Summer 2022–My COVID Travelog
Author: Naomi Leavitt
Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, family, travel
Two months ago I was leaving on a trip that we had been planning for almost three years. Three weeks in the Netherlands (where I was born) to see family and meet four new babies that had been born to cousins since our last visit.
We have spent so much time, energy, and brain cells on our everyday day choices since March 2020. Is the party outside? Are the people vaccinated? Will guests be masked at the community event? Will there be a zoom option? We didn’t hug our parents for 13 months. We didn’t have any guests over for holiday meals or celebrations. We said no to countless events and invitations, because it meant less of a risk of getting COVID. We kept to our unit of four, and our world became very small. We did our very best to keep everyone safe with smart choices.
Since the beginning of COVID, we have masked in public indoor settings, and often did in busy outdoor settings too. We packed so many masks and rapid COVID tests for our trip. The week leading up to our departure we were extra careful with events and parties. We had decided we would mask at the airports, on the planes, on public transportation, and in museums and stores. We were so elated and grateful to have the chance to finally travel to the Netherlands again.
Our adjustment to the 9 hour time zone was rough. I am used to being a cranky zombie for the first two days, but I power through and always turn out fine. But the persistence of “jet lag” four days into the trip prompted a rapid COVID test. Within two minutes it was so clearly positive. Here I was, in the middle of Amsterdam, after two and a half years of being so incredibly cautious, and I had COVID. The virus doesn’t know where I am or how much the Airbnb cost.
I said a lot of bad words and immediately switched gears. I moved all of my things plus a bunch of water bottles into one of the bedrooms, which became my world. I had my meals in my room or outside. I had my own bathroom. We were able to juggle the rooms enough that I could stay separate and keep my family safe. I never expected the masks that we packed would be worn inside of our house to protect my husband and kids from me!
I had a lot of time to think and simply be. I tried to welcome and allow any and all emotions. They were all completely legitimate. How did this happen- where could I have gotten it? Most likely the plane or the airport–10 hours with hundreds of other people on the same plane.
I was angry. I was in one of my favorite cities in the world, and I couldn’t leave the house nor hug my kids goodnight. I felt stuck and furious. I had planned and been flexible and thought through all of the details. Now I was simply trying to drink a ton of water and stay away from my family by keeping to my bedroom.
I was truly indebted to the friends who generously offered their professional medical knowledge when I was scrambling and feeling very alone. I had Dutch family and friends reach out with phone numbers, clinic names, websites, and just plain old moral support. One family even sent flowers and chocolate delivered to our door. The folks back home were sending memes, jokes, and videos galore to keep me sane.
We tried to salvage our trip while being truly focused on the safety of our kids, who continued to test negative. On day 11, I tested negative. My youngest daughter jumped onto me for the biggest snuggle ever once she heard the news.
Our trip resumed, possibly at a slower pace, and certainly with a different focus. The museums weren’t going anywhere. It was about our family and friends at this point- our trip became people focused. We savored every little moment, every car ride, every interaction with the neighbors and their dogs, every sunset, every gelato. In the end, we managed to see every single family member in the Netherlands. Even with ten days lost to COVID chaos, we packed in a tremendous time in the land of cheese and bicycles.
And our kids remained negative. That masking and staying away and taking isolation and quarantine seriously worked. That all of the scrambling and room flipping and buying of new toothbrushes was worth it. I was stunned and grateful and humbled.
My vacation time also gave me a chance to rest and think and process the whirlwind. I am a planner and a thinker and an over-thinker, and yet there was still so much that I didn’t consider or plan for. As so many of us dip our toes back into travel, or jump into what we have been doing for a while, I hope we can keep sight of some basic things.
Pack masks and tests, even if you don’t mask, even if you’re in a place with a Cvs and Walgreens on every street corner. You don’t want to have to bumble to a store if someone isn’t feeling well, and you don’t want to find out every place is out of stock. Yep, it will take up some space in your luggage, but it may save your sanity in the possibility that they are needed.
Know the protocols and standards of the place you are going to. Be familiar with the government websites that show all of this and if possible, have a local contact or two as a resource, especially if you don’t speak the native language.
Have backup plans and then more plans. Know where people would sleep, eat, which bathrooms would be for those who are sick, and have a second lodging place or hotel as a “sick house” if needed. Have some of these written down or shared on google docs so in case you, the planner, are the one who is sick, someone else can take over. If you have really young kids, think of who would care for them if both you and your partner end up sick. Know where and how groceries and other supplies would get to you if you’re in isolation.
The world has changed so much and keeps changing. I am so incredibly grateful for the trip we had, despite a crazy huge challenge at the beginning. I hope we can all continue to make progress carefully and wisely. I wish for each of us to be honest and share and be real about our struggles and our accomplishments. Here’s to more of us living safely.
About the author: Naomi Leavitt is an educator living in Portland, OR. Originally from the Netherlands, she focuses on language tutoring and volunteering in the community including fostering cats. She relishes being a mother. (Instagram: @leavittnaomi)
