KUALA LUMPUR – Among Malaysian jetsetters, the reopening of the country’s borders today has left some elated and eager to travel, while the more cautious have opted to put overseas holiday plans on hold for the next few months.
When contacted by The Vibes recently, some holidaymakers cited a slew of concerns forcing them to postpone their travel plans, including the potential need for quarantine periods as well as a spike in cases of Covid-19 at their desired travel destinations.
Wong Yi Chian, an assistant manager with a public-listed property developer, said she had initially looked forward to visiting her sister who is living in Germany, but the plans were shelved as the European country does not accept visitors who took certain vaccines.
Wong, who is in her 30s, said German authorities will not accept those who received the Sinovac vaccine as she did, even though she was inoculated with a dose of AstraZeneca for her booster shot.
“I will have to think many times over whether it’s worth it (to travel abroad) with the quarantine and PCR test requirements, et cetera.
If it’s not necessary, then maybe I will travel domestically first until later (when the time is right),” she said, adding that she may incur additional costs as time goes by.
“Traveling overseas would affect the places that I will be selecting, (in terms of) where I stay, what I want to do, and especially how long I will stay, as I need to make sure my funds are sufficient to cover the ‘extras’ now.”
She added that observing quarantine periods means that office workers need to take more leave days, much to the dismay of employers.
However, Wong said she has also set her sights on visiting Thailand soon, although the timing has yet to be decided.
Economic situation will impact travel plans
Her sentiments on travel expenses were shared by actress Sanjna Suri, who already made plans to golf in Singapore with her girl friends as part of her birthday celebration.
“I’m stoked! Can’t wait for things to go back to normal. Yes, I’ve made plans to travel to Singapore for golf as it has been way too long!
“No doubt the economic situation has been severely impacted. Everything is a lot more expensive. Inflation is all over the world right now, especially in Europe and the United States.
It does mean travelling only to nearby countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, potentially for a shorter duration. It makes things difficult, yes, but hopefully with the borders opened, over time, our economic status will recover,” said Sanjna, adding that she is also saving up for a proper holiday.
The up-and-coming thespian said that she will take precautions when travelling, but has accepted the fact that Covid-19 is already endemic and will be part of everyone’s daily lives, so it should not be a hindrance to travelling.
Ringgit not as badly hit, just look for good deals
Meanwhile, small business investor Gerald Tan Siew Heng said he and his wife, Aileen Yong, were thinking of heading to Komodo Island in Indonesia in June this year although it is “a bit tough” to book arrangements due to ever-changing policies and protocols.
On concerns over Malaysia’s currency, Tan said he believes the ringgit has not weakened much since he last travelled in 2020.
“The pandemic has certainly affected business and income, so that is most probably our number one consideration,” he said.
“But there are plenty of good deals on accommodation, et cetera. Flight prices for regional travel are really high, so that’s one significant cost. It’s probably cheaper or as cheap for us to fly to London than to fly to Labuan Bajo in Indonesia.”
Tan said that most places he would like to visit have little or no quarantine requirements, while PCR tests on arrival are generally “acceptable” costs.
However, he said he would not consider any destination that has a requirement of more than 24 hours of quarantine.
Most places we would go to have no or little requirements on quarantine, and PCR tests on arrival are generally acceptable costs. If we had to quarantine for any longer than 24 hours, we would not consider that destination.”
Tan said Komodo was an option because he and his wife planned to charter a private yacht and live aboard for four nights. He said this allows the couple to travel and be cautious at the same time by avoiding crowds, while being “fairly affordable” at around RM3,000 per person.
Some have already travelled for work
While others are only planning to start their travels, waste management entrepreneur Nik Suzila Nik Hassan did not waste any time, seeing how she just returned home from a working trip to Dubai yesterday.
The 42-year-old founder of upcycling firm Kloth Malaysia Sdn Bhd said she took advantage of her time attending an expo there by doing a little sightseeing.
“This trip to UAE for the World Expo 2020 Dubai was sponsored by the Environment and Water Ministry, and I was wary and paranoid about taking my first overseas flight after two years.
I stayed at home for a good five days prior to my departure to ensure I had done my best to (keep) my social distance from others,” said Nik Suzila.
Similar to Tan, she also advised other travellers to be wise when selecting tour packages, as there are those which will not hurt their pockets too badly, and to take into consideration the possibilities of quarantine and medical care while abroad.
The pint-sized businesswoman revealed that she was lucky during her Dubai trip, seeing that Putrajaya had sponsored her flight, accommodations and Covid-19 tests.
At the same time, Nik Suzila could not help but share her joy, seeing that she is a self-professed travel junkie who is used to jet setting around the world during the pre-Covid-19 era.
“I am elated about the border reopening and that everyone is able to travel out again. Personally, I love travelling to bits and have been craving for it. Nevertheless, just like many others, I’m also concerned about the possibility of a fresh new wave.
“Therefore, we need to ensure that Malaysians and all travellers who are coming into our country are fully vaccinated.” – The Vibes, April 1, 2022
Additional reporting by Azril Annuar
