How COVID-19 Coronavirus affects digital nomads – updated diary

This post will be updated regularly. I talk about how the Coronavirus or COVID-19 (and the reactions to it) affects your digital nomad life, what problems and hardships it may cause and what you can do about it if you are a digital nomad, or a person who is travelling right now.

Also see my other post with advice on how to do shopping or get food for the quarantine, and this other post about my thoughts on what we can expect as digital nomads in the future.


1. How is the coronavirus affecting digital nomads

Digital nomads are by definition travellers, who are continuously moving from place to place. This is also true for those who like it slow, like myself, and spend several months at one place before moving on to another.

Now the situation that the coronavirus has created all over the world has seriously affected this in several important ways.

First, travelling or moving from place to place is exactly how we spread this damned virus. Without this well developed international travel, the virus would have very little chance of spreading over vast distances. So both in theory and in practice, the fewer people take long journeys, the less chance for the virus to spread. This means that it just doesn’t seem to be a very good idea to move from place to place right now. (Update: since I originally wrote this paragraph, the situation has changed considerably, and now it is actually not your decision, but at some places, every kind of movement is strictly controlled or banned.)

Second, you should also do everything to protect yourself – and the community! – from the infection. This is true even if you are young and fit, with a strong immune system, because if you are infected, you may well recover quickly, but you will spread the virus everywhere you go. What makes it even worse is that you may be doing it unknowingly, because in many cases, reports say, people simply don’t realise they have been infected, because they have no symptoms. (Update: now it has turned out that there are quite a lot of young and fit people who have suffered an incredible pain when they fell ill with the infection.)

Third, it seems at the moment that planning ahead is not an easy thing to do, to put it mildly. When I first wrote this, I was talking about the danger that quarantines could be introduced just about anywhere. This is not a danger any more: it is a fact. There are quarantines all over the world, including African countries, where the official numbers are very low (which we all know doesn’t mean they have very few infections of course).

2. What can we do?

2.1 Should you return home immediately?

I think it greatly depends on a number of factors. These may include where you are now, where you live, your general health conditions, your family ties, and also how panicky you are 😀.

I would say returning home just doesn’t look the best idea – although if you want to be together with your loved ones, then it may be another situation of course.

At the moment, I am in Cebu city in the Philippines, and I just don’t want to return to Europe now, even though I already have a non refundable ticket. (Update: my flight was of course cancelled.) But once I return, I am afraid I will be stuck there for a very long time – and I don’t have family there, only a few friends, whom I can keep in touch with remotely.

Update in mid March: It seems that you actually can’t return home now, if you are further away from home. In many cases, it may even be hard to cross one single border to get home from the neighbouring country. Most countries all over the world have closed their borders, some of them not only for tourists but for their own citizens too. Malaysia and the Philippines, among others, don’t let their own citizens leave the country, and even internal travel is banned entirely.

In many parts of the world, local transport has stopped completely. So if you haven’t left by now, chances are that your only choice is to stay put where you are.

What can you do if you still want to/have to leave?

  • Contact you embassy in the country you are in. They may or may not be able to help though, but at least they can give you some advice. Be warned that some countries’ embassies are simply unwilling to help you or even meet you in person. This seems to be the case with the British embassy in Cambodia and elsewhere, see this story: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/couple-stuck-cambodia-amid-coronavirus-3987516
  • Find a flight or other travel options if you can. This is gonna be the most difficult step, and you may well find that there are no travel options at all. For information, contact as many official sources as you can, including the airlines, our embassy, the tourism office of the country you are staying in, the immigration office etc. you can also try to find information in online forums like Tripadvisor, Nomadforum or the Facebook pages of the above mentioned offices.
  • If your visa is expiring, contact both your embassy and the local immigration office (the Immigration office is more important to contact!) and ask them what you can do. In some cases, they will let you stay without a valid visa, and let you apply for an extension once the situation gets better. This is the situation in the Philippines, in Thailand and in Malaysia for example, but I’m sure many other countries around the world do the same.
  • Chances are that you’ll realize there is no way you can leave the country. In this case, find accommodation as soon as you can, a place where you feel safe and where you can isolate yourself as much as possible. So a kitchen would be very useful, for example. You may not even be able to order food very easily, or it may be too expensive to order every meal for months and months on end. Wifi is also very important, but if you find a place at long last with no wifi, take it, and buy mobile data. Some people have had to spend nights in the streets because no hotels or guesthouses were willing to accommodate them (in India, for example), and at some places, foreigners were even kicked out of their accommodation.

