Throwback: My Experience Solo Travelling Asia for 5 Months While A Global Pandemic Developed

Editor’s Note: This was originally published on March 16, 2020

A selfie taken in front of my Air Asia flight from Penang, Malaysia, to Singapore on January 31, 2020. I’m sporting my flimsy teddy bear mask from a Japanese speciality store, since all the decent masks from pharmacies were sold out country-wide.

“Expect the unexpected.” That’s one of the most common pieces of advice the most seasoned travellers gave me as I prepared for my first long-term solo trip.

Some “unexpected” incidents I considered may occur included being robbed, having my luggage lost by the airline, my bank card being skimmed, perhaps even a family emergency that would force me to fly home early. But a global pandemic? Not a soul saw that coming. Not. A. Damn. Soul.

BACKGROUND

While I wouldn’t consider myself a “newbie” traveller, I’m definitely new to the long-term travel game. Up until October 2019, I hadn’t been away from home for more than 3 weeks at a time. However, in October 2019, I left my home in Toronto, Canada for my dream trip.

It was set to be a 6 month solo journey around Southeast Asia. I planned (and saved for it) for almost 2 years. I moved all my belongings into storage, found a tenant for my apartment, and moved back into my mother’s home in the suburbs a few months prior to leaving to save some extra money. I negotiated a sabbatical from my role as a Senior Marketing Communications Manager at one of the largest telecommunications companies in Canada, and set off for my Liberty Leave.

I branded my experience as a “Liberty Leave” because I was giving myself permission to take time and space from my usual day to day to purposefully pause, plan, and pivot. I define a Liberty Leave as the intentional act of leaving behind what doesn’t bring you liberty, for what does.

Posing in the Toronto airport as I was about to begin my solo trip to Asia on October 24, 2019.

I first heard of a “mysterious not-so-big-of-a-deal bat flu” in early January.

In one of the many travel communities I’m part of, a member shared that there was a growing concern for a “bat flu” that was spreading in China. Considering I had no intention of visiting China on my journey (or consuming any bats), I wasn’t concerned for my health. Over the course of the following few weeks, family and friends reached out to share their learnings re: the virus and suggested I start making a plan to return home early.

On January 29, 2020, I considered it.

I even sent a message to my sister, who is one of the most sensible and level-headed people in my life, to get her opinion on the matter. We weighed out my options and I decided that the countries I had planned to visit were not impacted and that I should take full advantage of the opportunity and time off from work and continue on.

The WhatsApp conversation between my older sister, Aisha, and I on January 29, 2020 on potentially ending my Liberty Leave much earlier than anticipated due to COVID-19 concerns.

COUNTRIES AND REACTIONS

In Thailand, there was little concern for (or even knowledge of) the virus.

Location & Dates: Chiang Mai, Thailand between December 21, 2019 and January 20, 2020.

COVID-19 was not at all a concern while I was in Chiang Mai. No one was wearing masks, temperatures were not being checked, and there were no signs at the airport advising travellers to notify security if they had recently travelled to China or its neighbouring regions. Life in Chiang Mai was business as usual.

In fact, I even attended the Digital Nomad Summit with 300+ remote workers from across the globe (packed into a conference room) with zero concerns for my health or wellbeing.

Four ladies from across the globe and myself at the Digital Nomad Summit 2020 event kickoff and Networking evening on January 17, 2020.

In Malaysia, I started to realize this “virus” was becoming serious.

Location & Dates: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between January 20, 2020 and January 27, 2020. Penang, Malaysia between January 27, 2020 and January 31, 2020.

While in Malaysia, I began to receive an increasing number of updates from the news application on my phone and in the travel/Digital Nomad communities I’m in regarding the virus spreading and becoming more serious. Some of my closest friends and family suggested that I invest in “one of those mask things” as an extra precaution.

It was in Malaysia that I started to realize the seriousness of the situation, as sanitizer and masks were sold out at the 10+ pharmacies and drug stores I checked.

Singapore was eerily deserted.

Location & Dates: Singapore between January 31, 2020 and February 4, 2020, plus an 18-hour stopover on February 19, 2020.

I created a poll on my Instagram asking if I should visit one of Singapore’s tourist attractions, Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, where you can take a boat ride on a gondola in the mall. My friend, a local, advised that a recent rider on that boat had contracted the virus. I immediately cancelled my plan.

By the time I got to Singapore the first time, I was scared. The news stated that Singapore was becoming a hotspot for the virus due to it being an international conference hotspot and major flight hub, in combination with its small size and densely populated land. No one was outside. Malls appeared empty. Major tourist destinations were deserted.

Just 3 days after I departed, Singapore raised the outbreak level to orange (on February 7). This concerned me mostly because although I was worried, I still intended to continue travelling until there was a near imminent need to return home. Having visited Singapore, I was concerned that countries may deny me entry or insist that I go into quarantine.

