- Kristi Biesecker left the US for the first time in January.
- After a trip to Italy and
Montenegro , Biesecker and her sister ended up onlockdown in Montenegro, while her daughter and extended family were in Rota, Spain. - With limited options, Biesecker is staying in Montenegro until her family can meet her there.
- With one daughter in Spain and another home in Orlando, Florida, Biesecker vows to never
travel without her children again. - Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
When Kristi Biesecker left for a yearlong trip through
Biesecker was focused on enduring her first
"It was hard leaving my youngest at the time, but I was going to see her in a few months," Biesecker told Insider. "Then a pandemic happens, and now I don't know when I'll see her again."
Now, the 34-year-old mother hasn't seen either of her daughters for months after getting stuck in Montenegro.
Last October, Biesecker was given the opportunity to work remotely and travel with her sister's family.
"I wasn't happy in my job," she told Insider. "I definitely wasn't happy in my relationship."
Biesecker's new job would give her the chance to do something she's never done before: travel internationally
"I have never been anywhere else," she said. "I didn't know what to expect with the people. I didn't know what to expect with food. I was nervous, but I was super excited."
In January, Biesecker and her 14-year-old daughter packed their bags and left on a flight from Orlando, Florida, to London. They settled semi-permanently in Rota, Spain, with Biesecker's extended family.
Biesecker wanted to spend her birthday traveling through Italy. On February 20, she left with her sister for Venice, while her daughter stayed in Spain. Biesecker and her sister traveled through Venice, Florence, and Rome.
Biesecker describes the coronavirus following them across the country. As they left Venice, things started shutting down. The same happened in Florence and Rome soon after they left for Montenegro.
"This is my first time traveling, so I was like, 'Maybe I just started the whole pandemic," she said.
Before heading back to her daughter and extended family, Biesecker's sister had a doctor's appointment in Montenegro.
They arrived in Montenegro on the night of March 7 — and they haven't left.
"At the time when we got here, there weren't any cases in Montenegro," she said. "Nothing was closed, everything was open. And then quickly, very quickly, it went from no cases to everything being shut down."
The country went on lockdown. Meanwhile, Spain, where her daughter was staying with her brother-in-law, was also shut down.
Biesecker couldn't enter Spain because she isn't a resident, and the same was true for her daughter.
Biesecker saw two options: She could fly to meet her daughter in another city that wasn't under lockdown, like Frankfurt, Germany, or London, but there was a risk that one would end up stranded if a flight was canceled, or she could wait it out until a flight was available from Spain to Montenegro.
She chose to wait.
Since March 7, Biesecker has been on lockdown in Montenegro. She hasn't seen her oldest daughter in two months and her youngest in four.
"So far, not having my kids with me right now has been the hardest part," the 34-year-old mother said.
Biesecker said she's coping with video calls and Facebook messages. She also talks to her therapist weekly.
But this trip, which was supposed to be "the trip of a lifetime," hasn't left a lot of positive memories.
Biesecker's daughter and extended family currently have a flight booked for May 1 from Madrid, Spain, to Montenegro.
"Booking the flight was a big sigh of relief for me," she said. "Now there's an end to at least when I can see one of my kids."
From there, Biesecker and her daughter will head back home to Orlando.
Biesecker's first international trip has made her rethink traveling
''I don't have any desire to travel," she told Insider.
Her sister plans to renew her vows abroad next year, which Biesecker hopes to attend. But beyond that, she said spending time with her family will be enough.
"I don't know if it's ruined me forever, but it's definitely ruined me for a good while," she said.
While Biesecker doesn't regret her trip, she said she wishes it happened under different circumstances.
"I don't think anybody could have prepared for what actually happened."
Her advice for others: Don't ever travel without your children. The mother also said she doesn't plan to leave home for more than a week or two at most.
- Read more:
- 5 travelers told us why they decided to stay abroad instead of traveling back home
- 21 photos of people around the world cheering from their balconies
- A flight attendant is taking surreal photographs that show what flights look like in the middle of the pandemic
- A group of Spanish nuns took a break from sewing face masks to play basketball