SUSANNA Post 19 Omicron closures & how we choose a destination

Our time in Europe was coming to an end. We had cycled from Belgium to France to Portugal and it was time to move on. Our Plan A was to continue onto Taiwan, but it was still closed in early December. After quite a bit of research, we decided on a Plan B–Morocco. But, as we were (literally) about to purchase our tickets, I received a WhatsApp from my mom warning us that Morocco had just closed down due to Omicron. Relieved to be spared of a future hassle of trying to change or refund tickets yet with no Plan C in mind, we went back to the drawing board. We were well aware, from the beginning of our adventure, that we needed to stay flexible throughout the year. There is only so much planning one can do when cycle touring. But COVID added a bigger dimension to planning. Last minute closures, sudden changes to restrictions in different places, and visa policy modifications meant that we couldn’t plan much in advance and we needed to be ready for this at all times. And so, our big mantra proved itself useful time and again–we will figure it out.

It was early December and we were in Lisbon when this happened. Thankfully, due to a Portuguese COVID measure that allowed foreigners to stay longer in the Schengen area than the usual 90 days, we were able to extend our stay. We were loving Portugal, so being there longer was actually a blessing in disguise. We found it a very warm country, we enjoyed the safety of its streets and the pace of life, we loved talking to people here and there, the food was amazing, and we even made friends. The only “downside” was the place we were staying at, which we definitely did not want to extend. So we quickly found another place and this time it was wonderful. Only two blocks from were we were staying at (with our luggage entourage this made a difference), on top of a hill, with beautiful views of the city, cheaper, and extremely comfortable.

With a good roof under our belts, we could start planning. Here is where things stood in December: After leaving Portugal, we would not be able to enter the Schengen area for the next 180 days. We needed a place outside Schengen, that was open, that did not have crazy restrictions such as quarantines, with good weather (not winter, not monsoon, etc.), safe, and doable (e.g. too many mountains with our load would be really tough). We started cycling in Europe on purpose, as we considered it to be a relatively easy place to solve any “bugs” in our plans, our bicycles, and our way of traveling. And while it of course represented a cultural change, it was still very Western. By early December, we were all craving something culturally very different. And so, the search was on.
Coincidentally, the morning after Morocco closed, a middle school friend of Sol’s messaged her about his trip to Oman and how he had met a cyclist who found Oman a wonderful place to cycle in. Our eyes lit up with hope. Oman? Could it possibly be our next destination? We did not know much about it as a place for cycling, but we were open to considering any potentially good options.

Figuring out a destination is no simple thing. It takes time and research, and the way we work it out is by all of us participating in one way or the other. Questions we ask ourselves about a destination that help us choose are:


1. Is it open? Yes! Oman was open and the only requirement, other than the usual visa processes, was to be fully vaccinated.


2. Is the weather good for cycling? Yes! We found that January-March is the ideal time for cycling as it is “winter.”


3. Is it safe? This is a big one for us, especially as we are traveling as a family. As we see it, safety has 2 sides: safe for traveling per se and safe for cycling. The ultimate yardstick for safety is whether a country is considered safe for women traveling solo. If it is safe for a woman traveling on her own, it is safe for a family. Safe for cycling is a bit more complicated but it comes down to whether there might be cycling paths, shoulders on roads, whether cars and buses tend to be considerate with cyclists, etc. Blogs from cycle tourists were a lifesaver on this one. And yes, as it turns out, Oman is an extremely safe place to travel and cycle in. And while it does not have cycling paths, roads have shoulders and there are smaller roads that are not too busy. We very rarely felt threatened by cars or buses.


4. Are there areas that can be cycled that aren’t too mountainous? What route might we take? There are many, many mountains in Oman, bu there are also deserts and coastlines, and areas that are not mountainous. We use Komoot (app) to figure these things out, and Sol is especially good with this aspect.


5. Is it nice? A few pics of Oman were all we needed!


6. How is the food? Another biggie in our family. We love trying out different food, we eat everything, we are ravenous when cycling, and enjoy the pleasure of good food, be it street food, restaurants, or the supermarket. Oman was a mystery in terms of food, much to be discovered.


7. How does accommodation work? Are there campgrounds? Is wild camping legal? In Oman, wild camping is legal and accepted! This means one can pitch a tent literally anywhere! There are tons of beautiful places to do this–pretty much anywhere outside cities or towns there are beautiful landscapes through mountains, wadis, or deserts.


8. How about cultural change? With its history, landscapes, food, religion, etc., we thought that Oman would be provide a very rich cultural experience.


Of course, while we might have some (but not all) answers to these questions, our actual time in places is partly unplanned, which is probably what makes it the most fun.

This is how Oman came to be–a coincidental suggestion at the right moment, pretty much out of the blue, launched us into considering it as a possibility and the more we read, the more curious we became and the more we felt like this would be an amazing next step. And as it turned out, it was a wonderful overall experience!