I’ve been thinking a lot about COVID-19, and how much it is going to affect so many people’s lives. I wanted to take a brief moment to kind of back up, and introduce ourselves for those of you who may not know us.

Background

My name is Lisa, and Dave is my Fiance. We had the idea to start our company- Basic Travel Couple in December of 2017. We were both eager to travel the world, but it seemed impossible without unlimited funds. Then we learned how to travel on Points & Miles. Once we got a taste of our first few Basic Travel trips in 2017 (Costa Rica for 5 days, Thailand for 30 days, and a few long weekend trips sprinkled in there to San Francisco and other places), we knew our lives were forever changed. We wanted to share our love for travel and traveling for severely reduced prices. Thus, “Basic Travel Couple” was born.

Dave and I were just your typical 9-5 workers. I was working for a local Health Insurance company, and Dave worked in a local High School as a Guidance Counselor. We would take advantage of all of his school breaks, as I was fortunate enough to have a semi-flexible job. I was given 4 weeks off a year, plus I would sometimes work 4 day work weeks to go for long weekend trips. Our “travel blog” started to grow over time and countless amounts of hours we would pour into it.

Life-Changing Year

Then I broke my leg in Galapagos Islands on April 25th, 2019, and everything kind of halted. I was essentially living in my own ‘quarantine’ while Dave would go to work. But life around me was basically still going on, and I was the only one whose life kind of halted. A few weeks went by, and my leg slowly started to heal. I got taken out of my full leg cast, and switched to a short leg cast. Time went on and I got better and better. In the meantime, I was waiting to start my new DREAM job. I was supposed to start in May but because of my injury, I had to be pushed back until September.

Dave had been my number 1 support and encouraged me to get that dream job. Knowing full well that the very job would actually take me away for weeks at a time sometimes. September 25th finally came, and as of the last (almost) 6 months, I have been fulfilling my dream life as a flight attendant. But, life is different now. I mostly spend my days in Florida where I am based in Fort Lauderdale, being ‘on-call’. Just waiting to see if I get a trip or not. I typically see Dave once a week or sometimes every other week. We either meet up and travel somewhere, or I head back home to Buffalo.

All was fine and well and moving along. We were adjusting to being apart, and acclimating to the differences. Slowly we started hearing about CoronaVirus. I honestly thought nothing of it. It’s just a bad flu I told myself. Here I am though, a few weeks later from hearing about it, and now that very said dream job is at an incredibly high risk of being furloughed. For those of you who might not know what being furloughed is, it is basically being laid off, with an indefinite time frame to return. Basically, until the company recovers, they do not have a great need for as many flight attendants. Once they do, we would be the first to be rehired.

Whats next

Luckily, my company is offering unpaid time off, as well as staff going part-time to help support the extremely sudden and significant downfall of the airline industries. I am so grateful to have had the last 6 months living out my dream. I am also fearful. Not of contracting the virus, but of what’s to happen next. There are so many unknowns of not only the airline industries but of hundreds of thousands of other businesses and life as we know it. 

It is so surreal taking a step back and thinking about what is happening to our economy. We have heard rumors of domestic travel shutdowns. California is now on lockdown and so is New York. I’m sure its only time before other states follow suit.

For most people, they are enjoying their ‘quarantined’ lives. Some of them will be fortunate enough to be able to work from home. They can spend more time with their families and pets, and catch up on sleep or those at-home projects. 

For flight attendants, pilots, and many others who are ‘critical workforce”, we are spending our time away from those families. Not sure if we are going to make it home, to spend lockdown with our loved ones. I’m sitting in Florida, lucky enough to be able to stay with a friend during these times, who is also away from her loved ones. Don’t get me wrong, being a flight attendant definitely has its perks. I have enjoyed the ‘non-rev’ life, being able to ‘commute’ home on an airline. Or being able to jump on a plane and fly to Nashville for the day, just because. 

But now there is so much uncertainty.

Will I make it home?

Will we be on lockdown?

Will I lose my job?

Will I get infected?

You see, the flight attendant life isn’t always as glamorous as you think. Most flight attendants live in “hostel” like homes, where they stay in bunk beds just ‘crashing’ at their base until they are off and can fly home to be with their families. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to be ‘stuck’ with those people we care about. We are taking care of those who are trying to get home to their own families, while most likely being away from ours. At the end of the day, I still love my job. Yes, I am nervous about the uncertainty, but I am also hoping for the best in these trying times.

I also feel for so many of those critical needs workers- nurses, doctors, pharmacists, electricians, construction workers, grocery store workers, and so many others. I have seen so many friends posting that they are working multiple days in a row, 12-hour shifts, and are being stranded from their families to avoid the risk of their children getting sick or their elderly parents. Times are hard, for all of us. I don’t really think there is a single person that has gone unaffected by COVID-19

I think now is a time for us to come together, united as one, and to help stop spreading the virus and by doing our part. Stay at home. Only go out if you need critical items or care. Groceries and what not. I know it is hard to be stuck at home but think of others. We are all human and should be looking out for each other during these difficult times. 

Be grateful for what you have, enjoy the time with your loved ones and homeschooling your kids because there are so many others whose lives have completely turned upside down from it. Sitting at home for a few weeks is nothing compared to those who are working 12-16 hour shifts day after day. Not being able to see their families, so they can save others or get others home to theirs. Or those who have lost their jobs, or who will be losing their jobs.

Be grateful for what you have, because we never will know what tomorrow will bring.

Stay safe, be smart about travel, and don’t forget to be kind. ❤️