I’m sure many of you reading this already know, but the big update is that I’m back home in Canada! You’ll be reading this on day number 7 (half way!) of my self-quarantine period of 14 days that the Government of Canada is requiring. I want to share why I made the split decision to book a flight back home (originally booked a flight for April 11th), my experience being in airports & planes during this strange time, further explain why social distancing is SO important right now in North America and what is next for me! 

Booking a Flight Home & Struggles Getting Back to Canada:

After listening to Justin Trudeau’s message on March 16, it became clear to Meg and I, due to the constantly changing circumstances, the best place for us to be was at home with our family. The way that Trudeau urged all Canadians abroad to come home was eye opening. The urgency and seriousness in his voice was powerful. While my concerns were not regarding being allowed back into Canada (I am a Canadian citizen), they were regarding how difficult the journey back to Canada would be. Airlines were choosing not to fly from Italy (for obvious reasons) and many other European countries had closed their borders to non-citizens. We didn’t want to risk getting stuck in Italy without any commercial flight options to get back to Canada. Once I got home, the flight on April from Rome to Toronto that I had originally booked was cancelled because Air Transat recently decided to suspend their flights to Italy until May. Therefore, in hindsight, we definitely made the right decision because less and less flights are coming to Canada from Europe with every day that passes.

We booked our flights immediately after Trudeau finished his statement. We found reasonably priced flights for both of us and we would be able to travel for the majority of the journey together. We had a layover in Frankfurt and Meg would continue from Toronto to Vancouver. HOWEVER, this all changed the day before our flights were supposed to depart. I went on the airlines website to check-in and see if our first flight (Rome to Frankfurt) was on time. To my surprise, this flight was delayed 3.5 hours and was now DEPARTING AFTER our connecting flight was scheduled to depart Frankfurt to Toronto. My heart instantly started racing, how could the airline do this and not even send us a notification email stating the change in flight time?! The only option was to call the Air Canada customer service number, I wasn’t able to change or cancel the booking online. This was the most frustrating part of it all. Of course, every airline’s customer service phone numbers are super overloaded right now. My first time calling, I waited 45 mins on hold. Finally got on the line with an agent and explained my situation, however, while they were trying to figure something out for me, the line was disconnected. So I called back and was then on hold for another 1.5 hours and the line randomly disconnected AGAIN. I was so frustrated, my flight was leaving tomorrow and I HAD to talk to somebody or Meg and I weren’t going to be able to fly home the next day. Eventually my dad, who was calling from Canada, got through and talked to an agent. Meg and I both had to book completely new flights since we could no longer make the second flight from Frankfurt to Toronto. Airlines were starting to cancel some of their flight routes. Unfortunately, now we both had two layovers, in Munich and Montreal.

We packed all of our stuff up over the next couple of days. We ate as much food as we possibly could – unfortunately we stocked up on a lot of food thinking we were going to be quarantined in the apartment for much longer. We tried to cherish every last moment that we had left in our cute little apartment in Monti. It was very bittersweet saying goodbye to Rome – a city that is so dysfunctional, disorganized and frustrating, however, I couldn’t help but completely fall in love with it. There is something about Rome that made me feel strangely at home. I loved wandering through the streets, grocery shopping, taking the metro, finding new parks, attempting to speak Italian to the locals and ordering a caffé at the bar. I could have wandered around Rome for months on end and not have gotten bored. So many memories in Rome and our apartment, but nonetheless, we said our goodbyes and headed to FCO (main airport in Rome) in a taxi.

Airports & Airplanes during this time:

The airport and airplanes were literally the last place Meg and I wanted to be amidst the extreme coronavirus outbreaks in Italy and around the world. We kept thinking, well, if we don’t have the virus yet, we’re bound to get it in an airport or airplane. We tried our best to be mindful of everything we were touching, washed our hands as often as we could and used hand sanitizer. At FCO, pretty well everyone was wearing a face mask and gloves. We felt weird for NOT wearing one. However, to be honest, we probably would have but pharmacies in Italy were sold out at the time. We even tried calling a couple to see if they had any before departing our apartment in Rome. Anyways, everything at FCO was organized, efficient and the workers were kind. The airport was so dead that it was eerie (and this was the case at all the airports that we were at). Our flight was less than half full, all the flight attendants wore masks and there were no food/beverage services offered (usually there is). We landed in Munich and were boarded on a bus to take us from the plane to the terminal. We definitely could not keep 1 metre between ourselves and others at this point. People were holding the rails while standing because there wasn’t enough seats for everyone. This is when it became very clear that it is really difficult and most times impossible, to practice social distancing in airports & on airplanes.