2.2 Should I go ahead with my plan to travel from home now?

That would be a very bad idea! Also, there are now travel restrictions banning you from entering most of the countries of the world. What’s more, there are curfews in many places, including Cebu city in the Philippines, where I am staying now. Stay wherever you are now, and wait till the end of this terrible time, hopefully not too long. But prepare for a worst case scenario, and don’t expect it to be completely over in a few months – I’m afraid it just won’t happen!

2.3 Should I go ahead with my travel plan and go from country A to country B, or City A to City B within a foreign country?

I have heard from other digital nomads that they want to do that. Don’t do that, unless you are forced to and have no other option. Refer to what I said above: avoid unnecessary movement. Do not spread the virus, and try to avoid getting infected yourself. Besides, even if you are able to travel from A to B, you may not be able to leave place B because of travel restrictions.

Is your visa valid for a longer time where you are? Then stay there.

Is your visa expiring and is it not possible to extend it? Contact the local Immigration office by phone, by email, their Facebook page or on Twitter, and also your country’s embassy. In many cases, they let you stay longer with no fine, so again: stay where you are. But even if there is a fine, which is highly unlikely in these times, it may be worth paying the fine rather than risking getting infected at airports or other places, or being stranded somewhere that you don’t want to. You may also be put into compulsory quarantine, and very often, you will have to pay for it, and they will decide which hotel you must use. Are you a budget traveller? – Imagine a five star hotel’s rate for at least two weeks…

Update mid March: As for me, I have managed to get a visa extension until October 12, and I have an apartment which is available until then, and even longer if I want to stay. I am really grateful for this, even though it is definitely not your dream apartment…

2.4 Should I be worried at all?

It’s easier said than done, but no, you shouldn’t worry too much, let alone panic. It doesn’t help, and even makes things worse. If you are full of worries, negative thoughts and fears, you won’t be able to think clearly and objectively. And thinking clearly is what you need most in times of trouble. Try to occupy yourself with something not related to any kind of COVID-19 stuff. Chat with friends. Talk to friends and family on the phone. Chat to other travellers or digital nomads in chat rooms, on FB groups, on Twitter etc. Do regular meditation sessions. Yes, meditation does help, and it doesn’t need to be coupled with any kind of spiritual, religious or supernatural ideas – but can be, if you so prefer. Try mindfulness meditation, for example.

But you have every reason to be alert. I think you should follow the latest news on reliable sources, and avoid fake news and panic mongering sites, posts and videos. Don’t overdo the information gathering though. I noticed it in myself: there was a time of panic for me, too, and that was when I read news reports after news reports, blog posts and statistics and dozens of other scary materials. No, it’s not useful at all. You will not be more prepared for anything that way, you are only increasing your own level of stress. Do something that keeps you busy, and only check the news maybe twice a day – or not more than a few times anyway.

2.4 How can I avoid being infected?

I have no idea, I am not an expert. One thing is sure: the fewer people you meet, the less chance there is that you can catch something. If you can do that, do that. As for face masks, there are so many reliable looking sources that say you should only wear a face mask if you want to protect other people from your coughs, because otherwise, they are ineffective. Some places require/advise people to wear a mask, and you won’t be allowed to enter without one. Indeed, in the Philippines, where I am now, you must wear a face mask outside at all times. If you don’t have a face mask, use a scarf or some other material to cover your mouth and nose.

Yes, washing your hands and not touching your mouth, eyes and your nose, and avoiding touching just about anything outside. I wonder if you can do that. Just today, I only remembered this after I automatically touched the metal bars at the stairs in the street. I don’t think many people can isolate themselves completely. I can’t.

Cebu pharmacy
Face mask, alcohol sold out – sign on a pharmacy entrance in Cebu city

3. My COVID-19 diary

January-February 2020

When I first heard of the coronavirus, I was very sceptical – just like a lot of other people. This was due to the fact that no-one ever explained why this virus gives us more reasons to worry than other deadly viruses before, or the common flu virus. Indeed, there is still very little information about this. At the beginning, all the news portals were full, and I mean full, of news about new cases, but they reported things like one more person tested positive here and there. No wonder that I became skeptical. But it had absolutely no effect on my travel plans, on my everydays or anything else, besides making me angry.

