My son and I recently got back from a trip to the UK. I have to say, travelling during a pandemic was slightly different than anything I have experienced travelling before, but we navigated where we needed to by keeping an open mind and knowing that day by day restrictions were changing and we would just need to adapt. What was surprising to us, is that in the 4 cities we visited on this trip, we were pleasantly gifted with less restrictions elsewhere than we have here in Canada. There was a sense of freedom in all of it and discussing how things are here with others who were also travelling from other countries, it was interesting to compare how things are being handled elsewhere and to know what’s going on outside of our bubble. It was refreshing to not have to rely on news that is directed at what they want you to hear and to have a fresh perspective on what’s happening around the world. It really showed me how much the local media keeps us in fear. Since coming back from our trip, I have had conversations with others and thought it was interesting to hear that the more people who are leaving the country to travel, the more their eyes are opened to the normalcy happening everywhere else but Canada. There seems to be more of an attempt to control the narrative here especially since it took the government so long to actually change the status of non-essential travel from no go to being okay. While the status of no travel was advised by the government, people couldn’t get travel insurance to cover them if they contracted Covid while outside the country deterring some from travelling. I was at the dental office for a checkup yesterday and my dentist had recently been in the U.S for a few weeks. She couldn’t believe how normal it was and as if no pandemic existed. A similar experience to what I had. The locals thought she was an alien for questioning them on why there wasn’t any restrictions. She went on to say it’s time Canadians wake up to the fear and fake news we are being fed here. Whether it’s a way to keep our money within our own economy or for other political or controlling reasons, we have allowed ourselves to buy into the story that it wasn’t safe yet to leave the country. We are being told how bad it is elsewhere and not to travel but when you get to these “do not travel places”, the people there wonder where we got these notions from??
There has been lots of information in the news in the last month regarding how Canada is handling the testing requirements for travel back into the country and so I thought I would shed light on how testing happened for us and why I think it was overkill. I mean, really the whole point of vaccinations they told us in the beginning was that we would not have the restrictions etc., that are currently in place. Now when the majority are vaccinated we still have crazy testing hoops to jump through, it just seems like it’s in place as some just don’t want to let this pandemic go and see it for what it is now, as similar to the flu virus that has to run it’s course through the population.
When I originally booked the trip back in July (3 months prior to departure), the Canadian government was not recommending international travel for non- essential reasons. They were making things very difficult while other countries were relaxing the borders. At the time of travel, the restrictions in England were that those vaccinated, had to have a pre-Covid PCR test 72 hours prior to entry to the country and then also had to have another PCR test on day 2. Canada also required a pre-Covid PCR test prior to entering back into the country. These PCR tests are quite expensive and were costing anywhere from 89-150 GBP with an exchange rate of 1.7 it was going to cost more for our testing then airfare. The one I had booked prior to leaving Canada was going to cost $150 CAD. It’s important to note that the PCR tests usually take about 48 hours to get your results so planning around that was a bit tricky as well. Not all places have labs set up for this type of testing as a lot of towns/cities are moving away from PCR test to the lateral flow or rapid tests which can be conveniently purchased anywhere in the world except Canada.
As the trip neared, a few weeks prior, England changed their restrictions and we no longer had to have the pre-entry test and I was able to cancel that. Then two days before leaving, they changed the requirements of the day 2 PCR test and downgraded it to a lateral flow test that get the results within 15-20 minutes and costs a third of the price. It initially seemed like a lot of test that were originally needed but we were committed to going and thankfully it got easier leading up to when we were to leave. The flights and other travel costs were significantly lower than normal due to the travel industry trying to get people to book flights, hotels etc. We knew out of the gate that it may not happen but I was determined not to be deterred even when others I told about our trip seemed to think we were crazy to be travelling at this time – I just had a feeling that costs would be down and the number of tourists would be as well making it a more pleasurable experience. It’s so easy to get caught up in the fear these last 18+ months – I just didn’t want to live there anymore. This year for me was about expanding my experiences and to be honest, with adult children, it’s difficult coordinating trips that have been on the bucket list, the older they get. It just seemed right. The fact that as we got closer to our vacation, the easier it became with restrictions, that I knew it was right to be going. One of the main reasons for doing this holiday is that my son is an avid Manchester United football fan and normally it’s extremely difficult to get tickets. I have tried over the years without success and thought maybe with the pandemic, less people would be grabbing them up. I was right and was able to secure tickets quite easily.