Customs in Munich went smoothly. They asked me what my final destination was and if I planned on returning to Italy. Although, they didn’t ask anything about whether I was experiencing any symptoms of the coronavirus. Everyone on the flight to Montreal was then escorted by an officer to the area where our gate was – the Munich airport is massive and it was extremely dead. Our flight from Munich to Montreal was surprisingly quite busy. Definitely not fully booked but still a lot of people on the flight (all Canadian citizens). Luckily Meg and I had a seat open between us so we didn’t have to sit directly beside anybody. Before landing, the captain made an announcement stating that Canada is requiring all travellers to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to their final destination. Once we landed in Montreal, walking off the plane, everybody was handed a sheet of paper stating what we need to do for the next 14 days after arrival. We proceeded to customs and used a machine to do everything. There was one yes/no question regarding COVID-19 and it just asked if we were currently experiencing any symptoms (they were listed). That was it, and then we handed our declaration form to the border officer and we were on our way. The Montreal airport was quite busy (in the baggage claim area anyways). It seemed as if a lot of travellers were returning back to Canada from their tropical vacations – based on their choice of clothing. 

I had to pick up my checked luggage and recheck it for my next flight since it was domestic (to Toronto). Unfortunately, I missed my flight to Toronto due to my previous flight departing Munich late and the delay with having to recheck my luggage. Luckily, there was another flight that night that I was able to get on. I was assigned a seat in the exit row and nobody was next to me in the two other seats. Finally, after almost 24 hours of travel I made it back to my house. Overall, I will NEVER take another direct flight from Europe to Toronto (and vice versa) for granted ever again!

Why Social Distancing is so Important Right Now (and for the foreseeable future):

I will reiterate once again, I am by no means an expert on this topic, I merely want to share my opinions based on my experiences with the coronavirus in Italy. First off, as an entire country, Italy never got the chance to practice social distancing. The government only encouraged those in the affected areas (the North) to stay at home. As I mentioned in my previous post, I (regrettably) went on with my everyday life in Rome while Northern Italy was suffering and struggling to control the coronavirus outbreak. While I can’t say for sure, I do think it would have made a huge difference if Italy practiced social distancing throughout the entire country as soon as the first outbreak in the North occurred. We now know how easily this virus is spread. It could have been contained better if the whole country was united in their preventative actions. There is potential that the situation right now could have been avoided with social distancing and self-isolating countrywide when experiencing flu-like symptoms. Right now, in North America, we have the power to change the upward trend of the outbreak. We have the power to protect those that are more vulnerable in our society and honour the healthcare workers that are working tirelessly to help those suffering. And it can be done with very simple actions, all we have to do is STAY HOME. I know there are many obstacles that come along with this and I am not trying to negate these, however, the fact remains that social distancing has the power to save lives and stop the spread. 

I wish that Italy had the opportunity to flatten the curve. However, as I’ve previously said, they are not to blame. No government knows how to correctly deal with a sudden huge outbreak of a virus. We are all learning from each other’s actions. However, I applaud the efforts and continued efforts of the Italian government and their healthcare workers that are risking their lives to help others. It breaks my heart that the healthcare workers are having to refuse treating people because of their older age due to the lack of respirators. This would be very emotionally draining for the healthcare workers.

Overall, I don’t mean to instill fear, however, let the situation in Italy be a reminder of what could very well happen in North America if we don’t take action RIGHT NOW. These actions are so so so simple. Social distancing is vital at this point, we need to flatten the curve that is currently on an upward trend, just as Italy’s was. 

Anyways, I understand that social distancing and staying home in general is not easy all of the time. It’s difficult to be away from your friends and family. However, on a more positive note, I think all of this is just a reminder to the world to be thankful for everything and everyone in your life. It really is the simple things that matter the most. Your physical/mental health and being connected with loved ones, even if it just virtually.

What’s Next for Me:

Although I was sad to leave Rome a month early and was unable to explore Europe more, I am so grateful for the time that I did get to spend in Rome. For the future and in light of everything going on right now, I want to practice gratitude and remain positive. For now, I don’t really know what is next for me. However, I am trying to find comfort in the unknown of my future. Rather than being anxious and looking at the uncertainty in a negative way, I am excited for what is next for me, even though I may not know exactly what it is. My future could take me anywhere and that is a privilege that I am lucky to have. 

One thing I want to devote more time to is this blog! I have really enjoyed writing recently and I want to dedicate more time to actually posting engaging content on a regular basis. In addition, although I may not be able to travel for the foreseeable future, I will focus my time and energy on other things that I am passionate about. Things that may have gotten put on the back burner while I have been living abroad and traveling over the past year. I will always be passionate about traveling and exploring the world, however, all these places I want to visit will still be there when this pandemic is over. Right now I am just thankful for my health, family and friends and the many possibilities of traveling in my future. 

My overall goal is to remain happy and positive with where I’m at. There is so much pressure for young adults to get a full-time job and start their career. Only some are lucky to find this and better yet, have a job that they actually enjoy. Right now, I’m not sure what I want my “career” to be. However, some routine and normalcy in my life might actually be nice and welcomed. I am so young and there is so much time to travel, I am trying to not be discouraged by the coronavirus cancelling many of my travel plans. There will always be time to travel in the future, when it is safe to do so! After all, once this is all over, the tourism industry will need us to travel and support all of the small businesses that suffered the most.

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“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”

Anthony Bourdain

❤️