February 2020

The first thing that did have an effect on my travel plans was when on 28 February, the local governments in the northern districts of Luzon announced that the Lang-ay festival was cancelled as a precaution to stop the spread of the coronavirus. I said this is ridiculous. I had been preparing for this festival for months now. I had been doing research to find accommodation, to plan my trip to Bontoc, the small town where the festival was going to take place, and I even arranged my onward travel with this in mind. I bought a plane ticket from Manila to Kuala Lumpur, even though I wasn’t interested in spending time in Manila itself, but Bontoc is in that area.

The Lang-ay festival is a small one. Not many people visit, and they don’t advertise it very much either. And at that time, the Philippines had three cases of infection, all of them Chinese tourists, one of them died, the other two recovered and left the country. So I just didn’t understand why, but I was extremely upset, because now I had my plane ticket, and I was forced to go there, even if there was no festival.

1-5 March 2020

The beginning of March saw an incredible increase in the intensity of how countries all over the world reacted to the coronavirus situation. I still didn’t worry too much though. The Philippines had just a few cases, although it was now more than the initial three.

I planned my trip further. I booked and paid for an apartment through Airbnb in Iloilo, a city two islands away from Cebu, where I am now. I also booked accommodation in Malaysia. Because my plan was to leave the Philippines on the 11 April for Kuala Lumpur, and spend a few days in and around Manila before that (without the Lang-ay festival of course).

Second week of March, 2020

Things started to quickly escalate. There were news of panic buying from all over the world, with photos of empty supermarket shelves and videos of people fighting over the last remaining toilet papers. WTF! I was so glad to be in Cebu city, where there was absolutely no sign of this. Supermarkets were full of products, and shoppers were as nice and calm as usual.

But the much more alarming news was that more and more countries introduced travel bans. Now this is something to be!

Even in Europe, more and more countries were introducing travel restrictions, some of the countries closed international airports and road access too. Should I really travel back to Europe then? That was a tough question. I have this ticket for 29 April…

And then the shocking news came that travel to the Philippines from countries where there were locally contracted coronavirus cases, was banned. This actually means just about the whole world, I realised. Oh my god, how will I leave the country then? If incoming traffic is banned, than there will be no planes flying out of the country either…

And then another blow, just an hour later: Manila was put under quarantine, and all domestic flights connecting Manila to anywhere were cancelled, as well as ferries and road access.

So this was the time when I did panic. Yes, I started to look at my options, and was reading online news like crazy. A million questions that just didn’t seem to have a comforting answer. My visa will expire on the 12 April, so I will have to leave the country. But how? Should I leave now, not caring about losing a lot of money on non refundable accommodation and flights booked? Should I do that before Malaysia decides to introduce a travel ban from the Philippines? A million other questions – all night long.

14 March 2020

OK, I am back to normal again. I do have options, and there is no reason to panic. Airasia refunds my ticket, I learnt on their website, Airbnb also refunds my money if I can’t use it because of the coronavirus, so I may not lose an awful lot.

At the moment, this is what I am planning to do:

Option one: request a 6 month visa extension on Monday, 16 March, which will cost me an arm and a leg, but what can you do. If I get it, I will go to Iloilo as planned, on 18 March, and stay there as long as the coronavirus calamity calms down a little, and countries lift travel bans.

Option two: if, for some reason, I don’t get a visa extension, I will go to Iloilo as planned, stay there until my visa expires, come back to Cebu, from where I will hopefully be able to fly to Kuala Lumpur. This option presumes of course, that Cebu is not going to be put under quarantine in the meantime, and that Malaysia doesn’t impose a ban on all travel from the Philippines. If they do, I will have to find a third option, which at the moment is not visible for me.

Anyway, today was the first time that I saw some signs of panic in Cebu city, too. In the big supermarket, I saw some people buying lots of stuff, some of them a cartful of brown sugar. On some of the pharmacy doors, you could see signs informing customers that they have run out of alcohol and face masks. I do hope it doesn’t get worse than this.

Supermarket Cebu
Supermarket in Cebu – some of the customers bought so many things that they had to be placed into these large cardboard boxes.

15 March 2020

Yesterday night was not easy. Late at night, the news came that Cebu (not only the city, but the whole province) is going to be closed within 3 days, no-one can enter the province, but you are free to leave. A curfew will also be introduced, but this is the smaller problem.

