So many of our friends have been very interested in how we traveled to four different countries and dealt with the whole issue of COVID-19. We read a lot of State department advisories and individual country requirements but at the end of the day it was not that bad. It was very easy to get a test anywhere in Europe, most of the time we asked the hotel to set it up and they sent someone to the hotel to give us a test. In Italy we walked to the corner pharmacy and had the test back in 20 minutes. In Kenya the safari organizers had a doctor at our final camp to take all of our tests before we left. Even though we had anxiety of a possible positive test or not getting results in time, test taking ended up being quite smooth.
You fill out allot of forms for Covid! Every country has a passenger locator form, declaration forms that you have not been ill etc. We tried to be really careful that we had all these forms and that they were filled out correctly. Most of the counties that we visited barely looked at these forms. We were welcomed with open arms everywhere we went and the local guides and service people were asking us to please tell our friends to travel and visit soon.
The upside of these strange times is that it is definitely less crowded. We never waited for anything, most big tourist sites like the Acropolis were only half full and you could always get into any restaurant without a reservation. We also got some great deals on luxury hotels that had reduced their rates. We felt very blessed and grateful that this long trip went so smoothly, we never even had a flight delay. If you are on the fence about international travel we encourage you to go now!
In summary we did:
15 flights including 3 bush flights
3 Ferries
5 covid tests
4 countries
3 Islands
Lots of walking
Unlimited care, favor and protection from our loving God!
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