I visited Singapore a second time, on February 19th for 18 hours for a stopover on my way to the Philippines. I booked my flight with the budget airline, Scoot, who never followed up on my multiple refund requests for this connecting flight because I was again concerned of not only contracting the virus, but also being barred from entering future countries.

I was prepared to take the loss and book another flight, but then I watched this video from one of my most trusted travel bloggers, Nas Daily, and decided to move forward with the flight. I had no issues and my flight was at about 50% capacity.

My Scoot Airlines flight on the way to Singapore from Bali, Indonesia on February 19th, at only about 50% passenger capacity.

A live look at the volume of people at Gardens by the Bay; one of Singapore’s most popular tourist destinations, on Sunday, February February 2. According to these Google results, the volume was down by approximately 65%.

In Bali, I, along with everyone else, was living in blissful ignorance.

Location & Dates: Bali, Indonesia between February 4, 2020 to February 19, 2020.

Bali was a much-needed mental break from all things COVID-19 related (despite many of my followers asking my thoughts on the virus and if they should cancel their upcoming Asia trips or not).

There were moments I forgot the virus existed, as virtually no one mentioned it as a concern, no one was checking temperatures, and there wasn’t a mask in sight. Everyone was living their best beach island life, and I chose to partake.

At the time, Indonesia as a whole had zero confirmed cases. While I was there, I decided to live in blissful ignorance and not dig deeper. Once I left, I fed into my curiosity and did some research as to how there could possibly be no cases there considering it’s a popular tourist destination. I learned that Indonesian politicians claimed there were no cases on the island “because of prayer”. Uhh. Not sure that’s how that works, but okay.

Neighbouring island countries like Malaysia and Philippines all had confirmed cases, so health experts began to doubt Indonesia’s testing abilities. At the time of writing (03/17/2020), Indonesia has 157 active cases.

Hanging out at a photo-worthy flower bath in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

By the time I got to the Philippines, I was delirious.

Location & Dates: Palawan, Philippines between February 20, 2020 to February 25, 2020. Manila, Philippines between February 25, 2020, and March 4, 2020.

The types of notifications I would wake up to daily on my phone that caused anxiety and ultimately led to my early departure home.

I spent my entire two weeks in the Philippines checking the COVID-19 updates daily on my trusted source. By this point, I was delirious and my trip was no longer enjoyable. I was anxious, concerned, and felt guilty for what I was putting my family and friends through while away. Also, while I was in Manila, I was staying in a condo building owned by Chinese investors that were on high alert due to the virus originating in their country. Everyone’s temperature had to be checked each time they entered the building, and residents were encouraged to wear masks when entering and exiting the building. It was overwhelming.

While I thankfully managed to visit the places I had planned to in the Philippines, I ultimately made the decision that it was time to go home. I had ~1 month more of my Liberty Leave to play with that I had planned to spend in Bali (I even had a flight ticket back to Bali that I had to cancel and an apartment lined up for a month that I had to abandon), but I decided it was no longer worth it. My connection cities were becoming virus hotspots (Taiwan, South Korea, China), and finding a flight path home was challenging. I eventually booked a flight home connecting in Japan (whose status wasn’t yet raised to orange) 4 days before my departure.

 Laying poolside at the Sheridan resort in Puerto, Princesa Palawan while pretending like I wasn’t internally panicking.   

The form I had to sign before leaving Manila, Philippines and connecting in Tokyo, Japan before arriving in Toronto, Canada.

I’ve never seen the Tokyo airport so empty.

Location & Dates: Tokyo, Japan (Haneda Airport) for 4 hours on March 4, 2020.

While Japan hadn’t yet had its virus status raised to “orange”, I was still reluctant to connect there as at the time, it was in the Top 5 countries affected. I went forward with it anyway because it was the most affordable flight that avoided China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and had a short stopover in the Haneda airport for just 4 hours. Passports typically aren’t stamped when you connect in a country (unless you leave the airport), so I was hopeful this wouldn’t be a cause of concern when I had re-entered Canada.

I’ve been to airports in Japan over 5 times over the last few years, and I’ve never seen the airport more deserted. Gates were virtually empty. 100% of Japanese airport employees were wearing masks, with some even wearing gloves. The restaurants had zero patrons. It felt apocalyptic.

An example of the signage that greeted passengers at the Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan.

Despite the outbreak, my plans didn’t change much.

Though this outbreak did force me to come home a month earlier than anticipated, I was still able to visit almost every single country on my Liberty Leave wishlist. I spent 2 months in Thailand, one month in Vietnam, 2 weeks in Malaysia, a week in Singapore, 2 weeks in Bali, and 2 weeks in the Philippines.

