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Wow, it’s been a crazy two weeks! (coming home from Africa)

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I’ve been radio silent for the last couple of weeks, some by intent, some not. Since my last post, the COVID-19 outbreak is now officially a pandemic, and within the US, it’s clear we’re woefully underprepared (and late to the party). Things are looking bleak for not only the health of the global population, but the economic outlook has gone from bad to worse. The stock market, and countless retirement accounts have lost almost a third of their value over the last two weeks, and most economists expect a recession to immanently. Anyway, I’m not here to break news, but rather give my slice of the pie.

Leigh and I left for South Africa on March 5, back when the Coronavirus was still – rightly or wrongly – an isolated phenomenon. We’d been planning this trip for almost a year, so the thought of cancelling it seemed extreme. Even more extreme when you consider that during the first week of March, COVID-19 had not officially reached the contentments of Africa, South America, or Australia, or even been classified a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since that time – and the day we left – it’s clear that it is now everywhere. We just left Mauritius yesterday, a small island in the Indian Ocean, where they too are experiencing cases of COVID-19. This is not something any of us can run from.

The most surreal travel experience

Thinking about anything other than penguins was not an easy feat.

Leigh and I have been to almost 40 countries in the last seven years, and we’ve never had an experience like the last couple of weeks. It all started when we left San Francisco, only to find an empty SFO airport and Polaris Lounge due to flight cancellations to/from Asia. Meanwhile, Washington leadership assured the country that we were safe and this was not such a big deal (to be fair, we don’t pay a lot of attention to what comes out of the White House). With those things in mind, we decided to continue onward with our trip, arriving in Cape Town on March 7th. When we arrived, we were greeted with temperature checks and questions about where we’d been. Passing those tests, we spent the next 10 days in the Cape Town region (the Wine Lands and Cape Town proper). By the time we were getting ready for the next part of our journey – Mauritius – Coronavirus had entered South Africa, and at the same time, the US shut down it’s borders to foreign nationals from Europe, escalating the crisis. Two days after leaving South Africa, they followed suit and banned all foreigners from entering the country. Foreigners that were already in the country needed to get tested immediately. We got out just in time, as airlines immediately began cancelling flights all over the African continent. We had an incredible time in Cape Town, eating some of the best meals I’ve ever had. With that said, when you juxtapose the looming crisis with the disparity of haves and have nots of South African life – especially after visiting a township – made it all the more real that real pain was to follow, everywhere.

Langa Township in Cape Town

Upon arriving in Mauritius, it was clear that things were going from bad to worse. We were staying at the St Regis Mauritius – an incredible property on the crystal clear turquoise waters of Le Morne – where we found ourselves to be two of about 80 people (the hotel has 196 rooms, or 400+ people). By the time we left yesterday, there were 40 people left at the resort. We got an incredible upgrade and plenty of attention, but in frankly it was weird and eerie to be one of a handful of people at a resort in high season. The hotel did an admirable job adapting, while still trying to run a business (and none of the individual employees would ever let you know they’re worried).

Chamarel waterfall in Mauritius

During our time in Mauritius, things deteriorated rapidly. As I mentioned, Mauritius started seeing cases, and just two days ago (March 18th), the government announced restrictions that prevented anyone other than citizens from entering the country. Those measures went into effect yesterday (March 19th) at 10am, and it was clear the island was not prepared.

Thinking we would pick up some last minute items, which included everything from rum to vanilla to toilet paper (now a US delicacy), we were met with the same panic buying that the United States has been seeing for weeks. Concurrently, we woke up yesterday to find that Turkish Airlines had cancelled Mauritian flights effective the March 20th, although we didn’t actually know the effective date, which meant our final morning was nothing short of a panic.

Sure, there are worse places to be stuck, but the idea of being almost 13,000 miles away from home during a pandemic seemed foolish at best. After we confirmed our flight was in fact the LAST flight off the island that would get us home in any reasonable time (and not through the EU), we were met with a wave of uncertain certainty, meaning we were certain we needed leave paradise for our home, and uncertain of when the next time we might actually travel. Between water skiing, snorkeling, and beach time, we relished the last couple of days in Mauritius.