After landing in London, we needed to get our day 2 test and managed to do so quite easily near the airport. We then began, our journey starting in London. We were very surprised once we stepped off the train from the airport, that no-one was wearing a mask and there were no signs up saying they were required. When we got to the hotel and checked in, I asked and was told that they are not mandatory in England and it’s your choice if you want to wear them or not. It was different at first and we still kept ours on if we travelled in a taxi, uber or train but then after awhile, we climatized to our surroundings and I found myself wearing it less and less. After London and some good ole English beer and Fish and Chips, we made our way by train up north to Manchester. I had not been to that part of England before and was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was and how modern the city is, catering to the arts and making it a cultural place. It was recently voted the third best city in the world behind San Francisco and Amsterdam. What was strange at first from what we know of London, is that in Manchester there is not a pub on every corner and when we did find one, they catered more to the cocktail gin crowd than the traditional beers you find in an English pub – showing the city has somewhat of a younger generation as well as being very progressive.
As a side note, when you look up the city’s history, it is known as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and became the world’s largest marketplace for cotton goods as it was the main place for making cloth and fabric. Manchester was known for leading the way with an unprecedented explosion of new ideas and inventions creating an increasingly industrial and urbanized country. What surprised me was that it is also known as the “Venice of the North” with canals running along the streets creating picturesque views. These canals were set up to allow the ships to come in for importing of cotton, coal and other goods that kept the economy going and to cut down the costs of time and fees charged for transporting goods between Manchester and Liverpool by road and rail. We took a tour of the Old Trafford football stadium and were told that the football rival between Manchester United and Liverpool is the oldest in all of history with football. It was started because the goods Manchester needed were coming in from the Liverpool port and the fees were outrageous. The goods were often being held up by the Liverpool dockers and the people of Manchester felt these dockers were lazy and therefore the term “lazy Scousers” came about that can still be heard now adays in the chanting at all football matches between the two rival teams. Manchester then built their own canals to allow the ships to come in and bypass the Liverpool ports thereby creating a rival between the two towns. I am paraphrasing some here, but the rival has everything to do with both cities fighting for economic survival during the revolution. Needless to say, the canals are used differently than in the past and have left the city with landmarks that enhance the quaint streets you see when walking around the city.
We attended the game between Manchester and Liverpool and saw Liverpool win 5-0 which was hard to watch. However, the ambiance and community spirit in the stadium did not disappoint and the score did not stop the Manchester fans from cheering and singing the rival and home team songs right up to the end of the game. The record between the two teams is Man United with 81 wins to Liverpool’s’ 69; the remaining 58 matches have finished as draws. And on the topic of travelling during Covid, we sat with over 76,000 people in the stadium for a few hours without masks and in closed quarters with people shouting, singing and spit flying and fortunately we tested negative when we did the Covid test 6 days later to be able to enter back into Canada.
This trip to see a Manchester United game has been on our bucket or dream list since 2015. I had created a vision board back then and put up pictures of the stadium and team I found on the internet and knew one day that dream would come true. I moved in 2019 and had not unpacked that vision board as I didn’t think I would still be in my place 2 years later. I booked the trip and purchased the tickets and then I dug out the vision board as we needed all the help we could get to ensure this holiday happened. Since I had not looked at it in a couple of years, I was astonished at how in sync the pictures up on the board were to what became a reality. When I had purchased the tickets I had a choice of 5 sections of the stadium to choose from and not knowing the stadium at all I went with what I thought would be the best experience – the section where the loudest fans are and according to google it’s the Stretford End. Later, looking at the vision board, I realized the Stretford End section was the only picture of the seating section I had printed from the internet 6 years ago and put up on the board – it’s so fascinating how the brain works! The value of vision boards can be a powerful tool if you really want something – you need to believe it’s going to happen and have a positive outlook on it.
We then took the train from Manchester to just outside St. Andrews Scotland and were picked up by friends to spend some time in town with them. It’s always a treat to be hosted by the McBride’s and their extended family, as they have taken us in and spoiled us on many occasions. Their hospitality is second to none and the best of anywhere I have been in the world. They never hesitate to give you a place to stay, feed you, ensure you fill up on the local cheer and they will always get you a round of golf on a world class course making it hard to leave. St. Andrews is known around the world as “The Home of Golf” where PGA pros from all over play in tournaments such as the British Open & Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It’s also home to the St. Andrews University which is the oldest and highest ranking of four ancient universities in Scotland and recently beating out Oxford and Cambridge. Founded in 1413, it’s the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. Many elitists including the monarchy have sent their children there. It’s the University that Prince William and Princess Kate attended when they first met. It’s a beautiful town bordered on the North Sea and it can be difficult for the average person to afford to stay there and enjoy golf and all the other amazing sites in the town and without these amazing friends of mine, my family and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend the amount of time we have there over the last 11 years. We are grateful to be so blessed!
