Travel Smart and Dodge A Bullet

COVID-19 has been a nightmare for nearly three years, a nightmare I thought I’d avoided. I had four vaccinations and no infection, and even dated someone infected with the virus. Yet, I escaped it. 

Okay, I admit it. I was feeling a bit cocky. I dodged a bullet, or so I thought. And then, just when it seemed “safe to go back in the water,”  BAM! COVID reared its ugly head. Yep, I tested positive this week. Nobody was more surprised than I was. 

A New Wave

Another wave of COVID seems to be sweeping across Europe. No new restrictions have been added, but you still have to be careful! And Europe doesn’t seem to be the only place where numbers are growing.

“Yeah, a lot of us who thought we were magic got hit with this last batch,” wrote my friend Jodi from NYC. She, like my other friends who got this gift that keeps on giving, had only minor symptoms. I hoped I would be as lucky.

A Three-Year Wait

COVID has affected us all. It took the life of a half-sister and nearly killed a former boss. It canceled my Thanksgiving last year, postponed countless travel plans, and led to a tiny social bubble. It broke up a decades-long relationship, ended regular visits to Belgium by my best friend, and left me feeling alone and isolated, like millions of others across the globe. It was an evil adversary. 

I was always careful, wearing masks, social distancing, and staying away from crowds. It worked — for 35 months!

!

When my brother Randy and his wife Chele came to visit from the USA in March 2022, they were worried about contracting COVID. I told them not to worry. They would be fine. They were. I think we all started to feel a false sense of security. We relaxed. Fewer people masked up. People started to stand a bit closer to each other again. I stopped wearing a mask when I went grocery shopping.

I was still conservative about things, though. I had no problem with masking up on public transport and in busy, public places, unlike some from “across the pond.” I started going out again, enjoying restaurants, cafes, and times with friends. Transmission numbers plummeted, and life seemed to be back to normal, or so I thought. Wrong!

The Party Is Over

About a week ago, I wandered through the fields and forest with some walking buddies. We stopped for coffee and Belgian beers after the trek. Life was good. Then, on Tuesday, one day before one of my closest friends on the planet and her husband were set to visit, I developed a dry cough. I didn’t think anything of it. Hmmm….did I pick it up on my hike? I’ll probably never know. 

My friends from the UK arrived on Wednesday. I collected them from the train station. I felt okay, but not 100%. The next day, I introduced my friends to my local market in Flanders, where we picked up some regional food specialties and enjoyed local Flemish life in a local cafe with coffee, tea, and “biscuits.” This was to be a BIG vacation for my friend Karen, who was celebrating her birthday ending in zero in Belgium. I booked a romantic Friday night dinner for her and her husband, bought a sumptuous cake from the best baker in the region, and had a pile of presents ready to go.  

My dry cough continued, and on a whim, I took a COVID test the night before her birthday, completely convinced that it would be negative. But no, a faint line showed up. Bad news. Even a faint line means you are positive for COVID. Oh, crap! How was I going to announce it to my bestie on the morning of the big day?

“Happy birthday.  I have some bad news.”

Carry On

So, I started my friend’s birthday with my COVID-19 announcement. Talk about a Debbie Downer moment. Not affected, she and her husband were able to go off and enjoy the day.

I sent them to Leuven, a lovely university town where they could enjoy sightseeing, cafes, and leisure time.  One day later, while we were watching television with our N95 masks, my friend’s husband experienced chills and started coughing. It was a dry cough, just like the one I had developed a few days earlier. After encouragement from me — okay, it was really ruthless nagging — he agreed to take a COVID test. He was confident that he would test negative, but the worst happened. Yep, he, too, had COVID. I felt like Typhoid Mary! He spent the next three days in bed. I felt terrible ruining their first real vacation in three years. A few days later, my friend tested positive for COVID, too.

Luckily, we all have recovered and can now say adieu to the nasty COVID virus. 

Be Careful

With the holiday season fast approaching, we’ll all be getting together with friends and families. Wherever you travel, please be careful. The risk of COVID is real, even if you are vaccinated as we were. Luckily, our symptoms were minor.

For me, the first sign that something was wrong was a dry cough. Then, I had a high fever for about 24 hours, followed by fatigue. At the five-day mark, which is when I was allowed to leave my house, I had a new symptom: light sensitivity. Even though it was a gray, cloudy day, I needed dark sunglasses just to drive to the store and pick up chicken soup. 

We went through nearly two gallons of chicken soup, a magic elixir that always makes me feel better. I lost count of how much water we drank, but this week’s grocery shopping was definitely heavy on liquids! And many Tylenol/Paracetemol pills were popped.

Travel Precautions

If you are traveling over the holidays and in 2023, remember that COVID is still with us. Take precautions. Follow the advice you’ve heard about since early 2020:

1. Wear a mask

2. Maintain social distancing

3. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

4. Travel with hand sanitizer

5. Be sure you are vaccinated — and get your booster shots. Yes, it makes a difference.