Interview with Mina Habchi, the fashion influencer who travelled Europe during COVID19

Today we are interviewing the french fashion & lifestyle influencer, Mina Habchi, who came to our attention thanks to her lifestyle and her trips all over Europe during COVID19.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Sure, I’m Mina Habchi and I’ve been living in London for the past 8 years. I’ve been fully working as an influencer for the past 2 years and I’m just loving it.

How did you live the first hard lockdown in the UK?
I was staying in my relatively small flat in London during the first lockdown. It was very challenging for me and my fiancé, but we managed to go through this by keeping us entertained and busy creating contents on Instagram and TikTok. We actually became very creative thanks to the lockdown. We also managed to learn how to play the piano, which was a dream I’ve had since my early age.

How did you manage to travel all around Europe in 2020?
Basically, we had our wedding cancelled in March 2020. I was depressed for about a month because everything was planned and I was really looking forward to it. So, with my fiancé, we’ve decided to enjoy 2020 to the fullest and not let ourselves hit by 2020. Therefore, as soon as the borders opened up, we just booked our tickets and flew over Europe.

Which country(ies) did you go to?
We flew from London to Nice, France where we stayed for a month to enjoy some sun and sea along the French riviera. We then went to Corsica to see my fiancé’s family for another month. We then went to Italy, in the Amalfi Coast, and the island of Capri, before eventually flying to Santorini, in Greece.
Finally, we went to Tunisia for a little week, before eventually flying to Dubai for a month.We really didn’t want to be stuck anywhere so we did some smart moves while being very cautious.

How did you manage to work during your travels?
My fiancé and I are lucky to both be able to work remotely, especially during this pandemic where offices and working spaces have been closed. We just needed our laptops and our Zooms softwares on. It was actually more hectic because we felt we had to enjoy the places we went to, as well as working, so it was adding double pressure. We had to manage our time for lunch breaks by the pool, before going back to work. Same logic for sunsets. And this is without talking about creating content.

Which trip did you enjoy the most?
To be honest, the most beautiful trip was the one in Italy, and more precisely the Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri. The vibes and soul of this coast are just unbelievable. It was super beautiful, and Italian food is just amazing. 

Were you afraid of catching COVID19 while travelling?
I’m not going to lie, but yes we were. However, I used to be very careful every time I was going out and would pass by people. I was taking all sanitary measures. Washing my hands very frequently, wearing masks every time I was close to people, and not touching anything.

Could you feel the negative pandemic vibes in the destinations you travelled to?
That’s a very interesting question because we travelled to Mediterranean countries and cities and you probably know the usual mentality and mood out there. People are usually super happy and alive. But this time it wasn’t as good vibes as before. You could feel something odd was happening. People were a bit afraid but couldn’t afford losing a summer season after a crisis that started badly in February 2020, especially in Italy.

How many suitcases did you take with you then?
[Mina laughing] Funny enough you’re asking me this question because I struggled a lot. Being a fashion influencer is a lot of fashion content while traveling, and posting two photos with the same outfit is clearly a no-go for a fashionista. So it was challenging to manage. I had 2 suitcases and overtook my fiancé’s one for my extra. I had to do a lot of shopping in the cities I went to. I thus ended up this long trip with 4 suitcases.

You can find Mina Habchi’s Instagram on https://www.instagram.com/minahabchi/ and has also a blog on: www.minahabchi.com