Pandemic Travel Backup Plans

 

Since we have been married, Adam and I have almost always known when and where our next trip would be.  Committing to travel as often as we could reasonably afford was a pre-nuptial pinkie swear that we made good one.  It was easy to see that these trips offered some great bonding time that supported the health of our marriage.  A little more surprising though was the positive mental health benefit of simply having something exciting to look forward too.  To say that 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic put a crimp in our routine would be an understatement.  

The last time we participated in anything travel related was March 6, 2020 when we flew home from a week at Disney World.  We had been booked for a June week in the Azores with Youngest Stepson but travel restrictions were in full force by then and everything was cancelled.  Instead, we spent a week at our camp.  Our accommodations were lovely, but the week was far from a restful retreat...  

Had we not been in a pandemic, we likely would have taken a week to 10 days off in September or October and flown away to a foreign locale grateful to escape the current political climate.  Instead, in November Adam will be taking two weeks off for deer hunting season.  Taking my second "staycation" in a single year, I will be keeping him company for one of those weeks.  Yes it is still a break from work, but Portugal it is not.  Technically, we do have some travel options.  Working in healthcare though, the risk and inconvenience these days still make it tough to justify.  

A few weeks ago, we were talking about our upcoming 10 year wedding anniversary in January 2021.  

Pre-pandemic, I had been hoping for a big trip along the lines of 2 weeks in Japan, or Hawaii, or an all-inclusive Caribbean resort, or a month in a Disney-adjacent condo...  We talked about planning and booking something for either January or March next year, hoping to recapture some travel magic.  Unfortunately, most of the places we would want to go either A) are COVID-19 hotspots, B) won't let US citizens in right now, or C) would require pre/post negative COVID tests for us to travel and return to work.  That means extra days off on the return end to allow time for test results; and if god-forbid either of us are positive, an additional 2+ weeks at home draining our vacation time banks completely leaving our workplaces in the lurch.  Closed borders notwithstanding, those options are not exactly appealing.  Even with fairly liberal and consumer friendly cancellation policies still being offered by some of our most favored travel brands, having been heartbroken by our Azores cancellation, I just quite bring myself to commit to an away trip - especially with so many unknowns whirling around approaching the next presidential election. 

All of this brings me to the back up plan.  

At Adam's urging I agreed to look into a long weekend getaway for our anniversary.  Maine residents can travel to a few neighboring states without having to submit to COVID testing. We wanted to avoid public transportation, have plenty of great dining options, and a room that was both comfortable and a little swanky.  With the right blend of location, price, and room availability, we booked a Regency Suite at The Portland Regency Hotel & Spa.  With a generous cancellation policy, we still could switch gears and head to the Caribbean or Europe or Japan or New Zealand this winter, but at least now we have a firm back up plan to celebrate our anniversary.