Because I was going to take a ferry on Wednesday night to Iloilo city, where I already have booked accommodation, already paid for on Airbnb. Luckily, Airbnb makes it possible to cancel with a full refund. I contacted the owner, and she understands this.

The bigger problem is this: I just realized in the middle of the night last night, that to request a further visa extension, I will need this ACR-I card. When I last requested a visa extension, I also paid for this card (a lot), and they said to me it would be ready in 6 weeks time. That time, I was expecting to leave the country before the end of said 6-week period, so I didn’t bother too much. But now I read a little more about it, and it became clear to me, that I didn’t actually request such a card, because no-one gave me a form, no-one said anything except that it would be ready in 6 weeks. No I know the process wasn’t started, because I never gave photos to anyone, which is definitely necessary for the card.

I have no idea what I will do. I will try to explain to the immigration officers that this is not my fault, and ask them to accept my visa extension request without the ACR-I card. If they don’t, I must leave the country on 12 April. Too bad.

I also heard that the Immigration office doesn’t let anyone in, who is not wearing a face mask. I have none. I asked dozens of pharmacies in Cebu, of course they don’t have any.

But this problem got solved easily: I talked to the family who owns the small apartment I am renting, and it turned out they have extra face masks, and they are happy to give me a few (as a gift).

16 March 2020

Today, I went to the Immigration office. The Grab ride cost double the usual price. I talked to the owner of the apartment I am renting, and she gave me two face masks as a “gift”, so that I could enter the office. there were quite a lot of people there, some of them wearing scarves in place of a real face mask to be able to enter.

I learnt from the ACR-I card office that my application should be OK, and that they don’t need a photo from me, they will use my passport for that. And also, that my card is probably ready, but it’s in Manila, which is closed, so no card now. I explained this to the visa people, and they said no problem. Within one and a half hours, I had my new visa, valid until 12 October. You can’t imagine how happy I am now.

I also discussed my situation with the flat owners. They were also very nice and helpful. Even though there was already a new tenant waiting for me to move out, they said I have priority, so I can stay in my flat as long as I want.

17 March 2020

Meanwhile, the Philippines has closed its borders completely, it seems, and Malaysia did the same. In the Philippines, all the provinces and cities are closed, including Iloilo, so I couldn’t of course go there. I never asked anyone if I could get a refund for the unused ferry ticket from Cebu to Iloilo. I bought it from and agent in a mall, and I just don’t want to go there now. 1350 pesos, I think I will just lose it.

I also decided to place myself under quarantine. I bought quite a lot of food and other stuff, so I am now sitting in my room all the time. Working, luckily. Because as a translator, I do have jobs coming in as usual. Actually, translators like myself live a quarantine-like life in normal times too, although this is certainly different, because now you don’t venture out to the supermarket either.

Let’s hope for the best.

25 March 2020

I am already under self quarantine in my shabby apartment in Cebu city. I was actually thinking of moving to another, more modern and nicer place even if that would cost more, but I quickly realized that it would be a bad idea to move around right now. Later I checked online, and saw that a lot of places on Airbnb are “temporarily closed”. No-one wants to meet new people nowadays, which is understandable. I hear on nomad forums that some people were even kicked out of their rented homes in some other countries, and hotels are closing their doors too, so I should really feel lucky to have this place, shabby or not.

In Cebu, people aren’t panicking. There is no hoarding and panic buying, everything is available in the supermarkets – at least that was the situation when I last went shopping a week ago. Currently, my rather small fridge and freezer is full, so I don’t have to worry about food for some time. I went outside three days ago though, because I needed to buy some more mobile data. The Wifi here is not always reliable, and I need the internet as much as food – luckily, I still have enough work. IT companies, especially the largest ones that I work for, are not really affected by this pandemic – yet.

1 April 2020

I haven’t been outside for 5 days now. When I last went out shopping, there was a homeless man, obviously with some mental problems too, who grabbed and touched my left arm with both his hands. Imagine my panic! All the more so, that I still had to spend several hours outside before I got home and had a good shower. I am hoping for the best…

I have enough food now – read my blog post about shopping for the quarantine. My biggest problem though was coffee, but I managed to order some through Foodpanda, hopefully, it will be delivered to my home tomorrow.

In Cebu, like in most other parts of the Philippines, you can only go out to the streets for grocery shopping, and even for that, you need a quarantine pass distributed by the local government to families. One pass per household. I still haven’t received mine, but then, I really don’t want to go out now. Cebu officially has 21 cases of infections, which I think should be multiplied by several hundred or a thousand if we want to get the real number of infected people.

