I’m Doin’ It
Back in March of 2020, I was scheduled to travel to Asia. I was planning to be away for 6 weeks. I was going to visit India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Then Covid-19 happened. Honestly, Covid-19 was happening way before March of 2020 (or it might have been called Covid-20), but that’s when it started to impact my life. On March 10, 2020, the trip to Asia was cancelled. I felt so disappointed. In hindsight, I am glad I didn’t go. I could have gotten stuck in Asia, quarantined, and unable to return to the US. I could have contracted Covid-19 in a developing country, and I would have been unable to get the healthcare I would have needed. Still, I remember the incredible sadness I felt when I found out my trip had been cancelled.
Since March of 2020, I have done some traveling. In September of 2020, I took a roadtrip to southwest Utah to go hiking. In March of 2021, after my first vaccination, I took a trip to Lake Tahoe. Once I had my second vaccination, my world started to open up even more. I flew to Denver to visit my son. I flew to Indiana to visit my brother. I flew to San Diego to visit my 90-year-old aunt. I had missed her 90th birthday, and I was grateful that I finally I got to see her. Additionally, I was excited to see the ocean! I hadn’t been to the ocean since April of 2019. I had been looking forward to time on the beach when I was headed to Asia. When I visited San Diego, I got to spend an entire hour at the beach. Normally for me, an hour at the beach is unacceptable. I could spend DAYS at the beach. When I was in Bali, I spent 4 weeks at the beach. But it was Covid-19. An hour at the beach was a treat.
One of the author/social justice/yoga teachers that I follow lives in Hawaii. Last spring, she announced a live workshop she was hosting on body respect and yoga in January 2022. These are two of my favorite topics! I decided to sign up for the retreat. Sadly, she cancelled the retreat a few weeks ago. While the world is opening up, she decided she wasn’t ready to bring tourists to Hawaii. I was once again disappointed. At first I felt similarly to when my 2020 Asia trip was cancelled. That said, the world is not shutting down (at least not yet). Hawaii is allowing guests. I decided that maybe I would still go to Hawaii. I have a good friend who moved to Hawaii a few years ago, and I’ve never visited her. I looked into other adventures I could have in Hawaii. I figured I could wait until Christmas 2021 and see how the Covid-19 numbers were looking. If things looked iffy, I wouldn’t go. If numbers stayed pretty consistent, I would schedule a trip. That was my plan. Until....
A few days ago, a friend I met in Bali messaged me. She lives in Lithuania, and she’s been doing a fair bit of international travel. She’s been to Egypt, Greece, and Mexico. She sent me some photos of sea turtles from her Mexico trip. I was reminded of our time together; we volunteered together at a turtle sanctuary. She mentioned that Thailand was now open for travel. I felt a glimmer of excitement. Could I finally go to Asia?
I started to search the internet. I looked on travel sites that I had searched before when planning my 2020 Asia trip. Vacations were being booked! I could go to Thailand! I could go to Cambodia! I could go to Vietnam! I suddenly felt excited. I wanted to get to the beach in Asia, and I could make it happen. I wanted to volunteer in Asia, and I could make it happen. I wanted to be spontaneous. I found a trip that fit my interests (to Vietnam), I found the dates I wanted to go (the end of February), and I booked the trip! I’m going to Asia!
The trip includes free schedule changes and free cancellation through 2024. So if the Covid-19 number get higher, Vietnam gets scarier, or I’m not allowed to leave the country, I can reschedule or cancel my trip. Of course, a change or cancellation may lead to disappointment, but it won’t lead to a loss of money.
I spent the entire day in euphoria. I am so excited! The dream I had back in 2020 is coming true! Well, not the entire trip, but that’s okay. I’ve found a way to make the dream work, and I am happy. I am pouring over the itinerary and making plans for what I want to see and do.
Still, in the back of my mind, there were some nagging thoughts. What if the trip has to be delayed or cancelled? What are folks going to think when they hear I am planning to leave the country in February? Will they tell me it’s too soon? Will they tell me I’m not being safe? Maybe.
Seeing my friend travel around the world, I am certainly feeling some envy. But I’m also feeling more confident. I had a full round of 2 vaccinations. I recently had a booster shot. I’ve traveled comfortably within the US, a country that’s a true hotspot. I have other friends who have traveled successfully outside the US. So why not me? I don’t have any moral judgement around how people choose to operate within the confines of Covid-19. I believe everyone has a right to weigh their own risks. How much risk I want to take on is my business, not the business of anyone else.
The day that I booked my trip, I looked at The NY Times Covid-19 tracking page. It listed that the US had 15% more cases than it had 2 weeks before. That was a big jump. Bigger than any jump we had seen in over 2 months. Suddenly I was nervous. But I couldn’t be. I mean, I can’t control how Covid-19 is going to go. I can only base my travel on 2 things: if transportation is open and I am able to travel (this one is out of my control), and how I feel about risk on the day I want to travel. Certainly, if I feel the risk is too great earlier than the day before, I can cancel or delay my travel. But to do that, I have to look into myself and determine what is best for me. So today, am I still comfortable to travel to Vietnam in February? Yes. Today I’m still going to do it.
