Where Am I? What Am I Doing?

I woke up today in my own bed, unsure of the date and if the past three weeks have just been one long dream?…

Early this morning I woke with a start and sat upright, unsure of where I was. Have you ever had a dream that caused you to question if you were awake or whether you were still in that dream? I was quickly reassured I was at home as my knee bumped a small warm mass tucked under my covers.

I am so use to traveling as a lifestyle now, that I cannot recall the last time I’ve had this many consecutive mornings waking up at home. Not in a hotel in another city or another country. Right here, in my own bed with Petey -my small snoring chihuahua (with a Napoleon complex who believes he can wiggle under the covers anytime he pleases).

“The times, they are a-changin’”...

I have to admit, when I first heard about the corona-virus, I imagined few things would change.. I vaguely recalled hearing about the swine-flu, the bird-flu or even zika virus from recent years and assumed this would create a similar buzz. But after a weeks of news coverage, and flights to China being cancelled, I began to witness the early stages of it’s domino effect.

Initially at our Airline, the Asian routes began to disappear, then Italy’s suffering caused European routes to be pulled and on and on it went, until working as an international flight attendant became almost impossible. The domestic flights did not fare much better, fewer and fewer people wanting to fly in a pressurized metal tube sitting in close quarters, everyone a possible carrier of our new enemy, “Corona”.

After a month of limited flying, dwindling schedules and a dizzying amount of conflicting news about this pandemic, Delta Air Lines is offering generous leaves for up to one full year to all employees. The airline industry as a whole is in trouble...

So here I sit. At home debating just how many months do I agree to take as leave? And here it is only 9 days into my “sabbatical” and I already miss running through airports, exploring exotic destinations and yes, even sleeping in hotel rooms! How am I going to get through 3 months of this, I wonder?

Fortunately for me, I have great travel privileges and once flying internationally returns, I know our planes will be cleaned, serviced and ready. Ready to take me and all the other travel enthusiasts back into the sky and onto exciting destinations.

Every aspect of the travel industry has been hit hard by this worldwide shut-down. BUT once things begin to reopen and resume, there will be great deals to be had on hotels, vacation rentals, airfare, train fare, tour guides, etc. So I encourage those of you who can, take advantage! And get back out there! I know I will…

Until then, I will find adventure closer to home and explore nearby hiking trails, dust off my kayak and get better acquainted with my backyard. And as the world heals and reopens, I choose to be optimistic and predict the next few months to be sunny and bright!! 🔆