On September 27th, 2019, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia introduced an eVisa program. One of the most secretive countries on Earth had been gradually adopting tourism, but this program blew the doors open. Unfortunately, the program was put on hold due to COIVD, but has since been reestablished.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the least friendly countries when it comes to tourism, but a new evisa program, introduced a few years ago and then put on pause due to COVID, allows multiple entry for a year and can be obtained online in less than 15 minutes. The caveat is you need to fill out a lot of COVID-related forms.
Arriving in Moscow was a shit show. Passport control was a madhouse. People shoving, no real lines, just everyone for themselves. The woman at the counter got angry with me when I presented my documents. She kept yelling the same question at me, but I couldn’t understand her through the mask and glass window.
Solitude in Finland in 2021 Helsinki Exactly one year after my first post-COVID trip, to the Balkans, I found myself in Helsinki on a beautiful autumn day. I wandered the…
Travel in Afghanistan in 2021 Kabul Arriving in Kabul, I immediately knew I wasn’t in Kurdistan anymore. The first thing I saw while exiting the airport was a white…
Iraqi Kurdistan Expedition 2021 Against the Compass Expedition I started following Against the Compass while on lockdown due to the pandemic. My travel plans had been put on hold and…
Working from Brazil 2021 Working from Brazil during a Pandemic After contracting COVID in the Miami airport in December 2019, I decided to take my antibodies on the road. Having…
Working from Colombia in 2020 Working from Colombia during a PandemicAfter breaking out of “hermit mode” for seven months, I did a solo trip to Southeast Europe. When I got…
Solo Travel in the Western Balkans 2020 Travel During a Pandemic October 2019 I haven’t said much about this trip yet because a) I was pretty sure it would just…
Pre-Pandemic Patagonia 2020 Buenos Aries Contrary to what I’ve read, men wear shorts here. Most everyone wears shorts here. Which makes sense. It’s hot. It would have been nice if…
Solo Travel in Middle East 2019 Leaving Colorado Being in the airport 12 hours after my dad passed was strange. Nothing was real yet.It was probably the perfect time to go…
