I just got back from a 2+ week vacation. As I went to Africa, I did not experience the crowds many are reporting. Tourism was back up but we still ended up with one private safari at the group rate. Europe seems to be the destination of choice this summer. We spent our last week at a beach resort and it was at capacity.
We experienced minimal delays on the outbound flight. My return flight, however, was delayed 4.5 hours. That wasn’t a big deal for me and I occupied myself just fine in the Istanbul airport (which is very nice). My big gripe is the selfish passengers clearly traveling while sick. It was a 12 hour Covid flight with lots of hacking coughs and no mask requirements. I was double masked (N95 and a surgical). When I woke up, it seemed that someone Add finally asked one of the coughing passengers to put on a mask. Shame on these selfish people.
My mother just connected in Zurich from JFK to Budapest on Swiss. The airport looks reasonable on a map, but she said that their connection included a long walk up and down stairs, a “subway” ride to another terminal and then a bus out to the plane on the tarmac.
I pack those things in my personal item. I’ve had my luggage delayed significantly…and my carry on checked. Maybe this belongs in the travel tips thread.
Usually, for me, my personal item is my electronics and then I shove my purse in that bag too. If I assume my carry on will stay with me, I put my change of clothing and things like a toothbrush and medication into my rolling bag.
I’ll have to rethink my packing for an upcoming trip. I’m trying to avoid checking a bag.
We ALWAYS pack our meds and important stuff in a small back pack (personal item), it does not have to be on our back walking. It could be carried on one arm or on our chest also. We also split up the meds between us each taking half of each med and half of the cash. There have been times that the small rollers have been taken from us by the airlines and put in plane side or in the luggage area.
You can always buy clothes, toothbrush, etc. but not your meds.
Friends recently returned from an Alaskan cruise. They flew to Seattle on a Friday, boarded ship Saturday, and started feeling unwell Sunday. They didn’t pack their own tests and didn’t go to medical to get tested. They proceeded to cruise normally, go on excursions, and flew home the following Saturday, exposing hundreds of people. They eventually tested when they returned home and were positive.
I have plenty of friends, none of whom would deliberately choose to pass on a potentially deadly disease to hundreds of people for their own selfish pleasures.
I do not know if my friends wore a mask or not. The conversation was over text and I chose not to ask. We haven’t seen them for over two years, for obvious reasons.
Well now I wonder if your “friends” were on the same sailing as my company accountant. They’ve just returned from an Alaska cruise and all 6 (including 2 children under 10 and2 senior citizens) are all testing positive.
Perhaps, but if people are unwell on a ship and still choose not to test, not to self quarantine and just mingle and act like it’s just another day in paradise then that’s not acceptable!
They are inconsiderate and there’s nothing anyone can say to make me think otherwise.
People will do a lot so as not to lose a great deal of money (eg from cancelling a vacation). Pre-Covid most people would have gone anyway if they were sick with say flu, unless they were deathly ill. The acid test for when things are back to “normal” is when you behave the same with Covid.
For example, when would a bride and groom decide to carry on with their wedding regardless, despite being infected, since last minute cancellations are typically very expensive (for guests as well)?
What I think is amazing is that people expect a large cruise ship not to have covid cases. Why don’t they have one of those temperature reading devices near food, indoor facilities etc. IF you light up, you test.
Seriously just crazy how little respect people have for others. At the same time, I do think many times the tests don’t work. My kid has been doing free workouts for students at Planet Fitness every morning. Feeling really sick last 24 hours. Tested negative. But really seems to have Covid. We went to the beach today ( It’s huge and uncrowded private parking so even fewer people there) even then we made sure to stay really far away from others. If someone crossed us on the dune I would have made sure to stay 20-30 feet away at least. And there is no way, I’d go anywhere like a restaurant or store with someone who is sick.
I can’t imagine being on a plane with someone hacking. Guess I’ll see. Going to Europe in a month. Fingers crossed we don’t get anything on the way there or back.
My husband has covid right now. He tested negative for quite a few days before finally testing positive. So long in fact that he missed the timing for paxlovid and is feeling miserable still.
We were at our daughter’s house and I drove home with my covid positive husband for 13 hours on Sunday.
I’m testing negative. Today, Thursday I started feeling like I’m getting a cold.
I called my PCP and asked for a PCR test, I have taken 4 tests since Sunday, all negative.
I need to schedule a virtual appointment and then my PCP will access my symptoms and if warranted will let me get a PCR test. And if that PCR test is positive (how can I not have covid, I ask) then she will assess if I qualify for any additional treatments.
They didn’t have any appointments left today but if I still feel poorly tomorrow, call back and they will schedule a virtual appointment.
And I wonder why people are ignoring symptoms and going about their normal business.
