I've been researching and reflecting on options to spend some time on the ocean (any ocean) within the next few months.
It's challenging being an American in a time when most countries don't want to admit Americans due to our piss poor handling of Covid19. My situation is further complicated by having a dog.
Basically the places that will accept me, really make it close to impossible to bring her. The places that are easy to bring a dog, don't want American people.
Mexico
I had started planning a car trip to Mexico, where I could easily drive her in with just the rabies certificate she already has. Even found a house I liked just a block from the beach. But I simply cannot find conclusive evidence that there is a border I can actually drive across. It seems Mexico is only admitting Americans by plane or train. Those things both don't work well for bringing the dog, and also mean I would need to rent a car once in Mexico. Given that was intended to be a 3 month trip, that's a long time to leave an empty house and car at home while renting both elsewhere.
The Caribbean
My next choice was to leave the dog with a friend, go for a shorter period of time, and just focus on places I can fly into as an American without a 14 day quarantine in some hotel. (I like to rent houses.)
I'm in the process of researching that now. Yet for some reason I'm just not excited about it.
It isn't that I am worried about exposure to c19. I intend to live there the same way I live here, which is pretty much an at home quarantine anyway. Only differences would be that instead of hanging out in my tree filled backyard or walking manicured neighborhood streets with the dog each day, I'd be hanging out on a nearby beach. I would still hope to cook all my meals myself, but would probably have to go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients, instead of having them delivered to my house the way I do here.
There is some exposure to other people I don't get now with the taxi rides to/from the airport and time on the plane, but it seems there isn't infection reported happening in those environments so long as people are masked.
So while I do increase my risk some amount, I consider that amount to be negligible. Honestly, I suspect I've been exposed to c19 already in some doses from dating someone who had it and had periodic relapses. So as long as I'm not hit with a heavy dose like sitting in a car with windows shut with neither me nor others wearing masks, I think I'll be fine.
What I'm looking for is actual excitement about going. Instead all I feel is tedium of all the details I have to work out to make it happen, that I don't feel like thinking about.
Well tomorrow is a new day. Perhaps I will be struck by inspiration then.
What would you do?
If you were going to take a 3 week beach vacation, where would you want it to be?
Would you brave it this Fall, before there is any real reduction in c19 infection rates, and possibly when there will be an increase?
(All text and images (except the AT logo) are by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for HIVE.)
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