CORONAVIRUS : Can I Still Travel?

Unless you’ve been living in an alternate universe, I am sure you’ve heard at least a couple mentions of the Coronavirus or Covid-19. But just in case :

What is a Coronavirus or COVID-19?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that range from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and also Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

A newly identified strain of coronavirus emerged in China in December of 2019 and it is the cause of recent outbreak(s) of respiratory illness now called COVID-19.

Currently there is no vaccine or antidote for this virus.

World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared this as a global pandemic on 11th of March 2020.

So.. How dangerous is it? How does it spread? What is the incubation period? Am I at risk? What are the symptoms? Can it be treated? Is it life-threatening?

Well, given that this is a travel/lifestyle website, and the medical field is far from my expertise, I will leave it to the professionals to provide you with clarifications.

For more specific info on Coronavirus and COVID-19, check out this page on WHO’s website. You can also follow WHO on twitter for current updates.

Can I still travel?

What why wo.. It’s a GLOBAL PAND — you know what, if you’re still unsure of how COVID-19 is affecting the world, here’s a live statistic web (Worldometers) that you can have a look at and digest.

So, should you still travel? Hmm..

Initial reports showed that elderlies and those with underlying health conditions are thought to be at higher risk of developing serious conditions. However as of now, there has been cases of (healthy) teenagers dying from COVID-19. Therefor, we are ALL at risk of contracting the virus and spreading it to others. Even if we have strong immune systems to fight off the virus, others (like our parents) may not be as lucky.

So, the best way to keep safe is by STAYING HOME. Postpone all travel plans until the pandemic is over. Trust me, you would not want to travel now, it is not worth it. Why, how would you know, you may ask. Well, I happened to be travelling awhile back (before the outbreak became a pandemic) and right now, I am typing this while still going through the 14-day period of self-quarantine. On my flight back, I started having a tickle in the back of my throat which quickly developed into cough. Then I started getting fever and chills. Also, I got tested the moment I set foot back in Kuala Lumpur (which was NEGATIVE by the way), been practicing social distancing like a pro and I am missing my family like crazy.

Disclaimer note : I was travelling for work, and unfortunately my (then) contract did not have any global pandemic clauses — lesson learned, never say never.

So, what was it really like travelling during a pandemic?

Where do I begin..

