Flying Home During the COVID-19 PANDEMIC | Bhutan to India to USA

With my trip through Bhutan suddenly cut short due to the pandemic that exploded around the world in early March of 2020, I had to rush to get out of the country and make it to India, Qatar, and then home to the U.S. before international borders closed. This is travel in 2020 and my virus travel nightmare to get home.

My morning began in Paro, Bhutan on March 13, 2020. That day, the COVID-19 situation around the world escalated, and the U.S. closed flights from Europe on March 13. India also would close their borders to foreigners that day. I had to fly through India to get back home, so I had to cut my time in Bhutan short by two days in order to make it.

I headed to Paro Airport, with my driver from MyBhutan, Nidup, and my guide, Tsheten. There, I checked in and boarded my flight to Kolkata. I used my Clorox wipes to clean everything onboard. After making it through Immigration and answering questions, I took an Ola (the Indian version of Uber) to my hotel.

My boy Carlos from Volpe, Where Are You contacted me to link up, so we went out with masks and hand sanitizer and filmed a few videos before going back to my hotel. At 11:30 p.m., I headed back to the airport. It was almost midnight and so many flights had been cancelled. What a crazy day!

I didn’t get upgraded, but I did get access to the business class lounge, which I didn’t even know existed. I went up to the lounge, which was sick! It had two dining halls, including a buffet and a bar. There was only one other person there. I got a Kingfisher beer and then got Lahori chicken, mustard paprika chicken, Shanghai chicken, and paneer tikka masala.

The paneer was excellent. I also loved the Shanghai chicken, which was dry, crunchy, and sweet, almost like a sweet and sour chicken but less sweet and a little spicier. The mustard paprika chicken was just OK. I loved the paneer with the chicken. The perfect combination of veg and non-veg! Then, I got more paneer and a creamy veg curry.

I had priority, so I would board first. Then, I went down to the gift shop to get a few masks for my kids for $24 USD. Then, I headed to my gate and boarded.

I had a row all to myself on the plane. I needed to sleep and slept the whole 6-hour flight. We landed in Doha, Qatar, which was foggy. It looked like it could have been a sandstorm! From there, I went to two counters and paid $1,000 to upgrade. I wanted to take a shower in the lounge, but I didn’t have time.

I boarded and had a whole row to myself again. I disinfected my TV, tray, and armrest. Everyone had a mask on. I didn’t see anyone cleaning the plane. Seven or eight hours in, I still had 7 hours and 20 minutes to go. It was tiring. I had a quick snack.

I made it to Miami after 50 hours of traveling. It was my longest travel day ever but I was so glad to be home. I was going to quarantine in my house for the next 14 days and not even see my parents.

Where have you been?

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About Me:

My name is David Hoffmann. For the last 12 years, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 77 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.

I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.

P.S. Thank you for watching my videos and subscribing!

[KoreaMe]

You were very lucky to get home when you did, David. I was finally able to get home a week ago.

[tshogyelsherub]

I loved all your Bhutan series. Thank you for visiting my country and showing this magical place, people and food to the world. I appreciate it. Good luck for future endeavors.

[felix]

Stay safe David and family. Greetings from Spain for all friends all over the World, stay safe too and I hope this Nightmare finish soon 😷😷😷

[cyclestyle]

Crazy how much things haven’t changed since March. Hope Miami is still chill.

[DonJ]

Wow David that was an intense episode. I could feel your stress levels. It’s pretty sad that things have gotten worse 4 months after you filmed this. Stay safe down there in Miami. I know it’s rough down there right now.

[sanketkshah]

Hey David, you've been a blessing this quarantine

[biswabose]

Since your travel on March 13 th the world has really changed ! I boarded flight from Kolkata International airport on 10 th of March and since then stuck outside India ! Hope the world returns to normalcy soon!

[MrHarry]

And with this, David will change his channel name to Davidsgoingnowhere 🤣

[lillydietz]

Wow! Great video. My husband and I were on our way from India to Vietnam and decided to chill in Bangkok for a week or so to break up the trip. That was back in March, when the world went into lockdown. Fast forward 5 months, we are still chillin in Bangkok and grateful we stayed. No cases here in over 2 months and only 58 deaths. We are from NY and D.C. Thailand has been very good to us and has given us amnesty until the end of September. We are both retired chefs and foodies, and have fallen hard for this city. The food is AMAZING! Glad to have discovered your channel. I love India as well have been about a dozen times! Looking forward to watching more of your videos!

[surenbiswa]

U r surely going to miss Bhutan the land of happiness...

[yuvaranivelachamy]

i enjoy his food blog travel nd see him goble up the tasty different dishes in every states of India 😋☺️

[kumzukimchen]

Your videos are addictive, appetizing too.
Thank you, David for such an incredible adventure.
Looking forward for ur next adventure.

Last day in Bhutan quite melancholic.

[amanr]

Hi David, glad you got back ok! Wow what a stressful few days for you! This pandemic is not going away anytime soon we all got to look after each other with the usual precautions! Peace and love 👍😀

[aroundlife]

I think this was a critical journey for...
stay safe, & happy traveling. 😊😊

[naliniseecharan]

David...as always I really admire your Virus has taught us all that know matter how high you think you are...we are really more alike than different...stay safe...❤...from Guyana..

[missyb]

Thank you for documenting The Great Escape....riveting!

[rishic]

That was an awesome video. I could feel the intense levels. This video could be aptly named “Escape from Bhutan!” But I am glad you reached home safe and sound .I have already seen your previous Miami edition of videos ...Indian vegetarian takeout edition and others. So you had reached home safe much earlier than this video. Hope to see you again along with the other Musketeers Sam and Volpe In your videos. Regards from Assam.

[jpderose]

Thanks for the video. Hope you’re safe bro.

[josephinedar]

Good job you managed to get back home safely David.
Stay safe with your beautiful family 😊

[mrpam]

Hey David, let's bring out the US street vlogs. Can't wait