I wrote a few days ago that during the pandemic I was able to travel 3 times, pretty much like before, without problems and without - and this is important - breaking ANY law or restriction whatsoever. Dozens of you wrote to me, some with words of encouragement, others more critical, so I thought I’d describe the experience and mechanics behind what it meant travelling during the pandemic so you can actually judge for yourselves.
Let me start by describing a bit my state of life as of mid-February 2020. I had four massive and important trips planned:
Late March to early April a 16-day trip to Ethiopia and South Sudan, visiting the monasteries of the north, Harare and the cattle camps of South Sudan. This would be a very intense, pack, photography expedition, combining more than 10 interior and international flights, 4 different fixers, 6 different assistants, multiple modes of transportation etc. Tickets were booked for all flights, deposits paid, visas obtained, specialist equipment purchased.
Early August a 20-day trip through the southern regions of China and Tibet, visiting half a dozen of local tribes and minorities, the fishing villages of the south and spending time with the buddhist monks of Tibet. Special photography permits, international and local flights, 3 different fixers, almost 10 different hotels and home-stays, trains and buses and, in one case, donkeys were all organised down to the last detail, flights and other means of transportation paid for, deposits paid (some through truly obscure payment methods special to China). The only thing not fully organised yet was the Chinese visa…:-(
Late October for 8 days with the reindeer herders of northern Russia. 3 different families, 2,000+ heads of reindeer. Flights booked and paid for but not much else.
Late December to early January, 13 days in Bhutan, spending time with local families, visiting one of the largest festivals and 3-4 monasteries (including all the famous ones) with special access to the monks, abbots and nuns. Flights booked but not paid for, deposits for local fixers organised and some even paid.
All in all, 2020 was going to be the year when I would take my photography to a new level, combining lights and higher-than-before production values. It was going to be an investment year and one I had a lot of hopes for. And then, well, the world went crazy. Within 3 weeks most countries had shut down and every single one of my plans were either cancelled or put on ice indefintely.
For those of you who may be wondering:
despite the airlines’ “assurances” that flights would be refunded or moved to the future, pretty much every single one ended up cancelling the flights and never refunding a single dime! (in theory I am still expecting a refund for the international flights to China, but 5+ months later I’ve seen nothing, so…)
most of my larger local fixers were kind enough to agree to hold the deposits for some future trips, but some money was lost, especially in those cases where the fixers simply folder (as did thousands of small companies and private individuals).
almost all my other arrangements will need to be done from scratch, most likely incurring additional costs and loads and loads of effort.
All in all? Maybe £3-4,000 vanished overnight with another £3-4,000 tied up in various deposits etc. Talk about disaster, right? Was I devastated? Yes, of course I was - for the first couple of weeks I would wander the house (remember, we were under strict lockdown back then) like a caged tiger ready to explode. But really, it was not about the money. Yes, it was a financial blow but hey, ultimately, that was money I was intending to spend anyway, so… It was more for the fact that I was looking at a year of being stuck at home. For someone used to travelling as much as I was this was a disaster.
Once the initial shock passed, I sat down and tried to think about the future. Yes, the world was spiralling towards one of the largest crisis in modern history, but at a very personal and selfish level, I refused to allow this to put my life on hold. Yes, things would need to change, but perhaps they didn’t need to stop completely. So, over the course of April to June I went into overdrive:
I researched and subscribed into dozens of sites collecting and collating informations about national lockdowns
I created a vast and complicated Excel file where I would aggregate, rate and rank that information, colour-coding countries, dates etc.
I created more than 30 potential itineraries for the countries which looked to be either opening up earlier or were already open
for each itinerary I created 3-4 options, contingencies and other “padding” elements to account for potential flight cancellations and changes
Compiled a list of more than 120 potential fixers across different countries who seemed to still be operating and started communicating with them about every single detail of the proposed itineraries, adjusting along the way based on latest developments, on accommodation availabilities and other logistical elements.
As I narrowed down on the most likely destinations, I would also find (and let me tell you, THIS is insanely difficult) local clinics and testing centres - usually in the main cities or hubs I would be passing through - just so I would be ready if the worst happened.
The sheer amount of comparative analysis, planning and communication I went through those months was more than 50-times more than normal - I went nuts. Thousands of emails, probably hundreds of versions of PDFs with itineraries, proposals and contractual details. I focused all my frustration and, let’s face it, despair, into finding travel avenues and making sure I had everything I needed to make them work.
So, towards the end of June/beginning of July I booked the first trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar for August (with an amazing travel partner - one I would recommend to anyone and everyone). On the first week of September I booked my second trip to Kenya and Uganda for October and finally, in late November, my third trip to Ethiopia for December. I took it one step at a time - would only book a trip after the previous one was completed - and learned from each one. In terms of detailed logistics, this is what I came up with:
flights are not that much cheaper than pre-Covid (which is very surprising if you think about it), but airlines will allow you to change dates without any problems or costs, most of the time online. Use that - it’s not likely it will be available once the world goes back to normal (whenever that it).
prefer larger, national and more reputable airlines (even if it ends up costing you a bit more) as they tend to have more stable flight schedules and better flight frequency. This means that if you have to change a flight, you won’t have to end up missing one or more days. There are airlines which operate routes 2-3 times a week, meaning a change may mean 2-3 days rather than 1. This can result into multiple changes down the road - a complexity you don’t really need.
