My traveling story in a pandemic

 

Traveling is the escape from reality to a new place and a new you but traveling in 2020 is nothing less than an anxious nightmare. At least if you are someone like me- a walking antsy soul. I am so jealous of Pankaj Tripathi, how can this man look so calm and cool? Oh, by the way, I recently saw 'Gunjan Saxena' and it's safe to say that I am obsessed with Pankaj Tripathi's acting if I wasn't already. Every word that he utters sounds like a Ghazal and I am a firm believer that he is a human version of a poetic masterpiece.

Well, coming back to our traveling tale, a night before my flight was quite scary as my mind was buzzing with a thousand different scenarios- What If this? What if that? But the biggest of them all was Coronavirus. I am sick of this word, tbh. On the other hand, my parents couldn't care less. I must say, they have handled this pandemic situation with a lot of wisdom and a little bit of denial.

So, the next thing I know is that I am in the airport which resembles a fortress at this point or maybe it's just me being weird. The first that I notice is a lot of barriers and very tight security which is not unusual for airports.

They have also placed transparent barriers at every point to avoid contact between people during document checks and security checks.

Airports are definitely not buzzing with life. Instead, all you see are PPE-clad people and the bored airport staff. This did magnify the actual intensity of the situation in my head- it's very real. 

Hand sanitizer dispensers and a lot of safety guideline posters are omnipresent. Maintaining strict social distance at all times is mandatory and people are following it well, I mean we are trying our best. Boarding lines are still problematic but the airport staff constantly reminds people to maintain distance so it's okay.

You get a PPE kit before boarding the plane, it contains- a mask, hand sanitizer, and a face shield. Okay, so here's the deal- you kind of have to put your face shield together yourself and it's quite easy for normal people. But me being god's special child literally almost destroyed my face shield before my dad took over and reminded me that common sense and I don't gel together.

Wearing the face shield is mandatory during the entire duration of the flight and I will not lie, it's quite tough to breathe with it but hey- If doctors can wear the entire PPE- kit and save our sorry lives at the same time, the least we can do is be a little uncomfortable for a few hours.

Eating or using the washroom during the flight is prohibited for safety concerns. Air hostesses have to wear entire PPE kits while the people sitting in the middle seats have to wear a white protective gown.

My flight announced about a special system that they use in their AC's which kills the bacteria in the air, the same kind that hospitals nowadays are using. It was assuring but also reminded me that the air is not that safe, Hello...I am trying to stay calm here cue Mr. Tripathi's soothing voice in my head.

So, we finally landed after a lot of turbulence because why not? Oh, I forgot to mention about the temperature checks which happens before entering and while exiting the airport. 

Overall, I realized that I was being overdramatic because the journey was not that bad and was kind of inspiring. We have tackled and adapted during such a tough situation which proves that nothing can defeat us. Businesses around the world are trying their best to adapt and innovate and deserve our support.

 Everything is not sad and gloomy like I thought- gossips, tasty food, movies, songs, and dramatic relatives are still the same. And did I mention crying babies? Crying babies and airports are inseparable, a fact, google it.