NEW NORMAL, NEW/REVISITED INTEREST DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

It has been more than a year since the outbreak of Covid-19 which had affected every continent in the world. The pandemic has altered our lives creating new normal, interests, and hobbies.

For me, since traveling is off the books, I revert back to my previous passion which is camping. This activity has been laid off for so long since traveling occupies most of my free time.

So when the government announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) which prohibits international travel as well as interstate crossing, we had no other alternative to compensate for our travel escapades except camping (within the state). We bought tents, sleeping/cooking items, and other camping necessities with the help of fellow campers via the Family Camping FB page. Some of the items we bought as seen below. Others like flysheet, groundsheet, fans, more lighting were added later.

We then upgraded our tent to this model. It can accommodate 6-8 people.

This activity is recommended as it instills family bonding besides appreciating nature without the many amenities such as electricity, toilet and of course wifi/internet.

To date, we had visited and stayed at 3 camping sites in Selangor (within the district) as interstate and interdistrict traveling is still prohibited. We even had booked 2 sites in May 2021 but were unable to go due to the nationwide MCO. At the time of writing this entry, interdistrict travel is still prohibited due to the increase of Covid-19 cases. When will this pandemic end?

TRAVEL DESTINATION READY FOR 2022

One of our destinations in the pipeline is visiting the Baltics which is DIY doable. We have made preparations regarding airlines, trains, buses, and accommodations. Hopefully, the pandemic will be over in 2021 so that all of us can travel again in 2022.

TRAVEL VOUCHER THAI AIRWAYS

Today, 25 January 2021 I received a travel voucher from Thai Airways regarding the cancellation of my flight KUL-BKK-ZUR (4th May 2020) and MIL-BKK-KUL (21 May 2020) for the same cost of tickets purchased i.e. RM2,466.

I had opted for full reimbursement of the ticket price but was not given. Alternatively, the airline is only prepared to refund part of the tax which is equivalent to RM700. The refund process as I am told is lengthy as Thai Airways is undergoing rehabilitation proceeding through the Central Bankruptcy Court which temporarily prohibited them from processing any refund requests. Due to this and the extension of the validity period till 31 December 2022, I  accepted the travel voucher. 

Hopefully, the Covid-19 pandemic will be over this year (2021) so that we can travel again.

TRAVEL PLANS IN THE PIPELINE

Since my trip to Swiss and Italy was abruptly canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I am putting up several itineraries for my travel plan once the pandemic situation permits. These plans are:

1.    Swiss and Italy (DIY)

2.    Trans Siberia Rail Moscow-Beijing (Agent)

3.    Baltic (DIY)

4.    Balkan & Turkey (Agent/DIY)

5.    New Zealand Motorhome (Agent)

6.    Japan (DIY)

7.    South America (Agent)

8.    South Africa (Agent)

Hopefully, I will be able to travel again.