Travel in the Time of COVID
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| We were vigilant with hygiene in airports. |
The lead up to lockdown is a strange thing to look back on, because, well, hindsight is 20/20. But this is how our thinking on the virus and travel evolved as we went along on our journey:
Initially, COVID seemed like a real, but relatively distant and contained threat. When the outbreak in Wuhan made headlines, we were in the Philippines, which like many other countries promptly closed borders to China. We upped our hygiene in public spaces with face masks and hand sanitizer, but trusted governments were taking necessary precautions to control the virus. None of the islands we were on had confirmed cases at the time, so we decided to keep calm and carry on.
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Our phone was often our only
connection to the outside world for days. |
By the time we made it to Indonesia though, the situation had dramatically intensified both in Asia and Europe. Friends and family were regularly forwarding us alarming articles and relaying stories of toilet paper and pasta shortages. But reading the news from a boat in the remote waters of Raja Ampat where we saw no one else for days at a time and no cases had been reported for at least 1,000 miles, we felt incredibly safe and grateful to be so off the grid. Even the internet had trouble reaching us! Calling off our trip and returning to Europe, which was deemed the new epicenter of the virus, didn't even cross our minds as a reasonable course of action. It was certainly safer to stay put, so we sailed on and kept an eye on the news.
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| Being on a boat is the ultimate isolation, so we felt extremely safe from the virus on board. |
Just as our time onboard Chasing Eden was coming to an end, however, everything escalated further. The WHO declared the novel virus a pandemic days before our scheduled departure from Indonesia, and international travel restrictions were popping up left and right.
It was then that we realized Corona would be impacting our plans whether we liked it or not. Going to our next destination, New Zealand—which had fewer than five confirmed cases (compared to the thousands already in the US and Germany)—still seemed like a safe and smart move, but with each passing day the likelihood of us being let in the country dropped dramatically.
Getting Into New Zealand
Less than 48 hours before our flight to Christchurch, New Zealand announced all incoming travelers would be required to self isolate for 14 days. Not the news we wanted to hear, but absolutely understandable given the circumstances, and also still manageable for us. We had planned to stay six weeks. Two weeks of isolation still left us an entire month of travel, so we were game.
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Our time in Bali was spent entirely at the hotel
worrying about getting into New Zealand. |
Initial guidance on self isolation was sparse though. From our hotel room in Bali, Thore, ever the optimist, tried to convince me that the camper van we rented would surely be considered self isolation. I, being more of an anxious rule-follower, decided to ring a government hotline for answers.
Turns out, vans were a no-go for isolation. Hotels and Airbnbs were OK, but could be no more than a 15-minute ride from the airport. For two weeks, we were not to venture out, even to the grocery store. All food would need to be delivered. We were to register our accommodation and contact details on arrival, and the government would be conducting spot checks to ensure compliance. I hung up with the clear understanding that New Zealand meant business when it came to COVID.
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Booking this Airbnb for isolation was
the best possible decision. |
That evening and the next morning at the airport were spent scrambling to rearrange plans, and crossing our fingers that we'd still be allowed in New Zealand by the time we turned up. I contacted our van rental company to see if we could alter the booking dates (amazingly, yes!), and searched for Airbnb properties suitable for self isolation.
I wrote a few Airbnb hosts about our circumstances, unsure of how we'd be received given panic about the virus. Miraculously, I got a prompt and welcoming response from one, and we immediately booked two weeks at their property. Little did I know, this would be one of the best decisions of our trip. The spacious apartment situated on a peaceful little sheep farm on the outskirts of Christchurch ended up being a god-send. And the owners, Janine and Steve, who lived in a main house just beside it, turned out to be the nicest people in New Zealand, but more on that later.
Waves Of Uncertainty On Arrival
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Touching down in Australia before the
shorter flight to Christchurch. |
After more than 12 hours in transit and near incessant use of hand sanitizer, we landed in Christchurch at around 5 am, unsure of what to expect. I'd pictured a rigorous health check by medical staff in full protective gear, but we were greeted by a line of normally dressed airport staff who kept a distance while giving us a short briefing on self isolation expectations, lots of leaflets, and more hand sanitizer. We breathed a deep sigh of relief having made it into the country, but travel and the stress of uncertainty had left us exhausted. Disoriented by a lack of sleep, much colder weather, and a 4-hour time difference, we stumbled into a taxi, our Airbnb, and then bed, with plans to order groceries and takeout when we got up.
But there were a few hiccups with our food-procurement plan. For starters, we didn't have an internet connection to order anything when we woke. While it only took a few hours to sort out, our initial impotence in isolation was a humbling start. As such, it was all the more appreciated when we discovered that our host had thoughtfully anticipated our helplessness and hunger, and left a bag with fresh bread and butter on the back porch that we'd overlooked. We promptly scarfed down toast while ordering pizza and groceries.
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| Our first grocery deliver took a few days. |
But we weren't out of the woods yet. Panic shopping had hit New Zealand, and groceries couldn't be delivered for days. Our host, Janine, came to the rescue again, and ran to the store to pick up some staples to tide us over. Over the course of our stay, we'd actually have to rely on her help getting food a few more times as grocery delivery slots became harder and harder to come by.
Just as we were settling in and feeling incredibly grateful to have such lovely hosts, shocking news from the outside world continued to hit us in rapid succession. Within 48 hours of our arrival, we learned that Germany and New Zealand (along with seemingly the rest of the world) were closing their borders and urging all citizens to return home; New Zealand was also going into total lockdown; and another travel couple we'd met was returning home, because the pandemic had voided their travel health insurance.
Needless to say, we felt disoriented, not least because we had the same insurance provider as our friends. Thore and I looked at each other in panic after receiving that news. It was already 10 pm at night, but we raced to our laptops and pulled up the fine print in our contacts only to confirm our policy was going to be void in a matter of days.
We stayed up late into the night trying to figure out what to do next. Traveling while uninsured during a pandemic was a risk neither of us really wanted to take, but what options did we even have? Flying back to Germany was quickly crossed off the list. We learned from Thore's brother who is a policeman at the airport that I, as a Swiss citizen without a residence in Germany, would almost certainly no longer be let in. Even if they made an exception, the price of flights to Frankfurt had shot up to €20,000 for a 40+ hour flight with tons of layovers. We reasoned that in all likelihood a leg of the trip would get cancelled, stranding us in another country with higher infection rates than New Zealand. So we decided to stay put, and sleep on what to do next. But sleep did not come easy. My mind raced in bed, and I cursed having given up my hard-earned residency status in Germany to travel.
The next day we channeled anxiety into action, calling insurance companies, and comparing policies. A thrilling activity. Not. But by some miracle, by the end of the day we'd managed to sign up with the only health insurance company willing to accept and insure travelers despite the pandemic. They were even covering Corona-related costs on a voluntary basis, but we were told this could change at any time. It was better than nothing though, so we took it.
Our next challenge was sorting out a place to stay. New Zealand had automatically extended our visa to September when borders closed, but we still just had 14 days booked at our Airbnb, which, if we were honest with ourselves, was already a little bit of a stretch for our budget. Thankfully, a quick chat with our hosts put our mind at ease. They were incredibly understanding of our circumstances, and assured us we were welcome to stay as long as necessary at a reduced rate. Their gracious offer hammered home just how incredibly lucky we were to get stuck here of all the places. That night, we went to bed thankful.