Organise visas as late as possible. You should still give it sufficient margin, but as you need to be fluid and able to change quickly and easily, you should try and make as few visa requests as possible. With most visas asking dates of entry and exit and sometimes even flight details, this means changing your itinerary may end up invalidating your visa. Add to that the fact that some countries WILL reject multiple visa applications or, at the very least, make it very difficult to change the visa details.
I started adding terms and conditions to my contracts with the various local fixers and companies stating that if, for extraneous reasons (such as lockdowns, country closures, flight cancellations etc), I need to cancel or postpone my trip, the deposits are either refundable or held indefinitely. Any one who does not agree with this…well, you should be a bit suspicious about.
opt for slightly upmarket accommodation (you’ll be surprised how affordable it can be these times) as it guarantees (and I have witnessed it first hand) better protective and sanitary conditions.
I found a reputable company performing PCR tests and made sure I made appointments well in advance. They do cost a bit more, but hey, it’s a cost of travel these days, not that much different from accommodation or flights.
however expensive it may end up being, make sure you have internet connectivity wherever you go. Airlines will change flights (times and dates) sometimes at a day’s notice. Most of the time there will be an email but, in my experience, sometimes there isn’t one. I learned that the hard way from my first trip and confirmed it in the second (in fact, in the second it forced me to cancel my last leg and return home early). Make it a habit to check the status of your flights at least once every 2 days - more frequently as the day of travel approaches.
You may think the above is common sense, but personally they were not things I would mark as critical important before. They do make travelling during the pandemic a possibility though. Not sure travel is possible otherwise. But they are not enough. I was insanely careful in ALL other aspects:
no eating in airports. Yes they are relatively empty, but those people who do travel seem to be shockingly unaware of the risks and 1 in 5 will either not wear masks or not adhere to basic protective procedures. There are morons everywhere and you need to be three times more careful.
I have become a snitch - and a nasty one! I will absolutely shamelessly attest to this! I see someone at the gate without a mask, I will point it out to the boarding agent or the steward/ess. I see someone taking the mask off in the plane - I will immediately report it to the cabin crew. See my point above: there are morons everywhere.
I carry sanitising wipes with me everywhere and I use them on utensils, seats, surfaces - everywhere. Does this make me a hypochondriac? Perhaps - but it allowed me to travel to 4 countries, go everywhere, do anything I wanted without missing a beat and without getting infected.
I will wash and/or sanitise my hands as frequently as possible. I’m outside, on a rock outcrop, trying to photograph a tribe? When I’m done, I will wash my hands and face (and yes, sanitising your face stings, but…)
I now carry with me a fully packed medicines kit, including both simple over the counter medications for treating symptoms as well as more serious antibiotics etc to address, should the need arise, more serious symptoms until I can return home and seek more full care.
I would prebook grocery deliveries (and any other deliveries) before I ever left to ensure that, upon my return, I could self-isolate and quarantine as the law required without problems.
These and many other, smaller things, annoying things, have become part of a routine I follow religiously when I travel. They make it a bit of a less enjoyable experience, for sure, but hey - the alternative is staying at home. The above helped me:
travel across 4 countries in multiple locations in each
meet more than a dozen tribes, many people, freely and openly interact with them
used 4x4s, boats, smaller and larger planes, buses etc
stayed in many different hotels (some awesome ones)
developed relationships with some really good local guides and fixers
and all that without breaking a single law - and I’d like to repeat that! During all my trips I neither bended nor broke any law, either here in the UK or abroad. I did not break quarantine once or escape a lockdown.
Of course, there were some challenges - I prefer however to see them more as minor inconveniences than anything else:
even in the most top-end hotels, services are severely cut-down or reduced
a lot of local restaurants in small towns may be closed or serve a very reduced menu, so eating choices are severely limited
local businesses have not seen a tourist or visitor for months and they do tend to pounce and be more pushy
lack of competition means prices in local markets may be higher than would otherwise have been
But it also has its benefits - and there are a LOT of them:
fewer tourists. Actually I should probably say, no tourists. You’ll be pretty much alone most of the time. This means you have the run of the place - pretty much of all places - and everyone will be eager to please/help you
for the photographer, there is no better time. No competition, plenty of time to do anything you want. Local people and tribes are more amenable and easy to photograph (as opposed to a time when there are dozens of people with cameras snapping at them 10 hours every day) and for those photographers wanting to do more advanced stuff, well, this is the best of times.
luxury hotels are cheap! Like really cheap. I was able to stay in 5-star lodges for less money than would otherwise cost to stay at very normal hotels and, in some cases, even home-stays! In the last 3 trips I’ve experienced more luxury than in most of my other trips combined.
finding local fixers at reasonable prices is easier than ever before. This means your chances of an amazing experience rise exponentially along with your enjoyment of the trip overall.
airlines do “bid for an upgrade” plans now at really low prices. I was able to upgrade to first class in my last flight for less than $200!
I guess the summary of all the above is that travel during the times of the pandemic is possible - it is absolutely possible. It’s more complicated, way more uncomfortable than either it should be or was before and it does require more care and attention to detail.