Traveling during a pandemic - Ontario to Mexico -
It was finally happening; after 2 years, we were leaving for Mexico the next day.
The pandemic has been very unpredictable and the day before Kris and I were set to leave for a long overdue trip to Mexico, the Canadian government reinstated the “avoid all non-essential travel” advisory.
We had a choice; to cancel our trip and lose our flight cost, or to venture out, after 2 years and travel. I couldn’t bare the thought of losing out on another adventure, so we packed our bags and headed for the airport.
I was not sure what to expect on our journey, but I found it was far less complicated than I thought it would be. For months before we took off, I spent time reading through the countless updates on new restrictions, changing mandates and the ever changing documents that would be needed. Before we left, I thought to myself, how am I going to relax when I am worried about testing requirements, ArriveCAN apps, testing positive in destination and the inevitable disaster that I was sure the airport was going to be.
We headed out at 1:00am from our home in Muskoka, on route to Pearson airport. I had driven past the airport so many times during the pandemic and it broke my heart to see the runways empty, the once airplane filled skies bare. When we arrived at the Valet Park N Fly lot, there were a lot less cars than usual, but it was still quite full.
We pulled up our masks and headed into the building to put in our arrival information and hopped on the shuttle to the airport. As we pulled up to the departure doors, a feeling of familiarity washed over me and I couldn’t help but smile.
The process was different than usual and I was very glad we had given ourselves 3 hours to get through the airport. We were unable to checkin the night before for our flight, which is what I would normally do so I can bypass everything and head straight for security.
Pearson Airport
Upon arrival, everyone was standing at the self service kiosks filling out their information. You also had to fill out a declaration form on your phone to travel to Mexico. We then had to go to the baggage desks to get have our passport and vaccine passport inspected. It was here that you were able to get your boarding pass and make your way to security.
Security was the same as always, and once you made it past this point, other than the mask mandate, things seemed normal. People were sitting in restaurants with family and friends, having a bite before boarding and perusing the shops.
The Plane
I think out of all of the restrictions, this was the hardest one for us. Sitting on a 5 hour flight with a mask on just isn’t the same. On the plane, we usually like to cuddle up and watch a movie, munch on snacks and have a few drinks, which you could still do but the mask policies were strict. The pilot came out before we took off and gently explained that masks are to be worn at all times, unless you were actively eating or drinking; sipping a Tim Hortons coffee for 4 hours was not considered actively drinking. He also mentioned that anyone who had an issue with wearing their mask, or had an issue with the flight crew doing their job, would be met by the authorities upon landing.
All in all, not the most pleasant but definitely worth it!
Mexico
I am not going to get political, or point fingers, however the whole vibe around the existence of Covid in Mexico was an absolute breath of fresh air. From the moment we landed and walked through the airport, you could tell something was different in the air (and it wasn’t just the warm, salty breeze compared to the harsh winter air that I came from).
We couldn’t put our finger on it for a little while ,but then it clicked. The fear - of course it was there, no one in this lifetime has experienced what we have all been through, however, the way things were dealt with seemed different.
Walking through the airport, there were thermal scans checking body temperatures, everyone was wearing their masks, inside and outside, and there was hand sanitizer everywhere. BUT as we looked closer, it seemed like instead of instilling fear, the people we encountered in Mexico had learned how to live with Covid, while keeping themselves and everyone around them safe.
In our cab to the hotel, our driver wore his mask and upon arrival, I could tell the hotel went to a lot of trouble to show people that their resort was safe to travel to. Temperature checks were at the entrance to every restaurant accompanied by sanitizer. The elevators had a 2 person limit (unless you were from the same party) and each one was equipped with sanitizer with a sign asking everyone to please sanitize before touching the buttons.
Other than the masks and sanitizer, the worries we had about Covid and what would happen next, all began to melt away. I have been waiting years to see the humpback whales so we booked a trip to head out and see them in their natural habitat. Sailing in Puerto Vallarta is amazing, the ocean surrounds you and there are mountains that hug the oceans shore lines. It really is a beautiful sight. As we headed out, a pod of dolphins jumped up and raced the boat, mama and baby in tow and we had many sightings of humpback whales. The most exciting part was watching one of the largest mammals in the world breach the oceans surface and jump into the air! If you have not seen humpback whales - you need to. We also did some snorkelling and went to a stunning private beach.
One day while we were grabbing a drink from the pool bar, we met a couple from the United Kingdom. We started talking about life, where we had traveled before, what we did for work, and it all came rushing back. There is nothing more incredible, in my opinion, then traveling around the world, meeting people from different corners of the globe and sitting together, discussing anything and everything. You really learn a lot about people and the planet when you take the time to learn about someone else’s life and where they are from.
The next day, we headed out to Sayulita with our new friends to explore this beautiful coastal village. After exiting the cab, the soul of the city wrapped around us and it was this; this moment that I had been longing for for the past 2 years. A new destination to explore, a vibrant, buzzing city filled with all of my favourite things. Everywhere I looked was a restaurant, bar, shop or alleyway to discover, all lined along the cobble stone streets. The city was vibrant and buzzing with people. We spent the day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean, trying out some restaurants and wandering through the shops. As the sun set, we stumbled upon a cute restaurant that had tea lights dangling all around the patio with a view of the ocean. The food was delicious and after walking through the square, we headed to XO CHI, a second floor, open air bar that had plenty of seating and had these magical twinkling lights strung all around it.
We enjoyed Sayulita so much, that the next day we all headed back and relived the amazing day we had previously.
Return to Canada from abroad
I had heard from some clients that travellers were having to sit on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson airport, as the customs area had restrictions on how many people could be inside at a time. I braced myself for this, however we were lucky and were able to get off of the plane within 5 minutes. We thought that we would be waiting in customs for hours with the border agents checking testing paperwork and vaccination statuses but I was off the plane and walking outside within 20 minutes. When we got to the border agents, no said a word, they just placed a green or pink sticker on your passport. Green meant you could leave, pink meant you had to line up and wait for a random covid test. Kris got the pink sticker and it took him about an additional 10 minutes to get tested.
I was surprised that we were not asked to show any form of documentation, with how strict the border measures had been for so long, and the fact that we just spent $290.00USD to get our PCR tests in Mexico, that were mandatory to enter Canada.
At the end of the day, even with the restrictions, we had an amazing time and I would recommend travel to any of my clients!