We left our respective countries in 2020, 6 months into the pandemic

Cassie Sim
Oct 1, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Jan 30, 2024

To overcome the difficulties of long-distance in the time of COVID-19, we decided to leave Singapore and the USA – and meet up in Europe.

Cotswolds, England, United Kingdom

When: September 2020

Where, exactly?: Little Rissington, Cotswolds

Why/how we picked it:

But first, why the UK? The USA and UK were the only two countries that had their borders open at the time. We had two options: I’d enter the US and be allowed to stay for 90 days; or we’d both meet up in the UK and be allowed to stay for 6 months. The answer was easy for our adventurous spirits :P

A friend who used to study in the UK said casually, “You might like the Cotswolds.” even though she’s never been there herself. We took her word for it and that kickstarted one of the best months we’d had on our travels.

What we did:

Self-quarantine for 2 weeks in a beautiful cottage upon arrival... It's funny thinking back on how we did that.

(Some very long) bushwalks into other Cotswolds villages:

Bourton-on-the-water: Possibly the most touristy part of the Cotswolds (even so despite the pandemic)
Upper Rissington: A bigger town with a Co-Op grocery store (when we didn’t rely on Tesco delivery)
Stow-on-the-wold
Lower and Upper Slaughter

Rented a car and drove to further sights:

Cheltenham
Bibury: Arlington row
Castle combe: The most picturesque village of the Cotswolds
Bath: Roman Baths
Stonehenge: Old stones that told time
Oxford: University town

Hung out with my high school friend, Marie, who now lives in London.

Our favourite part about the Cotswolds:

I loved being out in the English countryside, away from the hustle and bustle and close to nature.

Eric enjoyed the bushwalks (and runs).

Key takeaways

1. Prior to the pandemic, Eric had been to the UK once and he’s always described his experience there as “just okay”. Safe to say his opinion has changed tremendously!

2. The English countryside is THE place to be if you want some peace and quiet, particularly helpful during the pandemic. There was literally no one in sight in most areas... just cows and sheep.

3. I am SO thankful to Eric for giving me the push I needed to live the life I wanted, despite all the odds, and my fears. He sold everything he owned, rented out his room (eventually sold his place) just to do this. I remember being so afraid to leave the country during the pandemic, but it turned out to be the best decision of my life.