Of Trips that Could Have Been

I think I had a traveler's worst nightmare come true—or maybe the second worst one. I didn't get to the airport 20 minutes before boarding and find that I didn't have my passport. That's not it.

I planned a trip, booked the flights and all because I read on the internet that this country provides a visa on arrival for UAE residents. I even started learning the local language. The devil must have been having a laughing fit at this point, knowing what was to come for me. 😅

Fast forward to a month before the trip, I found someone on Instagram talking about their own trip to this magical country. I sent them a DM, and they sent me all the details, including the visa process, airport transfer, hotels—you name it. They even gave me the contact information for someone at the embassy, whom I called, and they confirmed that passport holders from my country (even with UAE residency) have to process their e-Visa before traveling.

I immediately reached out to AIESEC there and my friend who worked there before, since we needed an invitation letter. I found tour companies on Instagram and the internet and was sending DMs and emails left, right, and center. These companies charge between $50-$150, so I compared, bargained, and finally found one that would charge us $50 each since I was traveling with my friend. With all the documents ready, we submitted our applications, and the wait began.

One week later, we still hadn't received a response, and we were now one and a half weeks away from our trip.

I found e-Visa support numbers and email and sent an email to inquire about the status, after which I was told to wait for feedback. That evening, I opened my email to find the dreaded message that my visa application was rejected. Call me a bitch if you want, but worse, my friend's visa was approved, so it wasn't rejected because of my nationality.

I felt terrible. I reviewed the whole process in my head and wondered if I had entered any details wrong. I called my mom and cried. I sent an audio to my friend Sarah and vented about the whole situation. I went on the internet to find out what I could do—can I submit my application again and process my visa in time for the trip? Turns out I couldn't. I got in touch with the embassy in Abu Dhabi, and they said that yes, I can reapply, but only after a week following my rejection. This would give me exactly one day to process everything, so it wasn't an option. I checked the internet for other people who had their visas to that country rejected, and their angry comments validated the anger and sadness I felt to some extent. The next morning, before work, I went for a walk because, despite it being a gym day and not a walking day, a walk is all I had the energy for. I journaled and wrote down everything I was feeling—validated or not. I took it one day at a time. I went for my yoga class on Sunday, and we did a breathing exercise that helped me feel better and has been helping me ever since (I do it anytime I feel anxious or overwhelmed). I allowed myself to cry, despite it being, to anyone else, a small matter.

It's only been a week, so I'm not sure if I'm at the acceptance stage, but whatever stage I'm in, what I know for sure is that I will be okay. My best days are still ahead of me, and there are more travels in the future for me.

Tomorrow, July 17th, 2024, is when I should have been boarding my flight to Kyrgyzstan, but at that time, I will be finishing up my back and arms day at the gym before heading to work.

I'm not over it. I still wonder if there's anything I could have done to prevent this. I have another trip coming up in Armenia for which I need to process the visa beforehand and obtain an invitation letter, which is what I am currently trying to find.

I hope it goes well; I pray it goes well. And I hope to visit Kyrgyzstan one day. It's a beautiful country, no doubt. So maybe next year or the year after that, I'll throw my hat in the ring again. Whatever I decide to do, you'll either see or never see the blog up, and you'll know.

Till next time, travel friends, and my prayer for you is that all your visa applications are approved. That or your country's passport becomes stronger—whatever gets you to all your travel destinations!

PS: Unless a country is VISA free or specified as VISA on arrival on the ministry of foreign affairs website, don't book the flights. Had to learn this lesson the hard way, so now you don't have to ☺️.