11 April 2020

It’s been more than two weeks since I last went out to the street. Luckily, no problem, I feel OK, although it is starting to feel a little claustrophobic now.

Translators on social media are sharing this image below:

OK, it is true that translators, including myself, spend an awful lot of time inside, sitting in front of a laptop and staring at the screen, but we do sometimes get up and walk a little, go shopping etc. If you are a digital nomad, you also go sightseeing quite often, so it’s quite difficult even for those of us who spend their days sitting at a table.

1 May 2020

Mayday, wow!

I always loved May the 1st celebrations when I was in my hometown. This was usually the day when you could enjoy real spring weather for the first time, flowers everywhere, trees in their best, lots of people in the parks, street food, beer and enjoying the company of friends. Oh, good old times of peace…

This is really starting to feel like there was a global war in every corner of the world. The difference is of course that you don’t have to worry too much that a bomb might be dropped on your head if you are careless enough to venture out into the open air. But we have been trained all too well to be worried about touching anything or being near to anyone. Another difference, of course, is that we have food supply (for now), and we are not overjoyed only because we could get some butter or eggs or bread.

There are, however, already tens of millions of people around the world, who have lost their jobs because of the quarantine, and I don’t know how they will survive. Now for them, isn’t it really very similar to war time minus the bombs? Oh yes, they would be overjoyed to get some bread or rice – forget about the butter.

The “Enhanced community quarantine”, as they call it here, has been extended until May 15 in Cebu city, similarly to many other parts of the Philippines. We have been under strict movement control for more than a month now, and it is getting more and more unbearable.

Not “only” mentally and psychologically, but also for very practical reasons. All the “non-essential” shops are closed, even the Immigration office is closed, you are unable to arrange anything. Should you need to print, sign and scan highly important documents like I do now, and should you have no printer like I don’t, your only option is to ask some local people whether they can help you. Heaven forbid some of your essential gadgets should get broken, because then you are lost. God save you from needing a dentist or any kind medical assistance! As far as I know, no dentists are open, and hospitals may not be able or willing to help you if your problem is not related to COVID-19.

There was also a liquor ban here, which was lifted a few days ago. A big sigh of relief! No, I’m not an alcoholic, far from that. What’s more, I almost never drink – except when I am back in Europe and meet friends or have a night out. But this time, there were too many catastrophic events happening to me (not related to illness or the virus). I would be able to arrange things personally to avoid problems, but there is no way for me to travel, or indeed, get anywhere further than the local supermarket.

So a few days ago, when I read the news about lifting the booze ban, I literally rushed to the nearest 7-eleven, and bought a bottle of crazily overpriced whiskey (the only bottle they had). Never in my life had I been so happy to have a glass, when I quickly opened the bottle at home, even without chilling it first. For those of you who say alcohol does not solve anything, I can assure you it does. Oh, yes it does! It reduces your anxiety, it calms you, and you don’t feel that terrible thing in your stomach that is caused by too much stress. At least for some time. But there are situations, when you badly need relief even if it is for a short time. If you have any doubt, think of painkillers.

13 May 2020

The lockdown in Cebu City has been extended for another two weeks. Cebu city has become the most infected city in the Philippines now – since Metro Manila is not regarded as one city, but as 16 separate constituent cities.

The vast majority of the infections are from slums, of which there are plenty in Cebu, unfortunately, and they are right next to business districts, shopping malls etc. These locations have been closed entirely, people cannot leave (or enter, if they are elsewhere) their own homes for any reason. This is a drastic measure, and I don’t know how people can cope with this situation. They supposedly get some food, but I’ve read it is not enough, and they only get rice and a few cans of sardines.

Another hotspot is the prisons in the city, which are said to be 1000%, yes, one thousand per cent, over capacity. I have seen photos where inmates lie on the floor, and it really looks like dead bodies piled over each other. No wonder the virus spreads there like wildfire.

I am now thinking of what to do and how to do after I regain my freedom. Unfortunately, I have only vague ideas about it. I must return to home to Europe as soon as possible to arrange dreadful official things, this is sure. But when it will be possible, is another matter. At the moment, it is impossible.