The only exception to this wishlist would be my desire to visit Taiwan and fly on the Hello Kitty airplane, which was cancelled due to Taiwan’s close proximity to China. I’m hoping that once the world recovers, I’ll still get to cross off that bucket list item!

A screenshot of my original desired destination path before I departed on my Liberty Leave journey.

The screening process was looser than expected once I landed in Canada.

When I returned to Canada on March 4, my temperature was never checked and I was not asked if I was experiencing any symptoms. I was asked if I had visited “the Province of Hubei (China)” or Iran in the past 14 days.

I was diverted to an enhanced screening once I collected my bags, but the 15 minute questioning period focused solely on why I was away for so long, what I was doing, and how much money I spent on the gifts for my nieces and nephews. I was relieved that I wasn’t thrown into the dark and dingy airport isolation dungeon I imagined in my head, but also concerned for Canada considering the steady incline of cases brought in from International travellers.

The machine I used to disclose what products I was importing and where I visited on my travels as I was re-immigrating into Canada.

Sh*t got real quickly once I returned home.

When I first got back to Canada, I was overwhelmed with Western media. At first, I thought the media was blowing the situation out of proportion. I was even considering simply switching continents after 14 days of self-isolation to head to Mexico for 3 weeks and cap off my Liberty Leave, since Asia was the COVID-19 hotspot and I didn’t have to be back at work until April. I joined WhatsApp groups for the Digital Nomad community in Mexico City, reached out to expats there for recos on places to stay, and selected my flight. However, my intuition told me to hold off for a day before booking.

By March 11, the World Health Organization had officially declared a pandemic. Borders were being closed. China had officially passed its peak, and European countries became the hotspots along with outbreaks in Iran and the U.S. Developments were being made by the hour.

It’s safe to say I’m glad I chose to not leave Canada.

A screenshot of Canada’s Global Travel Advisory as of March 15, 2020.  

I feel for my Digital Nomad communities.

I’m amazed by the differences in mindset between frequent travellers, expats, and digital nomads vs. those who rarely leave their hometowns. The common sentiment during these chaotic times of my travel communities around the world (primarily in Asia) is tranquil. There is no panicking or stocking up on toilet paper. As a generally anxious person, I’m grateful to be exposed to people who are able to think rationally during times of extreme pressure and uncertainty.

I do, however, feel for my Digital Nomad and expat communities at this time who have to soon complete visa runs to avoid staying in the country past their approved duration of time. A visa run is when a non-resident of a country must exit a country, visit another country (sometimes for as little as a few hours), and re-enter the original country to renew their visa and time allowance. If you’re unsure of what a Digital Nomad is, you can read this post.

Some of these nomads have relocated to countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia for months or even years. However, with countries closing borders and enforcing new regulations by the hour, many of them are now forced to make difficult decisions like packing up their lives to return to their home countries immediately, or risk overstaying their visa and dealing with the fines or punishments that will follow once caught.

For those who have chosen to self-isolate, digital meet-ups, virtual mixers, and online community dinners (where everyone eats their own meal in front of a camera while conversing with one another in a group chat) are gaining popularity.

I’m in self-isolation now.

Since I’ve been back in Canada, I’ve limited my exposure to large crowds and gatherings. I’ve delayed “welcome home” festivities until this whole pandemic subsides. I left Asia on March 4, 2020, and thankfully have not experienced any symptoms. As of March 18, 2020, I will have reached my 14 day isolation period milestone. However, I will continue to self-isolate and limit my outings to quick grocery store trips to remain being a responsible human that’s stopping the potential spread and flattening the curve of this virus.

An image of my home city:  Toronto, Canada. 

The Silver Lining.

Though this global pandemic forced me to cut my Liberty Leave short and abruptly, I’m still incredibly grateful for everything I was able to experience during my 4.5 months in Southeast Asia. I stepped far outside of my comfort zone, learned about myself and the world, ate more food than my stomach could handle, and built a strong community.

I was extremely jet-lagged and overwhelmed by the entire process during the last few days in the Philippines (and quite frankly still am), which forced me to take a step back from social media to try to make sense of it all and process it.

As morbid as it sounds, if I died tomorrow (from the Coronavirus or anything else), I can confidently say that I’m fulfilled. Life is for living, and this Liberty Leave allowed me to live to the absolute fullest. I’m proud of myself and wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you to everyone who checked in and was concerned for my wellbeing. Thank you to everyone who sent words of encouragement during my difficult times. Thank you to everyone who was mindful of not projecting their fears onto me because they knew it’d cause me to panic even more.

Until this is pandemic concludes, we have a moral responsibility to self-isolate, flatten the curve, and stay home.

Stay safe, friends.

Abiding by the rules at Shake Shack in Singapore to have my temperature checked before entering the restaurant. I’d estimate I had my temperature checked at least 75 times between January 20 and March 4, 2020 while travelling.