Vincent Wong, a New York City-based personal travel concierge for Chubit Travel, was supposed to be back home in Brooklyn by now. Instead, his work trip to Colombia, which began Jan. 11, has been extended — and he’s not sure when he’ll reenter the U.S.
Wong, who’s currently under quarantine in Medellin, might be a long way from his home, but he’s taking it in stride. That’s because he willingly decided to stay in Colombia — border closures and all. Here, he tells us how being a travel advisor has prepared him for this unusual situation, what he’s learned from being quarantined in Colombia and why he turned down the chance to fly back home.
Did your flight get canceled? When were you supposed to leave?
My flight was canceled once Colombia announced it was closing the airport for international flights for 30 days. This was announced on March 13, and I was scheduled to leave on April 1.
Was there an announcement or notice that you needed to leave if you wanted to return to the U.S.?
The situation has been very dynamic. On March 6, when the first case of coronavirus was discovered in Colombia, and on March 19, the first day of Colombia’s quarantine, the U.S. Embassy in Colombia requested all those who are not ready to stay indefinitely in Colombia to evacuate. They provided repatriation flights on military planes for those who needed to leave.
Has the U.S. Embassy in Colombia been a helpful resource?
It has been very helpful and efficient. Staff there advised me of repatriation flights, and they have been doing constant live Facebook updates. They suggested I go back home if I would run out of funds in three months, but if funds weren’t an issue, it may be best to stay put. I appreciated that advice because I know many expatriates who went back home and were stuck in different countries as airports started to close and airlines began to cancel scheduled flights with no notice.
I feel I can serve my clients better by being in a calmer environment than being locked in place in a hostile environment such as New York as it is today.
What else went into your decision to stay in Colombia rather than return home?
I had no intention of leaving Colombia and was ready to weather the storm. I am used to working remotely, so it was not too big of an issue. For me, my job and goals come first. I was not able to see and do everything in Colombia I was scheduled to do, so I will try to stay here as long as my visa permits me to and attempt to accomplish everything I came here for.
Mostly we hear about vacationers who didn’t get home but wanted to. Why do you think those people can’t make it home?
I know a few people who couldn’t get home — vacationers I met in Medellin as well as expatriates who were living in Colombia. The reason they were unable to make it home was that they were desperate; they were looking and scrambling to find any possible flight, and not paying attention to routing. For all my friends who I helped, I made sure to route them into major U.S. airports with CDC quarantine stations, straight from Bogota, Cartagena or Medellin, with no stops in other countries. Some ex-pats and travelers attempted to save money with Avianca or Copa Airlines and ended up getting stuck in Panama, and they are still there now until the airports reopen.
Did you have clients who were traveling as borders were closing and flights were getting canceled?
Yes, and as I did with my friends, I made sure all clients’ flights were traveling from a major airport in the origin city to a CDC-staffed airport in the U.S., even if it added a domestic connection.
I fly more than 150,000 miles a year, and I am aware of how airports work and how they will close in the event of an emergency. Knowing that a CDC airport will not likely close, I made sure I only flew clients into those airports. Thankfully, we do not have any clients stranded abroad.
Tell us what it’s been like working from Colombia on your clients’ cancellations/postponements.
Because I am used to working remotely from all around the world as is, life is operating almost like usual. I have my remote office with me and functioning as normal with my clients’ cancellations and postponements on travel.
Wong was able to work normally since he always travels with his mobile office (shown here in Colombia).
Credit: 2020 Vincent WongHow is Colombia handling the coronavirus situation? What are the rules?
Colombia, unlike the U.S. and Europe as a whole, is handling the situation well. On March 6, Colombia received its first case; soon after, the government here announced a full quarantine starting March 24 to April 13. Colombia’s quarantine is not like the U.S. shelter-in-place order. Here, no one is permitted outside, and no vehicles are allowed. The only exception is that one person per family is authorized to go to the grocery store twice a week. Your day is set by the last number of your ID or passport via a system called Pico Y Cedula.
Anyone who is caught violating the policy is subject to a $300 (USD) fine, which is equivalent to approximately one month’s salary in Colombia, and/or prison time for up to two years. Taxis are only available to take you to the airport if you have a scheduled international flight and to hospitals. The streets are empty, and Colombia has a fraction of the cases that the U.S. has.
The people here are still helpful and happy, especially with the 8 p.m. “clap around the country” in tribute to the medical and emergency workers.
How much longer will you stay in Colombia before you try to return home?
My game plan now is to play it by ear; I have a seat booked on the next available Delta flight (scheduled for June 1). However, if things do not improve in New York, I may stay until July 13 and see where I will go from there. I feel I can serve my clients better by being in a calmer environment than being locked in place in a hostile environment such as New York as it is today.
How has being a travel advisor equipped you for this moment?
Being a travel advisor has taught me a lot of tricks, and because I believe in traveling as a traveler, I have learned a lot on my own. With my experience of traveling to 67 countries, I’ve learned information that is invaluable to me and my clients, which has saved us all time and money.
What advice do you have for fellow travel advisors?
I believe it is essential that travel advisors understand the situation. If they have clients who may be stranded abroad, pay attention to the atmosphere. A scheduled flight does not mean it is going to happen, as there are a lot of things that need to be investigated.
Sometimes giving a traveler hope with a flight may end up causing them to get stuck in an airport, and the advisor can be to blame. Let the clients make their own decisions and be sure to advise them to stay safe. And of course, to my colleagues in the industry: Stay safe and stay strong. We will make it and we will all be better after this.
Read more from TravelAge West about the COVID-19 outbreak.
