Traveling Amidst Covid-19
Before we were hit with this pandemic traveling was super easy. All you had to do was to get your visa and then with your ticket after booking your flight. The process of traveling is now very complicated. In this post, I will try and outline the challenges when I was preparing to travel amidst Covid 19.
Very important to let you know that I am A Ghanian and I stay in Accra. Had made a series of travel so this is not my first-time travel. I had done this over and over again and so I understand the process of travel.
Getting Tested For Covid 19
Before you start your trip you have to get tested for Covid 19 and this test should have been conducted 72hours before your flight. This means that if you are scheduled for a flight on the 24th December, you’ll have to get a result that is not more than 21st December old. If you live in countries that are not really tech-inclined please make sure you have a printed copy of your result after the test. I had the shock of my life to almost get rejected because my test result was not printed.
The person checking at that moment was not ready to accept the electronic copy, the rest is history. I spent almost 45 mins of my time trying to convince the guy that my test is valid. God being good someone came to my rescue. Very important to note that after taking the test in your country of departure, you'll need to register and pay an amount of money (NGN 540,000 Nigeria) to schedule another test in your destination country. So for instance, if you are traveling from Ghana to Nigeria, you'll take your test in Ghana which costs about $150, and then present that certificate at the airport and schedule another test with the said amount for arrival in Nigeria. Trust me without these things you will not be allowed to travel. Let me give you a heads-up that the test can be hurting since it involves putting something into your nose to pick a sample. Oooh, God, that process can really hurt.
Preparation and Boarding
To travel during this Covid 19 season you will have to strictly read and follow the travel requirements on every airline's website. I’ll talk about that of AWA(Africa World Airline). At least for them, you have to carry a hand sanitizer (not more than 100ml), a nose mask, and Covid 19 test result. Be sure to carry all these things in order not to get denied your comfort. Remember that you will be asked to keep your nose mask on throughout the flight. This can be a bit uncomfortable. Also weird to know that as at the time I was traveling there is no social distancing observed in the plane. But as you are aware during the onboarding procedures we are strictly expected to observe social distancing.
Landing and Arrival
On arrival at your destination, you’ll have to show the test schedule and proof of payment for the Covid 19 test in that country. If you are not able to provide this information, you will be required to make payment and schedule your test date before departing to your final destination. It can be frustrating if you don't have the money and cash on you at that moment.
Conclusion
In my experience, traveling has become more difficult than it used to be. People have used the Covid 19 pandemic opportunity to make money. At most checkpoints what they are really interested in is the proof of payment, not the test result itself. To be honest with you if you really don't have anything very important doing where you are going, you’d better do it in on a virtual meeting. Or better put if the reason for travel is not worth the cost of the trip, then you better advice yourself.
