Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Zoe Hunter on why you should go on your OE

I visited the Grand Canyon in Las Vegas. Photo / Zoe Hunter

OPINION

Covid has kicked the spontaneity out of the overseas experience.

But it shouldn't stop anyone from catching the travel bug.

Covid-19 almost quashed the travel dreams of a generation as the global pandemic, rising death rates and border closures meant going overseas was no longer a rite of passage.

But now it seems the lure of adventure is making a comeback.

Young people shared their travel plans with NZME this month, saying the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19 haven't stopped their big OE plans.

I danced on The Bund in China with my dad. Photo / Zoe Hunter

As Kiwis, we can be a bit naive and sheltered from the reality of war. We couldn't imagine what it would be like for tanks to roll down Tauranga's Cameron Rd or through Rotorua's CBD.

And sure, hundreds of kids aren't at school and businesses are battling severe staff shortages as employees drop like flies and Covid still hasn't reached its peak in the Bay.

But where do we draw a line in the sand? We can't just sit at home and watch the world go by. We have to live our lives.

The big OE can give our young people a new sense of independence, maturity, and confidence.

I ate okonomiyaki, a Japanese savory pancake dish, in Osaka, Japan. Photo / Zoe Hunter

Travelling outside New Zealand pushes them out of their comfort zones and teaches them to learn about themselves and others, and to experience other cultures.

It allows them to experience life outside their bubbles, and we've been living in our own bubbles for way too long now.

But going overseas isn't just a spontaneous decision any more, there is planning involved.

You can't just plan which countries you want to visit, buy a one-way ticket and off you go.

You have to plan for potential isolation on either side, if you've got your vaccinations, who and what will you affect if you catch Covid. Will you still have a job to come back to?

But all those extra boxes to tick doesn't mean young people should miss out just because the world has gone nuts.

I remember my OE.

My first time overseas was in 2015. My parents and I travelled to Japan and Vietnam with a 10-hour stopover in China.

I fulfilled my travel dreams by posing on Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo / Zoe Hunter

I absolutely fell in love with the culture and the people. I even learned to speak the language, well, at least the basics of hello, thank you, excuse me and please. Also, where are the nearest toilets - a crucial question when in a foreign country.

In 2016, my sister and I travelled to California and Las Vegas. I am unashamedly a Michael Jackson fan so my bucket list was to pose on MJ's star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

In 2018, I travelled to South America with one of my longest and best friends. There, I visited the late music superstar's statue in Santa Marta favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I posed by Michael Jackson's statue in a Brazilian favela. Photo / Zoe Hunter

I loved my time overseas and am forever grateful I got to do it without a pandemic or a war.

Yes, there are a few more things to be cautious about when planning the OE. But you're not crazy for wanting to go see the world.

We can't let it hold us back. We have to continue to live our lives.