I spent a lot of time in 2021 traveling. Whether it was working remotely from Costa Rica for three weeks or going on a quick trip to learn how to walk on a flying airplane, travel and adventure continued to dominate my year. I know that I’m extremely privileged to view the COVID-era in this manner and I’m proud of the life that I’ve set up for myself that allows me to do these things.
At the end of 2021, I left my agency job and found myself back in the sports world. With COVID, this meant continuing to work from home for an indefinite amount of time. I figured that I may as well travel while I work and I’m so thankful to have a job that was okay with me flying halfway across the world.
The second I got clearance, I immediately started planning my trip. I knew that I wanted to go back to Europe and visit places that I’d missed the first time around. I hit a bit of a snag when considering timezones since I work a later shift, but wound up deciding that I didn’t want to sacrifice location for a specific sleep schedule.
I had over 100k points saved on my credit card so I ended up booking my roundtrip flight for 57,205 points which translated to $715.07. By booking through the Chase travel portal, I saved almost 15k points because each point is worth 1.25x vs. redeeming points for credit at a 1:1 rate.
One thing I learned last year is that not everything needs to be planned day-by-day, so I made a vow to myself that I would partially plan this trip but also leave some unknowns. I decided to split my time between hostels and Airbnbs. Hostels will be a great way to meet people and save money since I’m still paying $2k+ in LA rent every month that I’m away. Airbnbs will be nice because I’ll have time to myself to relax and reflect on life within a quieter setting.
I decided that I would begin my trip in Rome for a week, then head to the Amalfi Coast for 5 nights. I booked the hostel for Rome and an Airbnb for Positano and left it at that. After that, I’ll decide where I want to stay in Venice. I want to give both a hostel and an Airbnb a try before making any further commitments. I’m considering a trip to revisit Paris at some point, maybe I’ll visit Amsterdam, who knows? I’m really working on going with the flow and seeing where life ends up taking me, so this trip is partially a mystery for me to unravel as time passes.
While I was able to leave the destinations up to fate, there were other factors that I needed to take into account. Working remotely meant needing reliable access to Wi-Fi so when it came to booking places to stay, Wi-Fi was on my list of must-haves. But we all know that Wi-Fi while traveling can be unreliable, so as a backup, I purchased the Sapphire 2 Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot. With the addition of the hotspot, I felt confident in my ability to successfully manage remote work no matter what.
I take medication every day for my high cholesterol and since I switched jobs right before the trip, it meant my health insurance was in the middle of a transition. Luckily, I managed to order 90-day refills right before I left. I ordered and packed all the essentials, including three additional pairs of contact lenses. I bought a pack of KN95 masks and a phone case that I can wear crossbody to prevent anyone from stealing my phone. I brought a lock for keeping my laptop and personal possessions safe while staying in hostels. I even packed a tripod. Something that I learned from my solo road trip in 2020 is that I trust myself with a tripod more than a stranger’s photography skills.
Since I’m planning to move around, I was determined to bring only a carry-on and a purse. I managed to fit all my items, including 3 additional pairs of shoes, in my suitcase and I’m so proud of myself for being able to pack and fit everything that I wanted to bring.
The last and arguably the most important thing to be aware of was entry requirements. To enter Italy, you must be fully vaccinated and take a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival or an antigen test within 24 hours of arrival. You also need to fill out a passenger locator form. To come back into the United States, you need to take a test within 24 hours of arrival.
Prior to my departure to Italy, I took a PCR test on January 4 but with the rising cases, the turnaround time was longer than anticipated so I didn’t receive my results until mid-flight on the first leg of my trip. Luckily, I had a backup plan in place. I had bought two at-home tests specifically designed for travel where you connect with someone online as you take the test so that the results are fully verified. I woke up early before my flight, took the antigen test, submitted the negative results to Delta’s FlyReady system along with my passenger locator form, and I was all set before heading to LAX. I plan to use the other one when I return to America so I don’t have to try and find a test in Europe.
This trip had been in the works for a while but it never really sank in until I boarded the first plane. I’m writing this from my flight to Atlanta and from there, I’ll fly into Rome. It finally feels real and I fully understand the magnitude of what I’m doing. Am I insane for jetting across the world to work crazy hours without a full plan? Maybe. But I think this is exactly what I’m destined to be doing.
Packing yesterday felt surreal and I was feeling slightly nervous about leaving LA for such a long time. I’ve never been gone for an extended period of time but if there’s a perfect time to do this, it’s right now. I’m excited for everything that awaits and I can’t wait to see where life ends up taking me.