Humanitarian family travel to Ethiopia amidst COVID-19

My clients were originally planning to relocate to Addis Ababa in March to take up their new positions with an NGO but decided at the last minute to postpone the trip while the COVID-19 situation unfolded. They had intended to fly via Singapore, but with Singapore Airport closed even to transit passengers, and all flights between Asia & Ethiopia cancelled indefinitely, we needed to find another option.

We monitored the evolving situation over the next few weeks while keeping tabs on alternative routes to Ethiopia. After countless phone calls to embassies, airlines and government representatives and numerous changes to their flight plan, I finally secured a route to Ethiopia which allowed my clients to safely leave Australia and arrive in Ethiopia.

After completing their 14 days of mandatory quarantine in a government facility, they are setting up home and assisting in Ethiopia’s response to COVID-19.

John received the following message from his clients:

“I would like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to John for his above and beyond incredible help. Amidst such a crazy unprecedented time to arrange travel, and knowing that we can only imagine what financial and personal impact this had and is having on his own business and livelihood, John was so professional, helpful, available at all hours of day, night and weekend and spared no effort to solve the puzzle of getting myself and our family to Ethiopia.

Beyond just the flights themselves, the stress and uncertainty and charting unprecedented embassy approvals etc. left us in such a position that even well-meaning family and friends couldn’t help other than support from afar, but John’s professional experience and commitment to help us find a solution gave us confidence to pursue the trip.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We would recommend John far and wide and would love to utilise his business again in the future.”

John Lengacher is a personal travel manager based in Windsor, VIC.