Too Late!

I have never missed a plane before: never got caught in traffic on the way to the airport; never forgotten tickets or passports at home; never been blind-sided by an unknown visa requirement or passport stamp. When it comes to travel I do my homework and do the necessary far in advance.

Summer travel is particularly challenging. There is much to be packed into a short time: phones, transport and accommodation, along side doctor and dental appointments. And summer in Minnesota has much to offer. There are people to visit with, flowers to smell, backyard barbecues and fireside chats. I have to remind myself to take time on the boat, in water and in the woods. I don't want to miss time with the little ones, or quiet moments in nature.  Will the highlights of the summer be my ability to schedule appointments, or finding all the shopping items on my list? Or will it be the wolf who silently stared me down in woods?

My theory has always been of taking care of business early in the summer, check off all the boxes on the list, so the final days can be relaxed and carefree. But at some point I have to get on a plane with all my luggage and fly off into the unknown. I tried to make the whole process more streamlined by booking COVID tests far ahead, checking on baggage restrictions and visa issues. When it came time to board the plane I just needed to upload my negative COVID test result onto the Nigerian travel portal and pay a fee. I planned to get it all done the day before and sleep easy one last night before boarding.

The chatty nurse who swabbed my nose for the necessary PCR test was sure the results would be available the day before we traveled, but continued to tell a cautionary tale of another traveller who had to reschedule her flights due to her not leaving enough time between the test and the flight.  Mentally I disregarded the warning with an unkind thought that it served them right for going on a safari during a pandemic.  I only started to worry about my test results coming through the night before.

I checked my email hourly throughout the night. Then got up and checked the medical website for test results. Nothing. I emailed my employer and travel agent. They told me to phone the lab. By the early light of dawn, I had called every phone number associated with the lab and testing facility, but only got automated messages: "Results are pending." For how long no one could tell me.

We decided to drive to the airport in the hope that the results would come through on our phones any minute.  The travel agent was in favor of cancelling the flight till a later date. We sat curbside at the airport and checked for results one more time before realizing that we would not make the flight.  It was out of our control. We now had to think of how we could get another flight on a date when  COVID test results could be guaranteed.  We could be prevented from boarding an international flight for not having a test result as well as having been tested too early. 48 hours was too late; 72 hours was too early. Other travelers were quick to point out that I had left it too late to test, but it seems to me like just bad luck.

We drove home again with all our luggage, stopping for a large breakfast on the way to boost our spirits. The travel agent started working on finding us new flights, and Jon started contacting differing testing venues.  I took a nap. We now have two itineraries: one earlier flight and one two days later, depending on when our new test results come through.  Oh! how international travel has changed. No longer can we sleep easy the night before, taking for granted that all it will take the next day is to show up at the airport on time with your passport.