A shameless picture of me waterskiing. Le Morne Mountain is quite the backdrop!

A retrospective

During the trip, I kept thinking about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. For one, I felt guilty that I was traveling while the world was coming to grips with a pandemic not seen in a hundred years (Google: 1918 flu epidemic). I wanted to justify WHY we were traveling. The “we already had it planned”, “it wasn’t a big deal at the point”, “we’re young and healthy”…all of it. It wasn’t until our last day in Cape Town that it really hit me that I don’t owe an explanation to anyone, but rather a responsibility to everyone. Yes, we could’ve cancelled the trip, but didn’t. We decided to stick it out, mainly because who the hell knows when we will take our next trip (our trip to Paris in May is almost certainly cancelled). After I made peace with our decisions, what’s really hit me is how interconnected we – the people of earth – really are.

Despite the nationalist rhetoric that’s presently coming out of the US (and other countries) is flat wrong and economically stupid. We all happen to share one planet, and as of 2020, share one global economy. Watching the dominoes fall from afar – and so, so, so rapidly – is an experience I will never forget; the rain cloud in the distance, coming closer until you’re soaked.

We were also struck by the people of Mauritius (and South Africa, though it wasn’t as dire when we were there) – some of the most kind and generous we’ve met to date – that now face an uncertain future. How will they provide for the families or make ends meet? They’re asking themselves the same questions that citizens of previously far-off countries have been asking themselves for weeks. We made it a point to leave extra gratuity on every bill in hopes it might bring a little uplift to a country where the per capita income is around $20k/year.

What’s next

Who knows?

While we were in Cape Town, we toyed with coming home as soon as travel restrictions were announced. Our parents – all of who are in the 70’s – are high risk for COVID-19 for reasons beyond just their age, which frankly scared the hell out of us. With that said, there was really nothing we could do, especially considering our international travels, so instead, we pleaded with them to follow the CDC guidelines (and stay at home)!

Ultimately, we made a personal decision not to cut our trip short, and as I sit on our final flight home, I’m grateful we didn’t. We don’t have kids, only a dog, so the thought of rushing back to San Francisco to be on house arrest just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Let’s enjoy this last hoorah as much and as safely as we can, because who knows what the future holds.

As I mentioned, we’re supposed to go to Paris in May, but I seriously doubt that will happen, and I’m content with that. Like most people throughout the world, we’re most focused on whether or not we keep our jobs and can continue to afford to live in the most expensive city in the US. Travel is secondary. That’s not to say if we find a great deal to a place we want to visit – WITH a flexible cancellation policy – that we won’t book it, but it’s just not top of mind right now. We don’t know what we’re going home to, and having food and supplies is number one, especially since the entire state of California has been given a shelter in place order.

On the health front, Leigh and I are self-quarantining for two weeks upon our return this evening, given our extensive international travels. We will do everything we possibly can to not enter any place of public place where we might infect someone else. Staying away from people is the absolute least we can do, and we’ll also do our best to order delivery from some of our favorite restaurants to keep them afloat (not interacting with the delivery person of course). We’ll also order gift cards from those that offer it.

The last couple of weeks have been eye-opening for everyone, but for us, watching it from afar has left an impression that we won’t soon forget. We are all brothers and sisters in this world, and we owe it to each other to be responsible and take this pandemic seriously. Travel can wait.

How I’m approaching travel during the coronavirus outbreak

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By now, we all know that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread throughout the world, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. Hundreds of flights to Asia and Europe have been canceled, leaving airline stocks in the dirt. Further, most airlines are now offering some sort of change fee waiver, which I’ll outline below.

Between the news cycle and the lack of testing kit roll-out in the US, it’s no wonder that hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes are nowhere to be found. With spring break approaching and other pre-planned trips coming everyday, what’s a person supposed to do?

1) Don’t panic

It’s easy to get freaked out with the wall to wall media coverage, but let’s be clear: this is not the bubonic plague that is coming to kill us all. Yes this is a serious health emergency (an impending economic one too), but panicking is something that’s not going to help anyone. Buying up an entire store’s worth of supplies or food – like I saw at my local grocery store – is also detrimental to the greater good.

