Let’s go Rafting!
A friend on the west coast texted the invitation. The annual gathering for rafting is on, with Colorado allowing those activities based on their reopening. After holing up at home for three months, never venturing beyond two miles from where I sleep, it was exciting. Soon I was searching for flights.
Changes in Flying
I have lived through change in travel. During spring break over 25 years ago, I was with a group of college dorm mates driving south from Canada. Crossing the border, the only question the friendly agent asked the five of us was, “Are you all Canadians?” A quick nod, a verbal yes, and we were off, headed down I-95 to Florida for the first time.
Since then, I have traveled often between Canada, the US, and overseas. Air travel felt not much different than hopping on a bus. The world felt smaller.
Just over a month after the horrible attack on 9/11, I was flying through London on my way to Rome, and for the first time, I experienced the enhanced security that was being established.
Over two hours in a line to go through the security check during transfer was very stressful. Times had changed forever.
Over time, things have improved. I was traveling regularly, and sometimes I would go two weeks around the world internationally. I got used to spending more time in airline lounges. TSA precheck and Global Entry made my life going through security easier. I again started to be comfortable arriving less than one hour before the gate closed.
Limited flights
A three to four hour flight with my trusty mask, and a quick in and out through the airport, separated me from a fun weekend with guys I had only seen on video chat, rafting down the cold waters in Colorado. Or so I thought.
Soon I realized, the number of direct flights to Denver from Florida is near zero. In fact, there was only one flight and it landed near midnight. Which means I would need to stay a night that I wasn’t planning, or take a chance at a connection at one of the hubs.
After a day of back and forth, playing out the odds in my mind, I decided to drop out.
The world no longer feels small
I started to wonder, will traveling change after this?
Not able to just travel to NYC to see my sister, or Pennsylvania to visit my parents, or the wedding of a friend in Canada makes me realize the vast distance that now separates us. We are all fighting our individual battles against COVID-19, the illness and the psychological stress.
In a couple of years, I hope we will look back to the current day as a blip in our ever-shrinking world. But for now, we are blessed to live where others come to vacation, and expand your local connections. It’s amazing what you can find in our little corner of South Florida, and many interesting experiences that you can have and still obey the safety rules to minimize risk. We will continue to share our experiences in adapting to the New Normal, and you can send in yours if you want to share by sending an email to submissions@theparklander.com, or click on submit on our homepage.
By Li Pan