Leaving on a jet plane

Though I have travelled a bit domestically during the pandemic, not the least to Kalmar, this is my first trip abroad since January 2020. My plan for the coming days is to work on my new book chapter about N-DAC and, of course, run Trondheim Marathon. 

On Sunday, I will fly on to Dublin where I will meet Ally for some days out and about the Emerald Isle. With the sky all clear again, the magic of flying is definitely not lost on me as SK27 rotates and heads out towards the Baltic. The past week has been super busy with different course introductions and also a lunch seminar at the agriculture and forestry university SLU about my pedagogical research. All went really well, so now I have two groups with about 75 students each up and running. However, with five new Covid cases at the kids’ school, a cloud of uncertainty has been hanging over my trip and tomorrow’s marathon in Norway to the extent that I am slightly surprised that I am actually on my way.

This morning, the person in front of me was less fortunate as he was not allowed to check in, apparently he had not researched the entry requirements of wherever he was travelling to and did not have a negative Covid test in addition to his proof of vaccination (something that some countries require). Clearly, it must be incredibly frustrating to lose a ticket a like that so it really underscores the need to read up on everything ahead of time. With the new European ban on American travellers, we seem to be in for another round of escalating restrictions, making me seriously wonder how long time it will take until international travel returns to what it once was.