In late summer of 2020, I very unexpectedly lost an uncle – and had to fly to NJ to attend services and see family and friends. The airports were locked down – only ticketed passengers allowed inside, all airlines still had middle seats blocked. My experience that trip was that flying seemed safer than a grocery store. I wasn’t ever close to anyone. Everyone was using sanitizer and Clorox wipes, there were 20 people on the plane, people boarded and exited one at a time. Everyone on that flight clearly HAD to be on that flight, no one was traveling for fun. And everyone was taking precautions very seriously, and I really appreciated it.

After my experience with flying, we bought tickets to Mexico for January of 2021…but as we watched numbers soaring again after the holidays, as we watched people post maskless-selfies partying it up at resorts in Mexico (which had no testing requirements yet), we started to feel that it was going to be risky. Not the small town we’d be in – where we would happily wear our masks, socially distance, get food to go, sit on the beach – but that we might be on a plane or in immigration and taxis with anti-masking US citizens who were going to be a big risk. Although Mexico has taken the pandemic seriously and has strict requirements, we felt like many US tourists weren’t respecting the rules in place, weren’t quarantining, and just weren’t taking it seriously. We finally pulled the plug entirely, canceled our trip to Mexico, and I was heartbroken.

But I was determined to get away. The year before we’d gone to Hawaii for a wedding – and while I thought it was lovely, I felt like Mexico was still my preferred paradise. But I was desperate for sun. Saltwater. A view that wasn’t my own backyard. A week without work, alarm clocks, chores, tending to a menagerie, laundry…the daily grind. And Hawaii was looking pretty affordable by comparison to its usual rates…so we bought tickets. We reserved a condo on the ocean in downtown Kailua-Kona – a condo which the previous year would have been unaffordable – but it was available and a great deal. We reserved a Jeep. We had to register with the state of Hawaii, we had to input all our personal info and reservation information. We had to have a test from an approved provider within 72 hours of departure. There were strict guidelines, and I was neurotically nervous about messing up and screwing up our trip.

After the New Year, we locked down. I booked my Covid test through Alaska Airlines – our flight was on a Wednesday morning – and that Monday afternoon I popped by the testing site at the airport. On my drive home, I got notified my test was clean.

We got to the airport, walked through Pre Check, and got to our gate about 50 minutes before boarding – and right as we arrived they announced they’d be double checking that everyone had registered correctly with Hawaii, that we had our test results, that we had our QR codes, etc. One at a time we got up and went to the counter, had everything confirmed, and got a bracelet that indicated we were not required to quarantine when we arrived in Hawaii.

The flight had about 30-40 passengers, every middle seat and virtually every other row were empty. When we landed in Hawaii, we were ushered to another testing area, where they confirmed all our travel info, and swabbed us one more time for good measure. We were told if we were Covid positive, we’d hear from them within two hours and we’d be mandated to lock down. We had even purchased travel insurance specifically in case we had to stay in Hawaii if one of us got sick. The shuttle bus to the rental cars was outfitted with plastic between the driver and the passengers, and there were 3 of us on the bus. We got our rental Jeep, and off we went. We never got the dreaded call from the airport that we had Covid! And indeed, neither of us had symptoms or were worried during our time on the island.

For the next 5 nights and 6 days, we were in heaven. It was the first time since the lockdowns started in March of 2020 that I felt truly relaxed. While riding around in the Jeep with the roof off, hair blowing wildly, sun on our faces, we could breath without our masks. Sitting on the balcony of our condo, watching whale spouts in the water and giant sea turtles in the tide pools below, we could eat fabulous take out and relax in the fresh sea air, no masks, no people around. There were times we’d be walking in town and it was so deserted we could unmask, and talk to each other like humans again, enjoying the fresh air, and when we spotted someone else we’d all hurry to mask up again. It seemed everyone took opportunities to feel some sun on their faces.

Some of the restaurants and bars, even though they were open air, were taking contact tracing information. Whenever a server was at your table, you’d put your mask on. Staff were thrilled to be getting tips and chatting with people – even with the masks and distancing. And Hawaii was so quiet, that even though the whales were literally jumping off the coast, that we walked to bars on the water on Friday and Saturday night and were able to sit where we wanted, and still be far away from other people. We felt safe. We felt like we were able to respect the locals, and keep them and ourselves from getting sick. But we also got to play on the beach, snorkel, and relax without a mask in the fresh air many, many times – and there were these little moments when it felt “normal” – like Before.

I took that feeling of warm sun and salty air back home with me, and for a couple of weeks after I was able to cling to that relaxation. It was so, so needed. A refresh. A reset. A break. We worked hard to ensure it was safe for us, and safe for the place we visited – and we know not everyone is taking those steps. But if you can, it is so, so worth the effort to do it safely. Because those rewarding moments of fresh air somewhere beautiful that isn’t your own backyard? I needed them, badly. And I know I am not alone in that feeling. Mexico is still my happy place, but Hawaii saved my sanity.