I'm Home
I moved back into my house on October 1st having returned from Tasmania, Australia in 40 hours. What a long trip! Then I spent most of my 14 day Covid-19 isolation unpacking my house and things are gradually returning to normal, only it isn't normal. I'm in a city where I occasionally need a mask. Tasmania wasn't like that.
So how did I end up in Tasmania? A childhood friend and I were planning 7 months of travel around Australia together.
This was my last update on the subject...
Update on My Australian Adventure
Update on My Australian Adventure
I was at my friend's place in Tasmania, 11 weeks into my Australian tour, when Covid-19 struck. Suddenly, the state borders closed. You probably went through something similar wherever you are.
I will be posting about Tasmania for some time but today I want to tell you about my trip home.
Travel Planning
My friend is an expert at getting cheap flights. He knows when to call; he knows which airlines to use; he's familiar with various routes between Australia and Canada... but everything changed. The budget airlines simply grounded their fleets and other airlines drastically scaled back while some face bankruptcy. Covid-19 came with fears and new rules.
I had planned to be
back home before August
back home before August
Every couple of days, my friend checked with the airlines. We had arrived in Australia from Hawaii on a JetStar flight but JetStar wasn't flying. Casual conversations with JetStar employees were leading us to believe they might not fly until November, January, then maybe next summer.
At a time like this, you deal directly with the big airlines. You don't want to be holding a ticket when a small player goes bankrupt. And forget the resellers, it was tough enough to get flight information directly from an airline without going through a third party. Things were changing rapidly. Websites for most airlines were immediately out of date and not being updated, so you called them.
Getting flights was only part of the problem. In any country I would pass through, I had to make sure I wasn't required to quarantine for 14 days, adding $$$ to the trip. Now transiting through an airport is usually okay, but unless they have a hotel specifically for those transiting, you don't leave the airport.
Now, I can say there were no flights to the US or Canada but if there was the odd flight at double or more the price it should be, those were excluded too. We decided to look west.
Bingo!
Singapore to Heathrow, UK
Singapore to Heathrow, UK
Once we found the Singapore flight, we knew there were WestJet and Air Canada flights to Canada, but first I had to get to Singapore from Hobart.
With Covid-19, you couldn't just cross Australian state borders, everyone had to apply and there were quarantine rules. To leave the country, if you were Australian or perhaps a dual citizen, you also had to apply. That wouldn't be a problem for me but we were told only a quarter of the Australians who applied to leave the country, were allowed.
Our lucky break came when Qantas, currently subsidized by the government, opened a direct flight from Hobart to Adelaide to bypass Covid-19 stricken Melbourne. Perfect, I could go from Hobart->Adelaide->Singapore->UK->Toronto->Ottawa.
While checking quarantine requirements, I discovered there was no quarantine in the UK for air passengers from Australia. This worked out perfectly as I could spend some time in the UK, visit close friends, and celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with them. It also let me catch a later and cheaper flight home. Now, you must realize, by the time I left Tasmania, they had only one Covid-19 case in 150 days, virtually none. Adelaide was low as well and this is the reason passengers from Australia did not require quarantine in the UK.
So it was settled. I was to leave in two weeks.
One week later and the rules changed!
The UK was getting a second wave of Covid-19. When my friends broke the news that I could no longer visit them, I scrambled to change the last leg of my flight. My Westjet flight from Gatwick, UK to Toronto became an Air Canada flight from Heathrow, UK to Montreal. I was fortunate to have Aeroplan points as the flight was much more expensive.
So now I was going to fly into
and out of London the same day!
and out of London the same day!
The only upside was that I would fly in and out of the same terminal at Heathrow.
I still had to get from Montreal to Ottawa and checked my options. Now, the air fare for this short flight should not cost much but the flight was full and the ticket was astronomically high. I checked the train and booked it. Getting the excursion rate on short notice, meant the train wouldn't be crowded.
And now that I would be returning early, September 30, I booked the night in a local hotel, rather than return to my home while my tenant was trying to move out! Canada required that I have a travel and quarantine plan so I dealt with the final logistics of a ride home from the train station and getting groceries while in quarantine.
Now my path is Hobart->Adelaide->Singapore->UK->Montreal->Ottawa.
Travel Begins
Hobart to Adelaide
Hobart to Adelaide
A month earlier, Hobart airport had only one flight per day. Arriving there, we could see that air traffic had increased a little. There were a few formalities; I had my temperature checked, wore a mask, and practised social distancing in the the uncrowded terminal. The Qantas flight was good. We all wore masks that were provided and passengers were well spaced. The flight was uneventful which in air travel is always good.
I got into Adelaide, ate dinner, below, and checked into my hotel for the night.
Adelaide to Singapore
The next morning, I was catching my flight to Singapore. We discovered that because Air Canada and Singapore are both part of the Star Alliance, my bag would be checked all of the way through to Canada, 3 flights. That's a real convenience and not one I usually get.
It was interesting that they needed to see the credit card used to buy the tickets. I guess it was for fraud prevention but you would be stuck if, for instance, your spouse bought the ticket and wasn't accompanying you -- just a warning.
All passengers were given wrist bands to indicate whether their destination was Singapore Changi Airport or they were transiting. The two types of passengers were kept separate.
I boarded my Singapore Airlines flight and went to the back of the plane with all the other passengers who had the same colour wristband.
On each flight, it was normal to receive a little bag with a mask, hand sanitizer, and wet wipes. I can't remember if my temperature was checked every time. On board the planes, they tried to minimize contact with the flight attendants so don't expect a snack service. Before this flight, it was suggested we use the washroom so we didn't need to use the one on the plane!
