Part 1: Epidemic Travel Notes (1): After crossing 4 countries, I am back on the road
Epidemic travel notes (2): What does it mean for foreign tourists in the UK, Portugal, and India?
Text / Weng Wanying
In India, the hardest-hit area of the epidemic, as many as 400,000 people were diagnosed every day in 2021. India, which has been locked down for more than a year, issued 500,000 free tourist visas to revitalize the economy on November 15, 2021 when the epidemic slowed down.
When I left for Europe from Taiwan, India was not in my plan, but the moment I received the e-visa, my determination to “I want to go back to India” never wavered.
In the past 10 years, the ancient civilization that led me to stabilize my body and mind amid the drastic changes, the grief of my teacher passing away at an advanced age during the epidemic has long surpassed the fear of the epidemic. For me, this is home.
But why is it so hard to get home?
In the past, the casualness of buying a flight ticket and booking a hotel one day before departure is completely inapplicable during epidemic travel. Travelers must calculate the time required for PCR certification in the country of arrival (ranging from 3 days to 48 hours); keep track of whether the quarantine regulations of the country of entry are updated.
In the past, the practice of visa-free entry and then connecting flights in exchange for cheap air tickets must be forgotten. Especially when traveling to most of the countries in Asia, you must face whether the entry country allows passengers from the departure country to transfer or enter, screening and isolation costs.
One-ticket flights have become a must.
Therefore, I purchased a three-segment flight from Etihad, departing from Lisbon, connecting to Heathrow Airport, UK, and then connecting to Abu Dhabi to arrive in Mumbai, India. The “Lisbon-Heathrow” segment is TAP Air Portugal (TAP Air Portugal, hereinafter referred to as Air Portugal) operates.
The gate is closed while refilling the form
My friend had returned to Taiwan two weeks ago, and I arrived at Lisbon airport while traveling alone. “Even if you don’t enter the UK through a connecting flight, you still have to fill in the British government’s passenger tracking form,” said the Air Portugal ground staff.
I quickly completed the UK tracking form in front of the seat counter. In the space for the flight number of “Lisbon-Heathrow”, I filled in the Etihad Airways “EY1596” shown on the e-ticket.
Airline ground staff checked all documents for me to India: vaccination certificate, negative PCR certificate, e-Visa for India, passenger tracking form for India, passenger tracking form for UK.
After passing the fast Portuguese passport inspection, I, a couple and an African-American boy, “run” to the boarding gate after the final call, and the same group of Air Portugal ground staff began to check the documents again.
The African-American boy’s PCR certificate was found out that the screening time was exceeded and he could not board the plane. He angrily quarreled with the ground staff. My couple and I were asked to refill the form immediately because we filled in the flight number “EY1596” in the UK tracking form instead of “TP1366” operated by Air Portugal, otherwise we would not be allowed to board the plane.
Although the three of us protested in unison, “This is the same flight at all!” “The reservation counter has checked this table, and it’s fine!” “Even if there are problems and different perceptions, why didn’t you tell us earlier?” The ground crew only fiercely demanded an immediate refill, but also when we refilled the new form, the boarding gate was closed.
I almost cried with soft feet at the boarding gate, which meant I couldn’t get on all three flights. It was 8 p.m. in Lisbon, and there were no other flights to Heathrow.
The World Walk has important stories you haven’t read yet. We focus on global issues from a gender perspective, complementing stories of dilemma, breakthrough, connection, and change that traditional power perspectives ignore.
Please pay a subscription to become our partner and walk with women around the world.
Can’t get on the plane, what should I do?
The border policies set by countries around the world in response to the epidemic have made the boarding process at the airport even more complicated. Airline ground staff who originally suspended or reduced their shifts have also added more jobs due to the epidemic prevention regulations of various countries. But will airlines, which are already heavily losing money, increase staffing or pay more for these jobs?
I walked back to the departures hall with people who were denied boarding, and lined up in a long line of call center complaints. I seriously lost time and money for three flights because of my mistakes and cognitive gaps not to be blamed; it was just because the airport staff were tired of checking a large number of travel documents, and the airlines were sloppy in their work to save costs. In the end, all the losses were lost. on passengers.
