The traveler who spent the entirety of the pandemic exploring the world on foot

After years in the corporate world, emerging photographer Tomas Hromjak felt it was finally time to embark on the long-awaited year-long backpacking journey he'd been planning for so long.

Tomas, originally from Kosice, Slovakia, quit his job and booked a round-the-world ticket, planning to visit countries like New Zealand, Australia, Los Angeles, Colombia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bolivia, and Germany.

In December 2019, Tomas set off on the international adventure he’d dreamed about for as long as he could remember.

But things didn’t go according to plan. Just a few months into his travels, the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping across the globe, resulting in border shutdowns and national lockdowns.

The turmoil that followed forced him to spend more than six months in a place he had only planned to stay for two weeks, and he had to cut parts of his journey short.

While many travelers might have packed their bags and gone home, Hromjak chose to push on. Last month, he celebrated two years on the road.

Rather than feeling frustrated by the unexpected turn of events, Hromjak considers himself fortunate to be one of the few backpackers to have explored some of the world’s most remote and exceptional places during a time when borders were largely closed to others.

“I’m seeing the world from a completely new perspective,” he shares with Dinogo Travel from Guatemala. “For me, traveling is all about immersing myself in new experiences and learning along the way.”

A rare chance

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Hromjak reflects. “But has it always been easy? Definitely not.”

The early days of his journey were straightforward. He spent several months exploring Asia, ticking off destinations like Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, before news of a virus believed to have emerged in China began to surface.

“I think it was while I was in Myanmar that I first heard about the virus,” Hromjak recalls. “At the time, I didn’t take it seriously,” he adds, noting he’s been sharing his pandemic travels on his Instagram account.

“While some backpackers were choosing to end their trips, I remained determined. This was something I had dreamed of for my entire life, and I had only been on the road for three months,” Hromjak shares.

“I just thought, ‘There’s no way I’m quitting now,’” he adds.

Determined to continue until the situation became truly critical, Hromjak flew to Tonga, a Polynesian island nation made up of over 170 islands, in March 2020, planning to stay for 15 days.

However, shortly after his arrival, Tonga closed its borders, and Hromjak ended up staying there for 222 days.

But he says he was more than content with his extended stay once he realized the severity of the restrictions in his home country, Slovakia, which declared a state of emergency that same month. Grateful for the opportunity, he spent his time in one of the few places in the world that remained Covid-free throughout the entire pandemic.

“My parents essentially told me, ‘You’re better off staying where you are in Tonga,’” Hromjak recalls about the remote island, which remains closed to foreign travelers.

“I was living with a local family and met some wonderful people who took care of me, so there was no real reason to go back home,” he says.

“Although many people think a few days in Tonga is enough, I soon realized there’s so much to see and experience there that a month—or even more—could easily be filled,” Hromjak reflects.

After months of monitoring border updates and restriction news, Hromjak came to the realization that continuing his trip to New Zealand, with some of the strictest border controls, was no longer an option.

The 34-year-old also learned that all of his previously booked flights had been canceled due to the pandemic.

Though nothing was preventing him from changing course, any journey he took from that point forward would be vastly different from the one he had originally imagined when he set out in September 2019.

Tough times

Unfazed by the challenges, he made his way to Mexico last October, where restrictions were more relaxed. Since then, he’s visited Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Panama.

“I’ve been in some really tough situations,” he admits. “But so far, everything has worked out. Now, it’s less about where I want to go, and more about where I can actually go.”

Although Hromjak has faced multiple lockdowns and quarantine periods throughout his pandemic journey, he found Chile to be the most challenging, where he had to spend 10 days in isolation before being allowed to go out.

“Visiting Chile was something I had dreamed of for most of my life. The restrictions were extreme, but I decided to go anyway,” he recalls, noting that during his two-month stay, he didn’t meet any other foreign travelers.

“Some people couldn’t believe I was actually a tourist. It was definitely the hardest place I visited due to all the restrictions,” he shares.

“There was a curfew every weekend in high-risk areas. I had to get special permission just to travel between different areas,” he adds.

Naturally, he’s found the experience of traveling just before and during the pandemic to be vastly different, and he finds himself in the unique position of having experienced both.

“The most obvious difference is the number of tourists,” he observes. “If you visit popular spots like Cancun or Cusco in Peru, you’ll still encounter people.”

“But venture just a little off the beaten path, and you’ll find yourself almost entirely alone,” he adds.

Another major shift is the social aspect. For many travelers, meeting new people and forging friendships with fellow explorers is a huge part of the backpacking experience.