Please, buy only what you need and stay calm.

2) How I’m approaching travel during this time of uncertainty

Uncertainty is one of those things that us as human beings don’t deal with very well (take a look at the stock market over the last week and half). As Leigh and I get ready to leave tonight to South Africa and Mauritius, we’ve had droves of people ask us whether we’re concerned about the coronavirus, to which we’ve emphatically replied no.

With that said, here are several questions that people should ask themselves when traveling for the foreseeable future:

  • Where you’re traveling
  • Is my travel necessary?
  • Are you willing to get stranded?
  • Are you a higher-risk population?

Where you’re traveling

It’s likely that if you were planning to travel to one of the outbreak hot zones (Italy, China, Iran), it’s likely that your flight has already been canceled. But what other places should people be concerned about?

Generally speaking, Asia is a tough place to try and travel right now just because of so many flight cancelations. At this point, US domestic travel appears to be running as normal, but of course that could change any day. In the most broad terms, three continents appear to be largely unaffected to date: South America, Australia/South Pacific, and Africa. Again, as more testing comes online, that could change.

Is travel necessary?

This is a loaded question, but it’s one we should all ask ourselves at this point. Do you really need to fly across the country to have that one meeting giving the state of flux things are in right now? Likely no, but everyone’s situation varies. Many companies – such as Amazon, Salesforce, and Twitter – are actually prohibiting employee travel all together (mine is suspending all international travel). Further, we’re seeing large gatherings of people start to either be prohibited (like France) or canceled (like numerous upcoming conferences). My view and personal situation is if – and for many that’s a big IF – can do your job remotely, now is probably a good time to enjoy some time at home.

Personal travel is one that each person will need to consider themselves. Back to Leigh and me, we’ve assessed the risk and feel like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip is one we’re willing to take some risk.

Are you willing to get stranded?

For most people, this is probably the biggest concern of travel right now. As we see more and more international flights get canceled, it’s becoming more likely (though not yet likely) that getting home could be a challenge.

Leigh and I experienced this exact concern a few years ago when we were visiting Bali, which at the time was dealing with the ongoing eruption of Mount Agung. Our concerns were never really whether we might be in danger, but rather would we get there and then get stuck (there are worse places 😉 ). Nevertheless, we ended up going and had a great time. Even though we were there in high-season, crowds were considerably less, while the locals, many of whom depend on tourism, were happy to have us.

Now with that said, every situation and place is different. If local or national governments have asked people to stay away or if there’s a state of emergency, don’t visit! One good place to start is the CDC’s website, which has the most up to date information, including areas where it recommends canceling all travel.

Now as for Leigh and me today, we’re actually bringing our work computers for a change in the event something unforeseen happens and we can’t get back on our planned date. We’ve also made arrangements with our dog sitter and friends in case we’re unable to get back to our pooch.

I always like to live my life by the same motto the Boy Scouts taught me: BE PREPARED!

Are you in a higher-risk population?

Luckily, the disease is not as fatal as initially feared, and there have been just 9 deaths in the US – meaning there isn’t a lot of data to date on who’s most susceptible. What we do know so far is worth consideration:

  • In China, most of the deaths have been in adults, with effects on children there appearing to be minimal based on reporting
  • Of the 9 deaths in the US, all have been in Washington state and 6 of those in people over 70.
  • The deaths of the other three are due to underlying chronic illnesses (which we still don’t know)

With that said, if you’re older, have a weakened immune system, pregnant, or have chronic conditions, it’s probably best to wait it out at this point.

3) Know which airlines are offering change fee waivers

All major US airlines are offering some type of change fee waivers, which can be found here:

Closing thoughts

This is just the way the my household is approaching travel, not the way everyone should. While this is an ongoing health emergency, it shouldn’t stop everyday life from occurring or make the entire world afraid of each other. Travel offers us an opportunity to view and understand the rest of the world, and in times like these, that understanding is more important than ever.

Everyone’s situation is unique, but hopefully posing yourself some questions is helpful. Further, listen to the health agencies in charge of managing the crisis and not the political spin!

Are you still planning on traveling over the next few months?