Start packing!

OK, you know (we all know) that I love travel. I love standing in line at an airport, I love bad airline food, I love airport security. Why? Because it means I am going somewhere!

For the past two years and counting I, like everyone, have been frustrated because I could not go anywhere. OK, that’s not precisely true, because last summer we did our usual trip to Penticton and had a faboo time. But I wanted to go to Europe, to the UK, to Africa! A long-planned trip with my sister to visit relatives in the UK had to be cancelled. I read and reread the blog posts I wrote during our trip to Paris and Spain back in 2019. But I held back on planning a trip because I was so anxious about doing just that and then having everything collapse because of COVID. I saw the FaceBook posts from other people who went to Mexico and Arizona and Florida and other sunnier climes and I was jealous, but still……..anxious. Triple-vaxxed and obsessive about wearing a mask, yet anxious.

It would take a real kick in the you-know-where for me to seriously think about travelling.

Cue that adorable ass-kicker, my darling DIL. It has long been a dream of hers that the whole family should be together in one destination. And that destination?

She chose the time and the place (Spring Break and Anaheim, California) and all we had to do was fill in the forms and get going. So we did and we will and I am very excited. It appears we will be 9 in number, DH and myself, DS and DIL, DIL’s DAD, DD, and all 3 grandchildren. All the flight and accommodation bookings went smoothly, thanks to my savvy sister and a travel agent who specializes in Disney trips.

But I am still anxious. Even with all the planning and pre-paying and booking and reserving, everything could all be cancelled at the very last minute if we have a positive COVID test.

As far as I know, we’ve never had COVID. And the antigen tests that are required for travel to the US are not expensive and not difficult to book. And I know I will research and comply with all the rules and regs that are necessary for travel. But I blame the pandemic for that feeling of unease every time I think about, well, the future. It’s all been so tenuous over the past two years. People are still getting sick.

But I am so glad that I am working through the anxiety and actually planning FOR the trip as well as planning the trip. I was re-reading my blog post about when we went to Seville. It was scary to be in a place so unlike where I was from. Narrow winding streets, a foreign language to negotiate, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. But Seville ended up being my favourite of all the places we visited.

There’s a lot less planning involved with this trip. DIL is driving this clown car, the only thing I want out of a trip to the parks is to hang with the family and eat junk food. We’re fitting in a couple of days at Palm Springs just because, but overall it’s just a chance to be together.

And it will be good to see a couple of old friends again.