1. 1/3 of my luggage allowance was taken up by hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes, facemasks, vitamins and supplements — yes, it is VERY possible to become that paranoid.
2. Speaking of paranoia, airports are literally the worst place to be at during a pandemic. Imagine having people from all over the world surrounding you, God knows who’s carrying what germs! Having to queue up for check ins or security checks were no fun too because, people did not understand the importance of social distancing back then.
3. Unless you’re all boujee sipping champagne in business/first class, it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep your distance from others in the economy cabin. I also remember spraying every single thing with my sanitisers — my seat, my belt, my arm rest, the window, my table, the screen, the stewardess and more.
4. Oh, and every single time someone coughed or sneezed in the cabin, it triggered like a mild sense of anxiety. Worse, when I let out the tiniest cough, I could have sworn judging eyes were following me.
5. Then there’s this thought that lingered in my head the entire flight: what if the bag handlers who handled my luggages had the virus? (And then this happened)
6. On the trip, I was constantly on my phone, checking for updates on the country I was in — whether they’ve implemented new regulations due to the virus spread, etcetera. I was also regularly on the phone with my family back home, of course, worried sick of my 3 year old especially.
7. 50% of my trip consisted of me washing my hands or sanitising them and also disinfecting my phone and camera.
8. In practicing social distancing, I obviously avoided public transportations like the plague (heh). Uber was my best friend but it felt like forbidden love because, $$$$$$$.
9. When the number of cases started growing in Europe, most countries started practicing partial lockdowns. Meaning, most tourist attractions and museums were closed off to the public. Also, some shops didn’t have specific operating hours, they relied on how the situation developed each day. Some restaurants did not open at all so, it was really like a gamble — “I could have my lunch out today but who knows if I’d be able to have dinner later”. Felt like I was living on the edge!
10. And when Europe was declared the epicentre of the pandemic, borders of each country started closing down as they implement lockdowns –meaning travel plans were constantly changing! I honestly lost count how many times I’ve rerouted my flights.
11. I was also jumping from one city to another, looking for the safest route possible, back to Malaysia (numerous flights to KUL from certain cities were being cancelled daily). Though some would agree to refund their customers for having their flights cancelled due to each country’s travel restrictions, certain only agrees to convert the existing booking into a travel vouchers of the same value with one year validity. Well, at least I have a valid excuse (more like an expensive excuse) to travel again after this pandemic is over.. right?!
12. And because my travel plans were constantly changing, my hotel bookings were constantly being amended too. While some hotels are more accommodating and understanding of the current situation, some were a little bit (a lot!) harder to negotiate with. My advice? Spend that extra $15/night to secure the refundable option.
13. Having your travel bookings amended numerous times — NOT CHEAP! You know that travel budget I talked about in my previous post on travel planning tips? And how it should help you spend wisely on your trip? Well, pandemic made me spend triple of mine. The refunds are also taking forever so.. still or sparkling you say? Nah, tap water for me.
14. Then EU agreed to close the borders to all Non-EU citizens and the Prime Minister of the country I was in decided they would ban all international flights within 24 hours — fun times. Literally the most hectic 52 hours of my life. And opportunists like certain airlines would of course take advantage of this, demanding an extra 1 500€ just to amend the inbound flight. Get me home pleaseee
15. Getting into the airport the next day after the announcement was made, just to find tickets was also excruciating — they opted to have a limited number of people in the airport at one time so there were long, long, loooooong queues at the entrance. At this point, nobody bothered about social distancing because even without it, the queues were kilometres long. Now everyone can panic fly.
16. It also didn’t help that the airport staffs weren’t ‘authorised’ to amend tickets that weren’t due to fly on that day itself OR that weren’t due to fly in or out of that city. It was very messy, very frustrating, emotionally and mentally exhausting.
17. At one point, I thought I wasn’t going to make it home. I was panic texting/calling my friend, family and the Malaysian Embassy, hoping that Malaysia doesn’t impose travel restrictions for flights coming in from Europe.
18. In the end I ended up getting a brand NEW ticket for a flight out of the EU (merely 2 hours before the borders closed) and into the UK for a 10 hour transit, and then back out to Kuala Lumpur via Dubai.
19. I guess the tiniest, thin, barely there, silver lining out of this would be — I now know I AM capable of packing 2 suitcases in one hour.
20. How was the flight home, you ask? Well, on the first leg to Dubai, it wasn’t a complete full flight and I managed to get an upgrade so, it was probably the most peaceful part of the journey. But the last connecting flight, Dubai to Kuala Lumpur — goodness gracious, the flight was full. And overbooked. If I remembered correctly, Dubai, Qatar and Istanbul were the last 3 connecting points opened between Europe and Asia. So every Malaysian that was scattering out of Europe was on my flight. 7 hours of torture, physically, mentally and emotionally (referring back to point 2 to 5, amplified)
21. I also had THE ‘best’ seat possible to contract ANY kind of germs or viruses (aisle, and right in front of the loo) — so everyone passed by me to get to the toilet since this specific A380 aircraft crew decided to lock all toilets except the front 2 for the whole economy cabin.
22. Of course, as mentioned, the moment I arrived I isolated my self from my loved ones and got myself tested. Weeks of being away from my family and praying that every tickle in my throat is just a sign that I need to drink more water (basically me telling myself I am not going insane).

In Conclusion,

If you’re NOT prepared to :

1. Constantly worry about every single thing,
2. Spend triple of your budget,
3. Have your travel plans changed at least twice a day,
4. Have a 50/50 chance of contracting the deadly bug, (you know that if ONE person in the aircraft is positive, the whole flight is screwed right?)
5. Be isolated from your family for indefinite amount of time especially if you’re showing symptoms,

DO NOT TRAVEL DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC!

The only way we can beat this pandemic is by respecting the lockdown and movement control orders. We have to stay united, the sooner we adhere to these rules, the sooner we can go back to our normal lives.

Stay home and wash your hands! Sayangi keluarga anda..