Hello there!
We thought we would share this post to update everyone on how our trip around the world has been impacted by COVID-19.
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Our story in a nutshell
Back in October 2017, we started saving money for a crazy 2-year trip around the world (see how we saved money for it here). It never occurred to us that a world pandemic would be a realistic factor that could potentially make us postpone our plans, but as it turned out, it was a real possibility that maybe only Bill Gates predicted and well, no one listened to him LOL.
We focused on saving money and learning the skills we thought we needed to have to try to make an income out of trip, and eventually make enough money to keep traveling full time for years to come. We had an initial goal to leave on July 2020, but at some point in 2019 we realized we were not going to have the money, so we changed the date to January 2021. Little did we know what was ahead for the whole world.
Oh 2020…
We started 2020 oblivious to what was coming our way.
We set up some goals, figured out how much money we needed to save in order to leave and started working really hard to make it happen. In February, I got a really good contract with my personal blog ‘Ways of Style’ that would guarantee an income for the rest of the year, so we finally started making concrete plans. We ran some numbers and things were looking good… we were going to have enough money to leave on January 2021 for a two year trip around the world!!!! We were very close to buying our ticket to the first stop of our trip; Maputo, Mozambique (thank God we didn’t!).
In March the whole world stopped. The U.S took a little bit longer than everyone else to start with travel restrictions and quarantine measurements, but by mid March we were already in full lockdown mode. We were living in a tiny one bedroom apartment in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago and G started working from home full time (I was already working from home), so it wasn’t exactly comfortable.
We did our best to still work out in our living room, bought a bunch of board games and started having way too many cocktails on Saturday nights. We honestly thought we would only have to spend 2-4 weeks quarantining and the virus was going to be done by then, so we honestly took it very lightly initially.
We decided to postpone our trip
Turns out, as we all know by now, the virus didn’t go away LOL. So in June, we made the painful decision to postpone our trip around the world until it was safe to leave. We were SO devastated. We couldn’t process why, after working so hard and doing our part for more than 3 years, we had to postpone our only dream. And yes, I know this is such a small thing… I’m perfectly aware of that because a lot of people all over the world lost their jobs, got sick and really struggled in the true sense of the word, but we were still very sad.
What we did instead of our trip
Chicago had a lot of restrictions, so we couldn’t really go anywhere for a while and the weather was really bad until May, so when we finally were able to go outside and sit at the park, it felt like going on vacation. We had a lot of conversations that Summer and one day we just decided we were not going to renew our lease in September because we couldn’t bare the though of spending the whole Winter quarantined in a tiny apartment. We went back and forth about what were going to do, but one day we decided we would sell all of our things and start living in Airbnb’s full time until it was time to go on our trip, so that’s what we did.
We were both still working our same jobs remotely, so we only needed to have good internet, a decent working space and for G to stay more or less in the same timezone than his Chicago office. So by July, we started selling everything we owned and researching where we going to live month by month in the US. Our requirements were pretty much the ones I mentioned above, plus nice weather. That was it.
Our journey living in Airbnb’s full time
We spent October in Chicago (we had to stay one more month because of work), November in Dallas, December in Boca Raton (were G is from), January back in Chicago to meet our baby niece who was born on December 26th, February back in Boca, March in Tampa, April back in Boca, May in St Augustine, June in Chicago and who knows what’s ahead of us for the rest of the year. We are literally living one month at a time. As of right now, we literally do not know where we are going to be after June.
2021 update
We are optimistic and think we can leave for our trip in July 2021 -if and only if- we get vaccinated, but our trip will look significantly different. We won’t visit many countries. Instead we are thinking we’ll go to one country and stay there for 6-8 weeks. We’ve researched a few, but so far things are still up in the air. There are too many unknowns and 99% of things are out of our control.
Besides COVID-19, we also have something else to deal with that affects our trip… I (Aimara), still don’t have a green card. It’s been such a long frustrating journey with immigration and I shared more details about it in this Instagram post, so even if we get vaccinated tomorrow and COVID-19 magically goes away, we would still not be able to leave because of this issue, so we’ll see what’s in store for us.
I honestly believe things always happen for a reason and even though it’s very difficult to understand the why behind every situation as it happens, I know we’ll be able to look back one day and make perfect sense on why things had to happen this way for us.
We hope to have good news soon though! Thanks so much for stopping by and stay tuned for what’s next. We sure hope it’s interesting 😉
August 2021: WE HAVE NEWS! We are both fully vaccinated, I got my green card, G quit his job and we are ready to leave in September. G will surprise me with the tickets (I won’t know until the airport LOL), so I literally can’t share anything else for now. But stay tuned!
What’s next? Who knows! But we promise to let you know as soon as things start happening 🙂 Just leave your name and email below. We’ll stay in touch.
We can’t wait to share how we are traveling safely in 2021 and beyond!
XO,
Aimara
Hello there! I just finished reading your article about how COVID-19 impacted your trip, and I want to commend you for sharing such a personal and heartfelt experience. The pandemic has undoubtedly affected travel plans for many, and your story sheds light on the challenges and resilience of travelers during these unprecedented times.
Your honest account of how the pandemic disrupted your travel plans and forced you to make difficult decisions was relatable and touching. It’s evident that you put a lot of effort and anticipation into your trip, and having to change course must have been incredibly disheartening.
But what struck me the most was your positivity and adaptability. Despite the setbacks, you managed to find alternative ways to explore and enjoy your destination. It’s a testament to the spirit of travelers like you, who refuse to let circumstances dampen their wanderlust.
Your article also highlights the importance of prioritizing safety and being considerate of others during these times. It’s heartening to see that you took the necessary precautions and made responsible choices to protect yourself and those around you.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your story serves as a reminder that travel is not just about the destinations; it’s about the experiences, lessons, and growth that come with every adventure, even amidst the challenges of a global pandemic. Keep up the fantastic work, and I look forward to reading more of your travel tales in the future!