This has been a long time coming, but I have taken this trip multiple times and one thing I know is, it has gotten significantly harder since COVID-19 happened. You are probably wondering how a new travel platform is springing up during these times of crisis, with the world being literally on fire at times and under constant civil unrest seemingly anywhere in the world at any time. You most certainly have had to have been at reckless about something if you have traveled anywhere at all since March 2020 up to now. Well, you are here now, and you have been thinking about it. Do not worry, me too. In fact, for reasons I will not share here, I haven’t been able to stop traveling since the pandemic started, Atlanta, Guam, Cali, and my personal favorite, Uganda.
It is certainly possible in this climate. Everybody is watching you to make sure you are doing the right thing, or you will find things get a whole lot harder. For having done things incorrectly, I have even had to make the conscious decision to just spend the night in my car waiting for my next flight. My pride just would not let me cope with the real impact of the times we live in at times. The airlines will not let you miss a beat, but they will not tell you the beat either. So, it is important to do your research for every step of the way. It can just be confusing to figure out just where to start. Fortunately, I am willing to share just what I know.
This is mostly for new international travelers ready to set out on a journey. I will be using Africa for example. In order to go to Africa under the current state of the world as a black person, you are going to want to have your affairs in order, everything from vaccinations to COVID 19 testing. Not everything people are supposed to do for your will actually get done in a timely fashion. It is known that despite the US having some of the most world travelers, the US also has among the slowest test return times. Public testing sites will do their job to the best of their ability, but with how overwhelmed the medical system is due to the high number of COVID 19 cases, it doesn’t mean they will be able to work at your convenience. That means that even if you do everything right, you can still face major delays. Fortunately, you can still take your trip with a whole lot of perseverance and a whole lot of money. That, or you can just get it right the first time.
Your primary source of information on traveling should always be https://www.travel.state.gov to learn about the requirements for where you are going, but what about the place you are leaving? Yes people, this is a thing now. Most airlines right now will require you have a set of COVID-19 test results issued within 72 hours of your flight. There are other stipulations I’m sure they just don’t tell you about as they all seem to be just a little bit secretive when you’re already in the airport asking what you have to do to board your flight. Oh right! There is another thing. You will have to take a rapid test within 4 hours of your flight. It doesn’t matter what time your flight is, that test has to be within 4 hours. This can vary from place to place, but I had to google a place the would come to me to administer the test for my 8 AM flight. They didn’t start work until 6 AM, btw. Your best bet is to have them meet you somewhere in public. It can feel unreal, like a drug deal going down in a public parking lot, 2 strangers meeting for the first time. You walk up so confident knowing the money went through. It’s not a one for one exchange. You pay ahead of time and the doc. Just gotta make it out. Good luck with that. If you’re lucky, your flight will be during the perfect hours that the rapid testing sites outside of the airport are open. Somewhere in the ballpark of 9 to 5 is what you’re looking for. Leave a couple of hours of cushion time, obviously. 11 AM to 8 PM would be safe in my opinion. Despite checking all web content, you’re going to want to call the airport or your airline ahead to ask for the best solutions before flying out. You’re going to want clarity of mind at least 4 days before your flight, step by step.
Don’t let the new travel requirements discourage you from traveling. Let you not being vaccinated by now discourage you. Once you have the airliner’s requirements down, traveling is about as easy as it was prior to COVID-19. Just be prepared to wear you mask far more than in your new regular everyday life. If you take a trip to Uganda in the near future, allow Reckless Travelers to give you a grand tour of Uganda. This is the kind of thing you want to pay for about a week in advance. Go to http://www.recklesstravelers.com for more details and to connect with other travelers and African tour guides.
The Reckless Travelers platform is a community-based platform for travelers. This offers Travelers from Africa, specifically Uganda, and those who want to see Africa a direct line to people who can help you see exactly what you want to know more about and people with experience. Reckless also holds some great tours. You’ll look forward to gathering a more realistic take on Africa than you’re probably use to before you go. I encourage to look into the currency, history, and activities you want to partake in when planning your trip. If you’ve longed to go to Africa, the possibilities are so real, and once your eyes are open to the many avenues you can go with these travels, Reckless will stand as a place marker in your life to help you never have to leave that trip you took to Africa become a distant memory ever again. Why? Because you won’t be a person who traveled to Africa once. You’ll be a Reckless Traveler. We have the will to do it again and again, learning everything we can with hopes to make it as easy to travel to Africa as it is to travel to Europe without all the stigma that exist about traveling to Africa. Don’t just hear about the beauty of Africa, actually go. Go and get the most out of it. Even if you travel alone, you have the Reckless Travelers family in support of your journey! We’ll see you out there!
