Airport chaos, energy crisis - a trip to the other end of the world would actually be just the right thing to escape everyday life in a pandemic.
At least South Africa fans who suffer from acute wanderlust should mention one remedy that is less than a twelve-hour flight away and can be reached by car, train or even on foot: "The Capehouse" in Mainz's old town.
Jürgen Ottstadt and his partner Christian Wessling have been running the business for 17 years.
On their first trip in 1993, they fell in love with South Africa, says Ottstadt.
Since then they have been there at least twice a year.
When entering the Capehouse, the first thing that catches your eye is the large selection of wines and gin.
They have 85 sparkling wines alone, says Ottstadt, and according to their own research they are the largest supplier in Europe.
Every product has its story
It is important to them to help them become better known.
The range of gin varieties is also impressive.
Brand new are three varieties from the "Cape Saint Blaize" distillery in Mossel Bay, filled in finely crafted clay bottles that are sure to make beautiful vases when empty.
In addition to the finely curated liquor, there are plenty of arts and crafts to be found at Capehouse.
Prices start at 8.50 and 9.50 euros for leather keychains in the shapes of elephants, giraffes, penguins and rhinos, handcrafted by women from Cape Town's townships.
Pieces by Carrol Boyes, a Cape Town-based designer who has designed everything from salad servers to serving bowls, cost significantly more.
Popular designer pieces
495 euros are required for a peculiar shell that looks as if a human had stretched out flat and very long on the ground.
Demand is high, says Ottstadt, and customers for Boyes' designer pieces even come from Holland.
The small table with a small selection of Boyes is opposite a larger one on which flat ceramic plates decorated with colorful patterns are displayed.
No one looks like the other, a sign informs customers that each plate is hand-painted.
Ottstadt turns one of them over, you can see an abbreviation on the back.
Bowls like these used to be given away as gifts by foreign heads of government on state visits.
In general, Ottstadt has a story to tell about every product.
A couple of tea towels, for example, came from a weaving mill in Barrydale, he explains, 150 miles east of Cape Town.
It was originally founded by a German master weaver, today it is run by a Scot.
The employees still weave on the old looms.
The towels are so finely crafted that the idea of using them to dry yourself seems almost absurd.
The Capehouse, Kirschgarten 22, Mainz (old town); Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Saturday to 4 p.m.; www.capehouse.eu