COVID nearly canceled my dream vacation twice!
So gril,
This particular trip was planned for years. Last year we celebrated our 10 year Anniversary and decided that would be the year we take our love halfway around the world to the beautiful Maldives! Then, out of nowhere..BOOM! COVID! *insert rolling eyes emoji* Before we knew it, the airlines refunded our money and the resort followed suit saying, "nope, stay where you are!" *insert two rolling eye emoji's*. I was crushed. After planning for this trip for so long, the way it was snatched away from me, left me speechless. That year, we settled for a small trip to Vegas which simply did not compare to where my heart was set.
Fast forward to months later when planning time came around for the next anniversary trip. We typically begin brainstorming about the next vacation as soon as we return from vacation. Although COVID restrictions were slowly lifting, I still needed to convince my husband we should travel so far. See, Trey was super nervous about securing this trip. His concern was that we receive the full benefits of the island and not be punished by COVID restrictions (ex:wearing a mask, social distancing, cancelled excursions, etc.) Even with those concerns, we decided it was safe enough to go for it!
Fast forward again to a few weeks before vacation. There were sooo many hurdles that needed to be crossed before we would arrive. We needed to complete a Health Declaration form that allows you to enter into the country. This had to be completed 24 hours prior to the first flight. More importantly, we needed to prove we did not have COVID. A COVID PCR test was required! This was not to be a rapid test. Here's the catch- First, we needed to consider the time difference. Maldives is 9 hours ahead of Georgia. The test needed to be completed within 96 hours from the first point of embarkation. Our flight was on Friday at 7:50PM.
After countless hours of this consuming my.mind, we decided out tests needed to be performed on Wednesday to allow the two day (24-48hrs) processing time for results. With much hesitation, we decided we needed to complete our testing closer to each of our jobs. Again, after much research, we discovered CVS could perform the testing. My test was scheduled for 10 AM while Treys's was scheduled at 10:30 AM across town. I had so much anxiety built up from the testing process. I has only been tested once. I felt like the swab went so far up my nose, I never wanted to experience that feeling again. This test was different. It was a self performed test. As the tech guided me from the window telling me how far to go, a piece of me really wondered if I performed the test properly. She assured me I had gone far enough and had nothing to worry about. I left expecting results within 24-48 hrs.
Hour 19, Trey calls reporting he received his negative results. Cool, this was still less than the expected 48 hours, BUT, it was the day before we were to leave. After stressfully working the entire day, I still had no results. After work, I decided to go back to CVS to inquire about the pending results. I was brushed off because it was not yet 48 hrs. They advised if I had no results by 10 AM on Friday to call.
Friday- No results! I called but was only met with the response, "The results are still pending." I tried explaining I was to catch a flight that night with no avail. At this point, as you can imagine, I'm sweating bullets! I decided I needed to go for plan B which was to complete another test. There is.a facility nearby that would perform a PCR test yielding results within 2 hours for a fee of $200. I was left with no choice but to pay. This test was collected through saliva.
DONE.. now we wait! I was told to call for the results at 3 PM .
So girl, do you know I called and was told they needed to rerun the test because..you guessed it..
It was POSITIVE!
I didn't understand, what happened? The tech explained the test needed to be put back on a machine that runs for 2 hours to see if this was a false positive. Ya'll I didn't know what to think, how to feel. I was numb! I could not move myself to finish packing, NOTHING! I was numb. Meanwhile, Trey kept a positive attitude in attempts to keep me calm. He encouraged me to close my suitcase and at least go to the testing sight to be ready once the next results were in. I obliged but was hesitant.
We arrived and the anticipation was high. It's now after 5:30 PM. We planned to arrive at the airport at 4 PM. I was panicking! Losing it! Snotty nose! Boo hoo'ing! This dream vacation was beginning to reflect the previous year -- become yet, just another dream. After we waited for what seemed to be an eternity, the tech came running outside with a NEGATIVE COVID TEST!
WHEW! *Sigh of relief*
So, there you have it! We quickly rushed to the International airport with our fingers and toes crossed the lines would not be ridiculous. Honestly, I was secretly nervous I still would not be permitted to progress due to the test being performed on that day. Thankfully, there were no more hiccups. We were well on our way at last!
There's so much to share about this dream trip! Although I recently answered a few questions on Instagram, would you like to know the deets on my vacation outfits, packing list, swim suits, etc. Just drop a comment below. Also, drop a pink heart if you enjoyed the pics and videos I shared!
Sincerely Seven