His passion for flying and aviation has made Tantra an inspirational and influential figure who really knows what makes first-class flights special. He talked to Asia Dreams about having to stay grounded at home for a while.
Q: How does the current situation of having to stay at home affect your life and activities, and how do you cope?
A: It obviously hinders my passion for flying and travelling. I’m also saddened to hear of the negative impact of the situation on my friends in the travel industry, from the airlines, hotels, travel agents and other related sectors. The industry is the bread and butter for a lot of people, and now we have to put it on hold. That said, this is a global issue that we need to face, so all we need to have is patience and self-awareness to fight the pandemic.
Q: Staying at home is challenging, especially for someone whose life is heavy on travelling such as yourself. Do you have any tips on how to make staying at home stress-free?
A: Yes, it is very challenging considering I used to be very mobile, and now I’m staying in the same place for weeks. I try to keep productive by making podcasts that are related to travel and also write some articles for a few publications. I know right now we can’t travel yet, and we can’t tell when this thing will be over, but with the travel content I’m publishing, I hope we can appreciate all the little aspects of travelling once the pandemic is over.
Q: Now, more than ever, people pay more attention to their health. What do you do to stay healthy?
A: I pay more attention to things I eat now. Thanks to the quarantine, I’m consuming more homemade meals lately, which is good because I can control the nutrition. Since I’m Javanese, I really enjoy sambal tempeh and sayur asam. I drink more water at home now, something that used to skip my mind before. Another positive thing about the quarantine is that I exercise more now. Other than to fight boredom, it is also to improve my immunity. I usually walk around in my house for one hour per day, that way I can stay indoors; it’s simple, no equipment needed, but it’s effective to make me sweat and keep me fit.