When we got to Scotland, the Covid restrictions changed from none to masking up in public. Once seated in a restaurant or pub, the mask could come off. Any transit required masking as well. I have to say that nowhere in the U.K did we get asked for our vaccination record with the exception of the airports in both London and Edinburgh on our way home. In Alberta here, we have to show our vaccination records to get into a restaurant or pub, but it wasn’t so over there and from what I understand from others, it’s not a requirement in the U.S either. What I did notice in Scotland and it’s common anywhere in the U.K, is they are using the rapid test method to keep the virus at bay as much as possible. In the UK, you can give yourself a home rapid test or lateral flow tests if you are feeling unwell or if going to visit someone in the hospital or nursing home. These rapid tests are widely used by everyday citizens to catch infections early. I met a few people while there that have had the virus after being vaccinated and in some cases have had it twice. They are of the mindset that everyone will eventually get it – they don’t see it as an issue if you are vaccinated, and many have had the booster along with flu shot to get them through the normal winter cold and flu season. I guess the herd immunity theory is what the U.K has moved towards.
While in people’s homes and seeing them using these rapid test kits, it got me wondering why Canada is not using these? According to an article on CTV news website, it quotes David Juncker department chair of Biomedical Engineering at McGill University who says that rapid tests are available in Canada but in kind of a fragmented manner. There’s a pilot project that has been going on in Waterloo Ontario for over a year successfully and other regions have asked for these kits and have not been provided any from the government. The article noted that the federal advisory committee wrote, “in the event of a Covid 19 resurgence, self-testing should be accessible at no cost and at various locations in communities”. It also mentions that with the Delta variant, many cases are asymptomatic, particularly breakthrough cases. “That’s why regular testing and having a fast result are so critical to be able to isolate people before they can transmit to others.” Juncker also says, “We should use them to go visit your grandmother, if you have a runny nose and you want to go visit her, or you want to go to University or come to school or to work, well you know you’re vaccinated, you could do a quick test, to give some reassurance.” A few of us got together at one house when we were in Scotland last week and then the next day one of my friends woke up with a sore throat and feeling like crap. She took a rapid test to rule out Covid and let all of us know immediately so then we knew we didn’t need to worry about anything that she was just dealing with a normal cold. It was fabulous and gave me peace of mind to carry on with our holiday as planned.
The rapid test method has caught on in Nova Scotia but not in other parts of the Country. Juncker said, “the medical establishment has been kind of skeptical of rapid tests from the beginning”. The issue is accuracy – the PCR test that are checked in laboratories are the gold standard for confirming a covid-19 case, and rapid tests are not thought to be quite as accurate. But when you are using them not to replace PCR, but as a tool to help identify outbreaks early, they can be a valuable part of the response, experts say. The medical community has had its share of spotlight on them this year. It can be very discerning when they are putting their lives on the line for this pandemic and yet anywhere from 5-15% of them depending on what province they reside in, are refusing to get vaccinated. One doctor in Quebec, Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Centre said he’s disappointed that the health care workers “don’t believe in the very science that is the basis for the care that we give”, and have chosen not to be vaccinated”. Studies have shown that the rapid tests do provide fairly accurate results, with some studies suggesting that they could be almost as accurate as PCR.
On the last day in Scotland, I had arranged for a nurse to come to my friend’s house where we were staying to get our final PCR test to prepare for our travel back to Canada. In St. Andrews since it’s the home of golf, there are plenty of tourist there from all over the world and I was surprised that there was no lab in town to conduct the PCR test. Our only option was to travel an hour away or leave a day early to Edinburgh and have it done but it would be a bit of an inconvenience. A few days before we had to leave, I found a website that offered a private nurse to come into the home and then she would deliver the test to a larger city to have it lab tested. It was a bit more expensive, but it saved the cost of a hotel room in Edinburgh where they were also hosting diplomats, Prime Ministers and Presidents, that were in Scotland for the CO26 Climate Change Summit, so it was worth it not to have to stay in that city with all the security, protesters and high expense. When the nurse arrived to take our test, I asked why there wasn’t a local place for to get the PCR especially with the number of tourists that come into St. Andrews. Her response was that most countries do not require a PCR test, but they allow the lateral flow rapid one that can be done in any home or hotel. She went on to say that Canada was one of the last countries to require the PCR test.