However, Hromjak has encountered few other travelers in recent months, and social gatherings have been rare—though he doesn’t seem to mind.

“You might spot a few solo travelers here and there, but I haven’t met anyone who was traveling before the pandemic and decided to stick it out,” he explains.

“Anyone willing to travel right now shouldn’t expect it to be the same as it was before. That sense of mingling between travelers and backpackers? It’s pretty much non-existent now. But honestly, that wasn’t really something I was doing much of before either,” he admits.

A warm welcome

While he’s found it heartbreaking to see firsthand how destinations dependent on tourism have suffered due to the drop in travelers, he’s been astonished by the warm welcome he’s received.

“Locals are really grateful for foreigners in many places,” he says. “They’re genuinely happy to engage with visitors and ask meaningful questions.”

According to Hromjak, this hospitality couldn’t be more different from the atmosphere he encountered before the pandemic.

“Back then, especially in Asia, many people were tired of tourists, and I can totally understand why,” he reflects.

“In Vietnam, for instance, it felt like some people thought they could act however they pleased, without respecting local customs or cultural norms,” he recalls.

“I visited some popular spots, but I didn’t enjoy them at all because of the overwhelming overtourism and the behavior of fellow travelers,” Hromjak reflects.

“People might not like me saying this, but it felt like for some tourists, getting the perfect selfie in the best spot was their top priority, and nothing else mattered. Not the other people around them, and certainly not the local residents,” he adds.

He hopes that things might improve once the world fully reopens, but he admits he isn’t overly optimistic about that happening.

In the meantime, Hromjak is taking advantage of the chance to visit places like Colombia and Peru, where there are far fewer tourists than usual.

“On the one hand, I do appreciate the situation because it allows you to experience places you probably wouldn’t have been able to visit back in the day,” he admits. He points out that although he had been warned about the crowds in Cartagena, Colombia, he had an entirely different experience when he visited in November 2020.

Loss of spontaneity

“When I was there, the desert had plenty of Colombian visitors, but it wasn’t overly crowded, and I truly enjoyed it,” he recalls.

“What saddens me, though, is seeing so many small businesses struggling. But I’m happy to do my part. I make an effort to support local cafes and shops whenever I can,” he adds.

As expected, traveling from one country to another during a global pandemic is no small task. The pandemic leaves little room for spontaneity, especially with quarantine rules, fluctuating restrictions, and constant testing requirements.

“It requires a lot more planning,” he explains. “If you’re visiting a place for two or three weeks, it’s possible to manage, but the longer you stay, especially if you’re not heading to popular destinations, it gets tricky.”

“If you’re traveling somewhere for a longer period and avoiding the hotspots, it becomes much more complicated,” he says.

“Rules are changing all the time, and places can close with little notice, or their opening hours may suddenly shift,” he adds.

“For certain parks in Costa Rica or Chile, you have to book your visit the day before due to strict visitor limits,” he explains.

“It requires a lot of patience, resilience, and improvisation. But in a way, I enjoy the challenge,” he admits.

He’s also found it difficult to keep track of the varying rules and restrictions across different destinations.

“It’s not as chaotic now,” he says. “But just six months ago, rules were changing every week in each country—testing requirements, which countries were on the red list, who could visit. That’s the hardest part.”

Hromjak’s vaccination status is now starting to influence his travel plans. Having been on the road for two years with little time in one place, he hasn’t been able to get vaccinated.

A new perspective

However, many countries are increasingly imposing restrictions on, and in some cases completely banning, unvaccinated travelers. As a result, his list of available destinations is becoming more limited.

To address this, Hromjak plans to head back to Slovakia for Christmas to visit his family and get vaccinated while he’s there.

Although he looks forward to the holiday season with his family, Hromjak has no plans to stay in Slovakia for long.

In fact, he says discovering how much life has changed for his family, friends, and former colleagues has only strengthened his resolve to continue traveling.

“After speaking with my ex-colleagues, I realized I wasn’t missing out on any work opportunities,” he shares.

“They spent most of the year at home, mostly on Skype and Zoom calls,” he adds.

“I’m considering carrying on for a while because I’m not sure when—or if—I want to return to my old career,” he admits.

For Hromjak, the rare opportunity to travel the world during such an uncertain time and capture his journey is too valuable to pass up, and his outlook on both travel and life has evolved significantly.

“I used to rush from one place to the next,” he reflects. “But now I’ve slowed down, and I’m immersing myself in experiences that are truly unique.”

“I’m engaging with locals, connecting with indigenous communities, and trying things I never did before. I no longer feel like just a tourist.”

Image credit: Tomas Hromjak