(ENB) — When British traveler Zoe Stephens flew into the South Pacific island nation of Tonga last March, she was only planning to stay for the weekend.
Originally from Crosby, Merseyside in the UK, the 27-year-old had been living in China for two and a half years, before taking some time out to travel around the Asia and onto Fiji.
Keen to escape talk of the virus, which had been dominating news reporting wherever she went, she booked a flight to Tonga, a Polynesian country made up of over 170 South Pacific islands.
However, nearly 18 months later, she's still stuck on the tiny archipelago, which happens to be one of the few places in the world that has remained entirely Covid-free.
"I'm probably one of the few people in the world that has never had to wear a mask before," Stephens tells ENB Travel.
"I haven't worn a mask during this whole pandemic. I think it's gonna be pretty weird to go into a world where so many people are wearing them."
During her time in Tonga, which has a population of just over 100,000, Stephens has begun a master's degree in international communications online and is currently living in a beach home while house sitting for a family who cannot return to the island due to travel restrictions.