Upon arrival back in Canada, I was pulled aside for random Covid testing. Even though, I just paid for a test 2 days prior, I had to get another one but this one was free and paid for by the federal government. It didn’t bother me that I had to do this as there is always a chance that the virus wouldn’t have appeared yet when I got the one in St. Andrews as it can sometimes take a few days to show up on a test – it was the fact that I was putting money into another countries’ economy by paying for a test in the U.K and then getting a free one (paid by Canadian tax payers) at the airport in Calgary?? To me it would make more sense to not have the test before arriving back in Canada but have all travelers get one 2 or 3 days after arriving and have the traveler pay for it – put the money into our own economy! That is what the U.K is doing by not having travelers take one before entering the country but after they are there. We could be doing the same thing. It boggles my mind how unorganized things are here with regards to the type of test and where it is mandated. An email arrived a few days later to say my results were in – I was negative once again. I received a call a two days later from the Canada Border Agency checking up to see if I was at home quarantining which I replied that I wasn’t. I had a negative test and thought they would be able to see my results after all it was them who required it and paid for it???? The gentleman on the phone mentioned that they call because they don’t have access to the testing but take the word of the traveler. Okay, another flaw in the system if we are going on the honour system of travelers especially if someone doesn’t want to quarantine or are not a citizen who wants to pay for a quarantine hotel that can be very expensive, all they have to say is they are negative even if they aren’t. I expressed my concerns to this guy, and he admitted that there was a better way of doing this and to keep my ears open as changes would be coming in the next week but he couldn’t elaborate on what they were.
Now in the news, it appears that Canada is taking another look at changing the pre-entry from a PCR test to a lateral flow test as well that should make it even easier if you do travel anywhere. However, they haven’t done that as of writing this article, despite pressure from border towns, businesses, travel, and tourism organizations. Where it really is a mess is for people that live close to the border and travel across to the U.S for a sporting or concert event and return within 24-48 hours. They are using the same test to go across as coming back and it’s not relevant to all the exposure they would have in between. Some tourist towns are hearing from people across the border that the PCR test is too expensive for them to take to spend a weekend skiing in Canada or for other holidays they would normally take here. The Canadian economy is suffering while elsewhere, the efficiencies have been worked out for tourism to get back some sense of normalcy.
While things could tighten up again if there is another worldwide 5th wave, and at this time it’s very unknown what the future could look like, it’s probably even more important to go while you can. I think the main thing for me was not to give in to fear and listen to fake news and to expand my experiences and just go. I am grateful that we took the chance and had a successful wonderful holiday with memories that will last forever, and a dream became a reality for my son and me. We all know that life is too short so if there’s somewhere you wish you’d rather be, my advice would be to just go, take the risk as it’s only when we do that, we are able to reap the rewards! There are ways to do it in a safe manner if you don’t agree with the loose restrictions at the other end of your destination. We have all lived with the masking, extensive hand washing and other Covid cleaning protocols and understand what we can do to ensure we avoid as much of any virus really, that I feel you can still get away and feel comfortable doing so. If you do plan a trip, make sure to check the government website of the country you are travelling to and find out what the requirements are prior to entry and fill out any forms they need so you check in at the airport is smooth. Also check the Canadian government website for daily updates and you will need the ArriveCan app for returning home at the end of your holiday. I belong to a travel Facebook community called yycdeals.com and on there, many people and travel agents are posting new information everyday about where to find travel insurance in case you test positive before arriving home as well as what tests and experiences they have had getting to and from various locations.
It may seem like a lot, but this virus isn’t going away anytime soon and if you understand travelling is now always going to be different, then it’s easier to get on board with what you need to do to make the vacation happen. Some people tell me that they are waiting until it gets easier, well it’s not, it may be slightly easier tomorrow than today, but it will never be like it was pre-pandemic. Thousands of people are travelling now everyday successfully and those that have had hiccups, it’s mostly from not researching, educating themselves and doing the pre-work necessary and required by all governments prior to entry to their country. It’s possible to have a successful holiday as I did it just may require a bit more planning than usual but it’s so worth it😊