Travelling to the USA from Kenya during the Covid

Travelling to the USA from Kenya during the Covid Pandemic by Qatar Airways

My Experience Flying from Kenya to the USA during the Covid-19 Pandemic

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If you’ve read my blog post or watched my videos of my travels from the USA to Kenya during the pandemic, you may wonder if I ever got back to America. I have been back in Washington State for over a month and I want to share with you the documents and details I needed to re-enter the USA. 

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After five weeks among relatives in Kenya, it was time to travel back to the USA. For most of my trip, l was offline. I intentionally wanted to be totally present to the people I visited and cared for, especially my mother. But my stay in Kenya had come to an end and it was time to travel back to the United States.

I was a little anxious of the return flight back as my experience travelling to Kenya with Turkish Airlines was not as pleasant. And I was hoping my trip with Qatar Airways would be different and oh, I am so glad, it exceeded my expectations.

If you’ve read some of my previous travel content, you know that a “good experience” is a priority of mine while travelling and I don’t mind spending a few extra bucks for a nice experience. I am all about feeling safe, secure, and comfortable.

The day came and I said goodbye to my family, and we were off. I arrived four hours prior to my departure time of 12:45 a.m. I normally don’t like traveling at night, but it was important to follow the Covid-19 night travel restrictions and ensure the cab driver would get back home on time. 

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The check-in process at JKIA was smooth. Now, I know if you want the “good” seats, arrive at the plane early. For my whole trip I had window seats. Qatar Airways were observing physical distancing by leaving the middle seat empty. However, there was a 15-minute delay in Nairobi, JKIA airport, which made me nervous as my layover at Doha, Qatar was only one hour and five minutes. I realized worrying would do no good so I might as well relax and enjoy my flight from Nairobi to Doha.

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I had the whole row to myself and I slept like a baby. This was true for most people as the flight wasn’t packed and I think other travelers felt comfortable, too. The airline offered a mask and a face shield that all passengers were supposed to wear at all times. And for the most part, people kept them on.

This was the first international trip where I didn’t drink alcohol. I don’t mean to sound like a serious drinker, but that’s a big deal for me especially considering the travel duration time of over 25 hours.

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In prior international travels, l would order my favorite whiskey, two little bottles to be exact, throughout my flight. My excuse was, it would help me sleep and calm my nerves. But I guess, the older you get the wiser you become. Now my fix for jetlag is sunbathing in sunshine. Trust me, it’s way better than alcohol. And yes, hydrate and hydrate… And 

I had heard great things from travelers about Qatar Airways, but this was my first time flying with them. The staff were especially courteous with attentive service and they made the flight from Kenya to Doha feel safe while traveling during this pandemic.

Before we landed, they announced that arrangements had been made for people who are transferring and that ground supervisors are making sure passengers don’t miss their connecting flights. I was glad to hear of arrangements, but I was still worried. I only had 40 minutes before my next flight’s departure.

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However, even with a 15-minute delay in Nairobi, the transfer from one plane to the other was seamless. Once we landed, there was a Qatar Airways person holding a board with my flight number on it. She double-checked my name on the list and told me not to worry as the flight would wait for us. Eight of us on the list gathered around and were walked through security and taken to our gate for departure. Talk of excellent customer service. There was no running from one gate to another like a mad lady. They made the transaction go smoothly and offered another face shield if we needed one. On both Qatar Airways, they asked passengers to take turns eating so only one person in the row had their mask off while eating.

Again, I had the whole row to myself from Doha to Chicago and so did most travelers. Talk of economy first class 🙂 14 hours and 50 minutes later, we landed to Chicago, USA.

Because this was our entry to a USA airport, all passengers had to claim their checked-in bags then re-check them again for their next flight. This was the case for me. Warning: LA airport is huge and very spread out. So, I advise you to wear comfortable shoes as you will probably be walking a long distance from one terminal to another. Sparingly, when going through USA customs, I WASN’T asked of Covid-19 negative test results. Perhaps, it had something to do with the low number of Covid-19 cases in the countries I had visited while on my travels. In this case Kenya, Doha, and Turkey. 

After USA customs, I proceeded to a different terminal for my next flight on Alaska Airlines. I re-checked my bags at no additional charge and after an hour layover, I was back in the air flying to Seattle, Washington. Two hours later, we landed at Sea-Tac International Airport, home of the Seattle Seahawks, or if you prefer, the evergreen state. Like the central Kenyan  town of Muranga, it’s always raining 🙂

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Arriving in Seattle, I wasn’t required to quarantine. However, for the safety of myself, my colleagues, and others, I choose to take another Covid-19 test to be sure I was negative before going back to work. But again, this was not required. I did this to be considerate of others and make them feel safe and comfortable as most people are not returning from an international flight.

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There you have it, dear traveler: my experience travelling to USA from Kenya during Covid pandemic. And yes, I would highly recommend flying with Qatar. I wish you happy travels and good health.