I was also worried that flight tickets would double or triple or quadruple (etc), but I was happy to see that at least now, you can buy a ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Budapest (one way) for as little as 350 euros with IndiGo Airlines (with two stops), and only for a little more with Emirates. The problem is that I don’t want to book now, since no-one knows when international travel will be available – not to mention safe. At the moment, I can’t even leave Cebu City, but even if I could, I can’t leave the Philippines. Then I can’t enter Malaysia, and I can’t enter other countries where I would have to change flights. At least I could enter my home country, but I would have to qurantine myself for two weeks if I did.

Sometimes I imagine this is only a stupid movie or a dream, and we will soon wake up. I also wonder if closing the entire world for months and months or even half a year is really the best response we can give. See my thoughts on this and other matters in my other post here.

Water carrier, Cebu city
Water carrier in Cebu city

16 June 2020

The uncertainty in the Philippines reached new heights even compared to the general uncertainty caused by the pandemic all over the world. Now we have four levels of quarantine in the country: extended, modified extended, general ad modified general, extended being the strictest. Cebu city was placed under the general community quarantine on June 1st for two weeks, leaving out the modified extended level, which I didn’t understand at all: Cebu city at that point already showed the highest level of infections in the whole country. But I was happy anyway, because, to be honest, I am already completely fed up with being confined to this sordid and overpriced apartment that I am renting. But I have no other choice now.

Now, with the 15th of June approaching, city leaders were talking about a possible transition to the least strict level of quarantine, the modified general one, although the mayor was of the opinion, that we should remain in the general one for some more time. Then he also changed his mind, so we had no idea what was being planned, and what they were using as a basis for the plans.

Then it turned out, that the national committee will decide the fate of every city in the country. I was looking forward to the news all weekend – in vain. Absolutely nothing, online papers or Facebook pages never even mentioned anything about it. Then on the 14th of June, the committee said that this matter will be decided by the president himself, Mr Duterte, who will bring a decision on the 15th. He didn’t, actually. As a matter of fact, the breaking news appeared well after midnight, already on the 16th of June (today), that Cebu city, as the single place all over the country, will revert back to the highest level, the extended community quarantine, with other places staying in the “general”, or the third level.

I am not happy with this turn of events. The main reason is that I must return to Europe as soon as possible to arrange a couple of highly important official matters, which can only be arranged personally (welcome, 21st century!)

I don’t know when this whole thing will be over, but I have the feeling that it is not going to be anytime soon. Back in March or April, I was hoping to be able to fly to Europe in mid August, but now I don’t know whether this will be possible at all.

I would also like to move on, just about anywhere. Spending half a year in one single city without ever crossing even the city borders is just too much for anyone who likes adventures, let alone a digital nomad!

Quarantine sign, Cebu city, COVID-19
Quarantine checkpoint sign at the entrance to my street in Cebu city

7 July 2020

Short after my last update, they cancelled all quarantine passes in Cebu city, but they didn’t start to distribute new ones for several days. And when they did, it turned out that they only distribute a very limited number of passes, and even those passes are valid on three days of the week. Sunday is total quarantine for everyone, not a soul is allowed in the streets.

Things are also getting more and more serious. They started to record thousands of new infections daily, as opposed to the few hundred cases previously. Maybe the testing became more intensive, maybe there are really considerably more infections. In any case, I feel less and less safe and comfortable here.

I have been looking at “escape options” for several weeks now, on a daily basis. The very few options available are too expensive for me, but Turkish Airlines promises to restart its flights from 15 July. The flight ticket is also quite good, less than 400 euros from Cebu to Budapest, but I just don’t want to buy the ticket right now, fearing that they may cancel the flight in the last moment. They already owe me 250 euros for cancelled flights, which they promised to refund me in early April, which they still haven’t done.

So my plan is to wait until the first promised Cebu-Budapest flight is due to leave and arrive, and if everything goes smoothly, I will buy a ticket.

27 July 2020

I am now back in my hometown, Budapest.

Turkish Airlines suddenly almost doubled their prices, which made me angry and disappointed. I looked for other options, and eventually decided to buy a Qatar Airways flight ticket from Manila to Budapest, via Doha. I still had money with AirAsia, which I spent on a Cebu-Manila flight.

I write about this saga in two separate posts: Trying to escape from the Philippines during COVID-19, and Air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. See more about my adventures there.

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June 25, 2020 04:33

[…] ficar parado num lugar mais tempo que o planejado. Há, porém, os nômades digitais que estão em constante movimento. Para esses, o futuro próximo é incerto. Muitos enfrentaram a difícil decisão entre ficar onde […]