4 hours later, I was in Singapore.
Changi Airport, Singapore
Singapore Airlines was very organized. Passengers were escorted from the plane in groups of 10 and walked down the dimly lit length of the terminal. Announcements reminded us to keep our distance from each other. This is one of the busiest airports in the world but there were few flights and no stores or restaurants open. We were lead to a roped off lounge area and given a bag with a water bottle, hand gel, mask and wet wipes.
I had an 8 hour wait here, see below. There were a few places to buy snacks but not much. You could also order food from local restaurants via phone or App and they would deliver it to a desk in the area.
The flights were not announced so much as called out. They were written on a whiteboard. Was that it? Did they have only 4 flights that day? I learned that others in the lounge area had been there since the previous day. There was also one transit hotel where you could be taken. Do not leave the airport or you would be subject to local Covid-19 isolation rules.
I was prepared with containers of snacks in my carry-on bag and spent the day reading and on WiFi. When they called out my flight, we were escorted in small groups once again, but taken, I believe on what they call their sky train to our plane.
One thing I learned while in Changi Airport was that you had to fly in and out of it on the same airline. You could not switch from one airline to another. I think it had to do with who was responsible for you but I'm not sure.
Singapore to London, UK
It was 11 pm in Singapore when my flight left for London, UK. My body was telling me that it was really 2 am, Hobart time but I was okay. Shortly after take off, the beautifully dressed Singapore flight attendants fed us dinner and then the lights were lowered.
This flight was crowded and I was close to the restroom with a young family nearby. We were all clad in our masks and surprisingly I slept on the, was it a 10 hour flight? Several hours before landing, the washroom traffic started. The little children were awake and noisy a little before that.
At London Heathrow, I was, once again, landing at one of the busiest airports in the world that wasn't busy. I made my way from the plane, unescorted, and passed through one of the shortest security lineups I have ever been in at the only line open. It was 5:55 am London time. Unlike with Changi Airport, the lights were on and although there weren't too many people, that changed as the airport awoke for the day. I was flying in and out of this terminal.
There were constant announcements blaring about social distancing and rules once you left the airport. Don't leave the airport.
It was a relief to visit the washroom, remove my mask for a few minutes, and wash my face. I had brought my toothbrush in my carry on bag, and brilliantly I had a few clothes there too.
I think, this time, I had a 7 hour wait. I wandered a little to stretch my legs then parked myself in one of the seats, above, that didn't have a sign on it. I had breakfast on the plane so I used the WiFi, wandered some more, and eventually got myself a coffee and sandwich. Waiting.
There was no gate on my ticket. About 30 minutes before the flight, it still hadn't been assigned a gate, and then it had one, and as it seems to be the way with airports, I had to rush to get there.
London to Montreal, Canada
I waited for a few minutes at my gate before the nice man arrived to check our temperatures. I realize I haven't mentioned how the airlines all used a temperature gun for this and they aimed it right at your forehead and pulled the trigger, then told you you were okay while you wondered if you really were having just been shot!
Finally on the plane, the last flight of my trip, and I knew the procedure now. We boarded and received the plastic bag. I was happy to swap out my old mask which I had been wearing for 20 hours!
Some time later, it was mealtime. The flight attendant handed me a longish box with everything inside. Everything was designed so their contact with you was minimized. I had a glass of wine with my meal. It was a relief to sit there and sip with my mask off and then a flight attendant told me I should really have it on between sips!
The plane was not too crowded. In all but the flight from Singapore to Heathrow, I had at least 3 seats to myself. I think this flight was around 7 hours.
Finally, around 3 pm local time, the plane landed in Montreal. I had several hours before my train so no rush. I retrieved my bag which I had checked in Adelaide, converted some Australian money to Canadian, and stood outside in beautiful warm sunshine with a mask on.
Montreal to Ottawa
I was the only one on the shuttle and was surprised to see the driver maskless when Montreal was currently a Covid-19 hotspot. Next stop was the train station and, as expected, it was not crowded. This isn't typical.
My train car was also pretty empty. I opted for dinner there and paid with my credit card. That was not a Covid-19 change, I think the train started disallowing cash in the last couple of years.
At the train station, my friend picked me up with groceries in the car and took me to my hotel, where at 8 pm, I crawled into bed until morning. A taxi took me there the next day.
Quarantine
I mentioned that a travel and quarantine plan was mandatory. Air Canada took my information and contact info on the flight. I was still surprised on my second day home to receive a call from my provincial government from a live person who asked about my trip and every detail on how I got from Montreal to my home. It was thorough and that was good.
During the isolation, I received 3 more automated calls to remind me I was isolating. Those were from the federal government.
And for the 14 days that I was isolated, I used my grocery store' new home delivery system.
All in all, it was an interesting experience. I only wish I had been able to spend more time in the places I only passed through.
References
Update on My Australian Adventure
Images
All photos were taken with my Canon SX620 HS on my trip from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to Ottawa, Canada
@kansuze
How were you not afraid to fly in the midst of Covid-19 ?!
I left home before it started and I had to return home at some point. With all of the precautions in place and fewer travellers, there was nothing to worry about.
I was unable to fly on vacation since I cannot sit in quarantine for 14 days and another 14 days after returning home :-((
The quarantines make holidays impractical. It seems I got home at the right time. There has been another outbreak in Australia.
In Cyprus, 2 cities were closed.
The number of cases is increasing :-(
The fine for missing the mask is 300 euros.
It's growing here in Ottawa again.
And when will it all end ?!
How tired people are with these masks and fears!