Traveling In The Post Covid-19 World

It is time to brush off the thick layer of dust on our passports because we can finally travel the world again. International borders have gradually reopened. More and more countries have announced plans to reopen or relax border restrictions. Singapore has also taken a cautious and step-by-step move to reopen its travel market.

The day had finally arrived for our long awaited trip. And this time round our baby was flying together with us. It was her first time flying. There were both excitement and nervousness in not knowing what to expect.

To be honest, I did not enjoy and relax as much as I hope to for this trip. And this is my experience and learning points.

My Experience Of Being Stuck In Airport

Before departing from Singapore, these are the testing requirements - Pre-departure Antigen Rapid Test (ART) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test within 24 to 72 hours of our scheduled flight.

According to Singapore, there is no need for pre-departure Covid test if we are tested positive for Covid within 90 days and has a recovery memo. Since we have tested positive for Covid within 90 days, we decided to take the easy way out and not go for any of the Covid tests.

Passing through Singapore immigration was hassle free, with just the need for our vaccination certificates and the recovery memo, and viola, we got our flight tickets and boarded the plane. But once we reached the country and tried to pass through the immigration, we were being called to a holding area.

According to the country, there is still a need to take a Covid test regardless if we are being tested positive before or not. It caused us to be stuck at the airport for a good 4 hours plus, while we were negotiating and trying to find a way out. Luckily for us the immigration officer closed one eye and let us go with no exception for the future.

My Learning Point

It is better to be more prepared than not prepared. Even though PCR test is not required for the country that we are visiting, there are many kiasu Singaporeans who still take PCR test just in case it is needed. Due to our complacency and not being prepared enough, it caused a delay and if worst case scenario we may be asked to fly back home straight away.

Similarly in our insurance and investment portfolio, are we being kiasu and more prepared? Do you have loopholes and blind-spots in your policies? Let us do a comprehensive review to make sure that we are on track to our goals regardless of market or medical condition. It is better to be safe than sorry.

My Experience Of Traveling With A Baby

Traveling with a baby can be a hustle. There were more things to pack and prepare. We had to ensure that our baby had sufficient diapers and milk powder for the entire duration of the trip. As we wanted to capture beautiful photos and memories, each of the day we had different set of clothing. We had to take into account extra clothing also due to unforeseen circumstances.

There was also the constant need to watch over her to prevent her from running around and getting lost. And it did not help with her fussing and throwing tantrum whenever she did not get what she want. There was a time when she was playing with another baby, and when the other baby was close to her, she scratched her. At the end, we had to send the baby to the clinic, as it was near the eye. Thank goodness it was a minor scratch only. We could not have imagine if the scratch was more severe and it resulted in the blindness in the baby's eye. We would have live in guilt and regret.

And furthermore, our baby seemed to be losing her appetite or not getting used to the food overseas. After coming back to Singapore, she started having fever, then after that she kept on vomiting, then it transited into diarrhea.⁣ We went in and out of hospital and clinic to make sure she is not having any serious heath conditions.⁣ And it did not help whenever she see a doctor or a nurse, she will keep crying.⁣

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My Learning Point

As parents, I guess what we are most afraid of is our baby getting sick.⁣ It does not only affect the baby.⁣ It affects the whole household as well.⁣ We cannot function and work properly.⁣ Which is why we should have insurance which covers for lost of income for ourselves when our baby is sick.

Travel insurance may not be mandatory for travel for most countries. But we still purchase it anyway. Especially with the pandemic still ongoing, we would not want to take the risk of being infected with the coronavirus while we are overseas and have to bear the cost of the medical treatment. You can purchase directly here to ensure you and your loved ones are well covered with Covid-19 coverage and travel protection and enjoy a further 10% discount if you are fully vaccinated.

It truly takes a village to raise a kid. As the scripture teaches: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. We have a responsibility as parents to teach and discipline our children.

My Experience Of Working Remotely

Ever since Covid started, and the advancement in technology, it is possible to work virtually anytime and anywhere, especially in my line of work. In many ways, the pandemic has made so-called “grind culture,” or the expectation of always being available for work, even worse by further blurring the lines between home and professional life.

Even when I am away for travel or holiday, there is still work to be done. There are submissions to be processed. There are queries to be answered. There are claims to be settled. Literally I am on standby 24/7.

There are sacrifices to be made. While my family can rest after a long there out for play, I will take out my laptop and check all the unread messages and handle all the outstanding requirements. If there is the need to, I will also need to arrange a virtual meeting with my client to make sure all the necessary stuff are done.

My Learning Point

There is nothing that kills a vacation vibe faster than having to plug back in to work while you are away because you are the only one who can handle a particular emergency. That is the price of me being a self employed and a solo-preneur for that matter.

Do I have regrets?

You bet I do.

I regret not starting earlier. So I can reach financial independence and enjoy passive income earlier and not having to work as hard as I need to at the current stage of life.

I regret not building a team. So we can leverage on one another strengths and cooperate together. When I am off for vacation, at least I can count on the another person to relief my load and burden. The same goes vice versa.

But one thing I will not regret is to be in this journey. A path that is less traveled. A road that is more narrow. There are sacrifices to be made. But it is all worth it to have meaningful conversations with people and to bring clarity to their life and finance.

And it is going to be better. I am growing and expanding. And I am looking for like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference in people's lives and finances.

If you are keen in this journey with me do hit me up. And I guarantee you that you will NOT be alone in this journey.

The pandemic has changed the way we fly for good.

While there may be the anxiety about traveling during coronavirus and the uncertainty about what future travel will look like, with proper preparation, organization, and flexible approach, we can safely go out there and see the world and reconnect with one another.