, with freshwater and one of the largest national parks in Montenegro. It’s incredibly famous for its diversity of flora and fauna.

Ferry Kamenari It's often stated that travel is about the journey, and never a better statement. Pleasantly surprised when our transfer to from Herceg Novi to Budva took us on a car ferry. What a fantastic experience to see this magical area from a different perspective. I'm pretty sure the smile on Sally's face, shows just how pure enjoyment we both had on this short car ferry crossing.

Nautica - One Visit No, just no. Not too often I leave a cocktail, but congratulations Nautica is providing me with a first. Maybe the barman had an off-day, great view, just let down by the bar. Everyone else was drinking coffee, so maybe this is more a coffee venue.