Homeward bound in 2023

I’m finally feeling confident enough to travel back to my hometown, but the Coronavirus is still raising its ugly head. It’s entering its fifth wave now. In three years, there have been some life changes.  

I’ve had to get blood tests and certificates by my doctor to certify that I’ve not had the virus in the past three months before I can book my airline ticket. Booking in advance is now a thing of the past. All trips must be made in a short window of time. And if you end up delayed in one country, it’s expensive to get medically re-certified and tested to travel to the next. 

At the airport there are lines on the floor marking out the distance that people can stand between each other. The days of jostling for position to get to the front of a queue is over. Passengers wear masks, gloves and some people wear full body suits. We have our temperature taken, our passport and medical certificates examined immediately when we enter the airport. There are queues outside the airport as we wait to enter the terminal.  Anyone without a mask, or if they have a slight temperature is removed from the line by airport security. One child is screaming because they are sick with a runny nose and cough, and a mother is told to remove her family from the line. They are led to a holding area for those that are no fit to fly. Doctors and the police are waiting for them - they will either be quarantined, sent home, or fined. 

Airlines now must sanitise inside the plane and get inspected by airport security. All the passengers stay in our lined positions to board and wait for our seat numbers to be called out. Once inside the cabin we must step into plastic sheets which compartmentalises each passenger. Everyone wipes their seats, trays and anything touched. Wiping and cleaning is just a habit now and you can tell from the backs of everyone’s hand which are red and cracked across the knuckles from washing. Air stewards wear full plastic suits, masks and gloves as they pass food through another section of plastic in front of our seat. We can unzip the small compartment in front of us to eat. In-flight entertainment is courtesy of everyone’s personal devices. The screens on the back of a plane is no longer used because no one trusted the touch screens to be free of the virus. Everyone plugs their headphones to while away the time. The cabin smells of plastic and bleach; it’s overbearing. 

When the plane lands we are tested again for the virus, given a form to fill in with our details. Now I will hand over my mobile phone number to be geo-tracked and contacted by the Government. They make sure that I’m staying where I’ve said especially since there is a 9pm curfew. My smart watch is beeping because it is telling me to rest after my long flight. All my health details are sent directly to my doctor. Travel insurers now demand that personal health data is shared with them. I have agreed to share my iPhone watch data, so they’ll pay for my repatriation costs if I catch the virus and its caught early enough to fly home. 

Driver-less cars are more common to be seen on the roads. It’s less of an infection risk for the driver and passenger, and a car is waiting for me as I exit the concourse. The car knows I’ve arrived because it tracks my phone and travel movements. Before I leave the car, I just need to enter my mobile bank identification pin number to verify my payment. My phone pings to let me know that the invoice has been emailed and texted to me. Just one less expense claims less to worry about. 

When I arrive at the hotel the first thing to notice is that no one is there. I have already checked in online and the door key is sent to my phone. I don’t have to meet anyone unnecessarily. A sanitation audit has been made of my room and I receive an e-certificate to verify it’s ready for me to enter. Restaurants, hotel lobbies and any place where people can meet is now left unused. Instead, I order room service, FaceTime my family to let them know I’ve arrived safely and settle down to watch Netlfix. Like I said, only some things in life has changed.