Travel During COVID – Zanzibar to Merida

Well, as many of you may know, I have officially made it to Merida, Mexico where I am staying in an Airbnb waiting to see what happens next.

While trying to leave Dar es Salaam, I was pulled out of line because I was flying to a country where I was not a citizen. The moments waiting for approval were long and stressful and I, and everyone around me, breathed a major sight of relief when I was allowed to check in for the flight.

From Dar es Salaam to Istanbul, I tried my best to relax. I watched movies, Netflix and attempted to sleep. Before we got off the plane in Istanbul, I dutifully put my face mask on knowing that the airport itself could be a virus hotspot. I spent 4 hours walking back and forth through the terminal nervously glancing at the sign boards full of cancellations hoping that my flight would still take off. When it finally came time to board and I was scanned through, I started to relax a bit.

I drank some wine on the plane and finally drifted off to sleep. I had no idea if Mexico was going to close their borders by the time my plane touched down and knew that there was a risk that I would be sent to America. 18 hours later (yep, you read that right, 18 hours from Istanbul to Cancun) I finally reached my destination and nervously went through immigration. The immigration officer asked me if I was a tourist, I replied yes and was stamped through. I can honestly say that I have never been that relieved in my entire life.

From Cancun, I took the bus to Merida and then an Uber to my Airbnb. Everything felt so normal, so every-day, that it was impossible not to start to relax. After getting a few basic groceries from the nearby corner store, I settled in for the day.

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Why Mexico?

Many people have asked me why I decided to go to Mexico and it is complicated.

1. It is close to the US and my mom is 73. Staying on the other side of the world while this was happening didn’t seem right.
2. I don’t have American health insurance. Many people don’t realize how many issues this has caused those of us who live abroad. On short trips home, I have been able to get travel insurance but only because I had primary health insurance somewhere else. However, in this case, my visa in India is expiring which means my health insurance is no longer valid. Travel insurance will no longer cut it and I simply can’t afford healthcare in the US.
3. America is currently a disaster. While Europe is facing some serious issues right now due to the sheer volume of infections, America is facing something completely different entirely. Trump has proved yet again to be a disastrous leader and the US currently sits at 52,000 case while Mexico is around 350.
4. I didn’t feel safe staying in Zanzibar. This is due to a variety of reasons. Lack of infrastructure and healthcare are just the start. I was volunteering with all Turkish people who were interconnected. Despite the fact that people didn’t seem to take it seriously, I knew that there was a chance that they would all decide to leave at the same time and that I would end up there alone. When I had walked alone in the nearby village, I was told that I look like I “fuck well’ by one of the local men. I really didn’t want to be completely alone on the NGO campus grounds as a foreign woman. There were also rumors floating around of white people getting harassed for bringing COVID to Tanzania.
5. I was already planning on spending an extensive amount of time in Mexico later this year. After backpacking through the country a few years ago, I knew that I wanted to see more. Mexico allows short-term residency to Americans if you can prove that you have a certain amount in savings. This has been an appealing option due to the low cost of living, beautiful weather, friendly people, good food and gorgeous colonial cities. Find out more about my trip here!
6. I didn’t have any other options. As mentioned in my previous blog, day by day my options were getting smaller and smaller. I considered Hong Kong, Georgia, and Ecuador but as borders continued to close and flight options continued to decrease, Mexico quickly became the only viable option.

Please Remember To Be Kind

I have continued to get a huge amount of criticism for traveling during the COVID outbreak. The narrative has changed from nobody should travel to you should only travel to your country of citizenship as it became apparent that we are in this for the long-haul. I have been accused of stealing hospital beds from locals (it doesn’t matter that the chances of me needing a hospital bed for anything COVID related are very small), spreading the virus to vulnerable populations and basically just being a horrible person. Even when explaining the circumstances, people have told me that it was my choice to go to Zanzibar and therefore my fault. The fact that I was there to volunteer for a NGO is irrelevant.

It is easy to criticize people for traveling at this time when you are at home. I know people who are stranded all over the world because they listened to the advice to NOT TRAVEL when everything started going downhill. Then borders started closing and it became clear that some people HAD to travel. Now the US State Department is telling all Americans to go back to the US or prepare to be outside of the US for an indefinite period of time. Most people I know are choosing not to return home. Not because they don’t love their families but because they don’t have health care and they have nowhere to go. Most Americans I know actually understand this and are telling me not to go back. However, most non-Americans (from both developing countries and developed countries) are calling me selfish, unethical, immoral and overall just a horrible person. If you are one of those people, please, please, please remember to be kind. No one wants to be in this position. We didn’t plan this. Be kind to one another and we will get through this.

Best wishes from Mexico!