This is a personal story, but I don't think it is a unique one.
Pre-covid, our multicultural family had a vacation rhythm. I would take my daughter and visit my family in Egypt for the summer, then around Christmas time, we would either all visit my husband's family in Rome or they would come to spend some time with us.
This past year, neither happened. Between lockdowns, travel bans, and constant worrying, I feel that we have aged at least ten years.
Needless to say, my husband and I can hardly wait to see our parents. Now that we, and more importantly they are getting vaccinated, seeing them is becoming a bit of a race.
Logistically, planning to see family in two different countries these days is hell!
I need to see my mom, and so my heart says to take the first flight to Egypt.
And honestly, considering the year's stress and worry about her, I don't know how I will have the heart to leave her again when our vacation is over.
Guess who else has the exact same feelings and is also ready to take the first flight out?
Technically, we could do just that. He could go to Italy and I could go to Egypt, but where would our daughter go?
in pre-covid years, we could have arranged it so we would transit in Italy and spend a couple of days with them on the way in or back. But now, the logistics of PCR testing and quarantine have put a damper on that kind of planning.
Not only that, but several international trips with all the new virus strains out there will also put everyone at unnecessary risk. My daughter is under 16, so there is no vaccine for her yet, and our parents are a high-risk category. We can't take this risk by flight hopping the way we used to, and we don't have enough vacation days to take a 14-day quarantine at each stop!
I am hoping that in the next weeks some solutions would emerge, but until then, looks like visiting grandparents safely in more than one country is going to be a bit of a stretch this summer.
How are you planning your next family visit?