I Survived A Crisis While Traveling The World Alone—Here Are 11 Things I Learned
The world throws curveballs, and nowhere is that more evident than when you're abroad.
When I found myself in Singapore during the Covid outbreak in 2020, I called International SOS staffers and my university crisis team to help me evacuate. They advised me to stock up on food and cash if I became stuck. I stood in line for hours at the grocery store to grab essential goods and pulled cash out of an ATM in case I had to pay someone extra to take me to the airport. All this while, a dedicated team back home was scrambling to find me a flight home, arrange airport transportation, and create a contingency plan if I became stuck in the country. Within a week, I was back safely in the U.S. but shaken from the entire ordeal. What if this had happened without the resources and support of my university?