The denied boarding accident at night left me completely unable to contact the customer service staff of the ticket seller Etihad Airways and the third-party airline ticket company. I had to make a decision right now:
-
Go back to downtown Lisbon to find a hotel to stay for one night and try to find a way, the loss is the PCR test fee and the Mumbai epidemic prevention hotel reservation fee;
-
I will give up going to India now and buy a plane ticket to go back to Taiwan, but at the same time I have to book an anti-epidemic hotel in Taiwan right away;
-
Overnight at the airport, temporarily giving up seeking assistance from Etihad Airways and third-party ticket companies, and directly buying a new ticket to India.
I chose the third option because I hated myself running away.
I bought a new ticket from Qatar Airways, which is also a three-stage flight: departure from Lisbon, transfer to Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, and transfer to Qatar Duha to arrive in Mumbai, India. Among them, the “Lisbon-Heathrow” segment is operated by British Airways.
Can’t leave Portugal or can’t get to India?
I hadn’t slept all night, and 12 hours after I was denied boarding, I explained the tragic experience of last night to the British Airways ground staff in tired English. “Actually, both flight numbers are fine,” she said with a sigh. “You take a break and let me check all the documents.”
When I finally got my Lisbon-Heathrow ticket and sprinted through the gate, no one from British Airways checked the travel documents again. Then I was stuck on an airport bus with a large group of travelers, watching the engineers fix the tires for nearly an hour. “Can this plane ever fly to England?”
Is it that I can’t leave Portugal, or can’t I get to India?
With the ever-increasing number of travel documents due to changes in the epidemic, are airlines and employees ready to face the ever-changing sky of flight? Are you going back to the days of blocking the skyline if you’re tired of cumbersome checks?
And traveler, are you ready to face the sudden surprise?
Can’t leave India or can’t go back to Taiwan?
During my study between Taiwan and India from 2016 to 2019, because there was no direct flight to Mumbai, I mostly transited through Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Bangkok. But the epidemic caused all the flights I used to take to be cancelled, and Thai Airways even nearly closed down.
On December 23, 2021, I was going back to Taiwan on the eve of the expiry of my free tourist visa in India. I bought an Air India ticket from New Delhi to Singapore, and when I arrived at New Delhi airport, I found that I couldn’t take the flight marked “VTL” at all, even though I read the traditional Chinese version several times about Singapore’s transfer or entry quarantine Regulations, still lost in more than 10 pages of cumbersome text:
-
Passengers who are fully vaccinated on Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights can enter Singapore without quarantine.
-
Passengers taking VTL flights must first apply for a “Tourist Passport” (VTP) from the Singapore government. As of February 13, 2022, the Singapore government only recognizes vaccinations in 24 countries, excluding China and Taiwan.
-
In response to the Omicorn epidemic, the Singapore government will only allow flights of 14 airlines, including the national airline of the country, to transfer at Changi Airport from December 6, 2021, and other flights, including Air India, are not allowed to transfer in Singapore.
This means that I can only enter Singapore on Air India, not connecting flights. But what strikes me the most right now is that Taiwan is not among the countries that the Singapore government sanctioned for vaccination, so I am not eligible to take the VTL flight at all.
“It turns out that in the eyes of the Singapore government, I’m just like the Chinese.” I sighed suddenly at the chaotic New Delhi airport.
It was also 8 p.m., and there was no flight for me to fly back to Taiwan to catch up with the epidemic prevention hotel that I paid for. Although it was similar to being denied boarding at Lisbon airport, this time I was more calm.
I was in a small hotel next to Delhi airport, looking for a flight all night. At the moment, some friends suggested that we should go back to the Yoga Academy to watch the development of the epidemic, and the food and lodging in the dormitory of the academy are cheap and safe. But I think the Omicorn variant virus is unpredictable and full of uncertainty. In the future, the border control of various countries will only be stricter, and it is now necessary to return to Taiwan.
Another more practical reason is that before the Spring Festival, the anti-epidemic hotel in Taiwan starts at NT$3,000 per night, and it is hard to find a room. The serious loss of No Show makes me have to go back to the anti-epidemic hotel in Taiwan now.
