JJenny Geary
Let me tell you about a journey that had many more bumps in the road than I thought it would. Giving me both positive and negative outlooks on traveling with a toddler, especially amid the Covid-19.
Anyone living in Tumbler Ridge knows how even the smallest hiccup with travel can ripple down, whether it’s staying in the same province, traveling across country or leaving the country all together. This is our journey.
On February 29 my son Knoxx and I left Tumbler Ridge headed to Fort St. John, ready to start our cross country journey to Moncton New Brunswick to visit family. We knew we were in for a long haul. We had four flights to take before reaching our destination. When we arrived in Fort St. John, our flight was delayed for two hours right off the bat. No big deal. These things happen. I checked to see if this would affect our connections and we were told no. We had enough time. Ok phew. Great!
We boarded and had a smooth flight to Vancouver. Little did we know what we were in for. Arrived in Vancouver to a very busy airport. Lots of people. Lots of masks. Delayed flights. By this time my son, who is two, is getting tired, cranky and wants to play. He is usually a very happy child but being contained in a stroller or seat on a plane can make anyone cranky. The smell of hand sanitizer and latex gets strong as we get closer to our gate. After a delayed boarding, due to the crew doing “extra cleaning” we were onto our next flight.
Our flight from Vancouver to Calgary went great, we had a very brief stopover. Again Calgary was crowded. The airline told us they had over booked the flight and were asking people to stay, at this point I started to realize just how much travel could be affected. There are more and more masks to be seen, more sanitizer to smell. (By the way, hand sanitizer has gone from $3.99 to $9.99. Thank goodness we had some with us.)
After about an hour delay in Calgary for the airline to sort everything out we were on our way to Toronto, our third plane. This was our longest flight for this journey. Getting into Toronto was very overwhelming. The gates were packed. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people crammed into this area of the airport before. Overhear many people discussing delays, flights overbooked, switching planes, asking for refunds. Masks, masks, masks, crying children, shouting adults. Is this real, or am I just feeling the effects of our travel?
But it’s real. I can see that people are starting to panic. Signs everywhere to show hand sanitizers, which by now is so strong my nose and eyes are getting irritated. Thank goodness this is our last flight. Almost there. This time flights are delayed for cleaning and waiting for another pilot. So after an hour and a half delay we board and we are on our way.
Coming into Moncton this journey is over (well the flying part) now time to enjoy family and activities with my son. Though when I go to pick up my luggage, I discover the airline has lost my son’s car seat. It is found a few days later, yay.
While in Moncton, we decided to plan some activities.
At first everything is great. Each day was something new. We decided to venture out to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia But as Covid-19 has spread, our list of activities has gotten smaller and smaller. Libraries have closed in Moncton, so that means no play groups, no books or possible resources from there. Okay, we can go swimming, but nope. Pools are closed. We find an indoor park that is open. Yay! Success!
The staff are cleaning while we are there. Chatting with each other about how “slow” it is with this virus. Less families are heading out. Oh, please don’t close this one while we’re here. It’s been so great.
We also managed to have some luck with the Moncton Zoo. There were smaller crowds and limited hours, but it was so nice to have something that wasn’t closed.
A few days later we go to PEI. Sadly it has already been announced the museums we were planning on going to will be closed. We shortened our day trip into just an afternoon. Coming during the off season, I knew we would be limited but it was getting more and more restricted every day and more and more frustrating.
Looking at activities in Nova Scotia for our day trip (again the off season so we are limited) I found a science and discovery centre that would be great for my son. Guess what? They are closed too! So again, this trip will be just for the afternoon. Having never been to any of these provinces, we decided to continue to make the most out of the trip. We can still sight see from the comfort of our car right?
Washing hands, surfaces and trying to stay out of public while the same time trying to experience the Atlantic provinces had been a challenge, to say the least.
Watching the pandemic unwind has me wondering when and if restrictions will be put in place within the country. Our return flight is for the end of March but who knows if that will change. Will we be here longer? Should we stay to avoid spreading, carrying or contracting it? How much notice will we have if our return plans have to change? Will my hands ever regain moisture from washing so much? Just how much home time can a toddler take?
So although it has been great to see family, enjoy visiting them and relax not knowing from day to day if things can change is a little stressful. After all, I don’t want to contract, carry or add to this pandemic, nor do I want my child affected. Is washing your hands and self isolating enough? Should we do more?
On the up-side, The Royal toilet paper factory is here, and I haven’t seen a bare shelf yet.
