So our trip of a lifetime is not going to take place. After holding out hope that things would get better, it appears that that hope has faded away. COVID-19, flooding and political tensions have changed excitement and anticipation into sadness and disappointment.

The reality of the situation is that we no longer feel comfortable and safe traveling to China. A thirteen hour flight wearing a mask is not in my plans. Of course, we still don’t know what the rules regarding quarantine will be and that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.

As of now, the Canadian border isn’t open for us to even catch our flight from Toronto to Beijing, but they say it will likely be open sometime in July. However, there is talk of a pre-trip fourteen day quarantine. Then there is the question of what happens when we arrive in China. A fourteen day quarantine period on a twenty-one day trip is unacceptable. Then traveling throughout the Chinese provinces adds another layer of concern, as there have been outbreaks of the virus in different areas.

Then we fly home with the possibility of another fourteen day quarantine when we arrive back in Canada? And what about then returning to the US? It truly is one big cluster.

So during my working days I was an Accountant and the Accountant in me always considers risk aversion. Without even weighing the plusses and minuses – the buzzer says ‘NO!’. The remotest possibility of being quarantined for forty-two days is not even a consideration.

So after hundreds of hours of research and planning, my remaining tasks are to complete the cancellation of the trip.

Since the airline has not cancelled our flight, we will only be eligible for an airline credit. Two business class tickets to China will leave us with quite a large credit to use up. Hopefully, things will settle down and we’ll be able to travel again in the not-to-distant future.

Then there is the question of what happens with the travel agency. We booked with an agency because China presented so many obstacles with the language differences and amount of travel we would be doing. They also provided many different features that would have made our trip more enjoyable. After a brief conversation, we’re on hold for a little while but it looks like we’ll be able to postpone going to China or perhaps receive a credit to be able to go to another location. A cash refund is not going to happen though.

So I’m currently mad at the world. With all the contradictory information currently circulating, I don’t know who to believe and I’m leaning towards believing nobody.

The hopeful side of me thinks that things will get better and we’ll return to some semblance of normality. The less hopeful side of me just thinks and doesn’t say much!

So the remainder of 2020 will include trips to the mailbox and maybe a few car rides to get away from all the hubbub. Such is life…