Thinking about this in India, I smiled wryly at the ridiculous choice. But immediately faced the most serious problem: there are almost no return flights from India to Taiwan that do not need to enter and transfer by themselves. This means that I have to enter a certain country to transit. Once entering the country, you must face various conditions such as visa application, PCR test and vaccine certification, which country (high and low risk area) and isolation measures in the past 14 days.
I opened the website of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and checked the official quarantine websites of the governments of more than 10 neighboring countries, only to find that Omicorn has allowed neighboring countries to tighten border controls. I fell into the predicament that I couldn’t leave India, and I couldn’t go back to Taiwan:
-
South Korea: From December 3, 2021, regardless of nationality or vaccination, will be quarantined for 10 days.
-
Japan: Taiwanese are visa-free to Japan, but travelers from India are prohibited from entering.
-
China and Hong Kong: All foreigners entering the country will be quarantined for more than 14 days.
-
Vietnam: Foreigners who have completed vaccinations are quarantined for 7 days.
-
Thailand: On December 21, 2021, the “Thailand Pass” policy that foreigners can move freely after entering quarantine for one night will be suspended, returning to the original regulations of 7 days of quarantine. Phuket still maintains the “Sandbox Program”. Entering Phuket is free to move on the island, and after 7 days of quarantine, you can travel to other parts of Thailand. But there are no direct flights from India to Phuket.
-
Laos: Stop issuing tourist visas and visas on arrival
-
Cambodia: 7-day quarantine still required to complete vaccinations
-
Malaysia: Foreigners are prohibited from entering except for specific purposes.
-
Indonesia: All flights are prohibited from connecting in Indonesia.
-
Philippines: Suspension of visas and travel permits.
-
Myanmar: Stop issuing visas.
…
When I was almost in despair, my Taiwanese friend in India, who went to Turkey for sightseeing only two months ago, sent a message, “What about Istanbul?”
Foreigners who complete the vaccination are exempt from quarantine when entering Turkey; Taiwanese apply for an electronic visa free of charge and will be issued within 10 minutes. Turkey has become one of the most friendly countries for connecting passengers.
Another option is Emirates, with a connecting flight to Dubai and back to Taiwan. But the ticket price has risen to NT$120,000, and Qatar Airways, which is only half-price, is the only option I can afford.
When I was stopped by the ground crew again, my heart almost stopped
Just like what happened at Lisbon Airport, Qatar Airways rescued my cross-border movement again, this time across four countries, five flights, more than 30 hours of flight:
Take off from New Delhi Airport, transfer in Kadaduha, and enter Istanbul; 8 hours later, depart from Istanbul and take off again at Doha to fly to Bangkok, and then fly to Taipei for landing.
But I was stopped by the ground crew again and my heart almost stopped. “The Thai government now stipulates that transit passengers must also purchase infection insurance.” The ground staff of Qatar Airways’ first customs explained.
“An insurance that pays $100,000 for medical bills is fine. You can buy it online now, or you won’t be able to board the plane,” she said.
“Can I catch the virus even if I have a two-hour layover at Bangkok Airport?” I didn’t say the confused sentence in my heart. In order to board the plane, I quickly paid 2,700 baht for insurance, just for boarding.
In the second pass, the Turkish ground staff checked my hotel reservation record for epidemic prevention and the passenger tracking form of the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare with a puzzled face, because the operating system required him to confirm the more complicated quarantine documents in Chinese, which he could not understand.
This time it was my turn to explain the documents one by one and reassure him, “These documents are the second time I have filled out the process this year.”
I’m finally going home. It just confused me for 10 years, is Taiwan really my home? (To be continued)
The full text is easy to read and share version: Epidemic travel notes (3): Airport black hole that cannot be separated or reached
About the Author｜ Weng Wanying (Freelance Writer)
Subscribe to the Walk Around Newsletter and we’ll deliver:
[Members only] Go original: a good story that others have not written yet
An Evening News Every Day: A selection of daily news summaries for you
Weekly Newsletter: Good articles from around the world that you may have missed
A Weekly Note: A Weekly Guide to Online Activities
【Exclusive benefits for other members】» See here
This article is reprinted from: https://sehseh.substack.com/p/6dd
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.