Tomorrow is our last day of work. We’ve used the last few weeks to make sure we’re up to date on immunizations, general physicals, and dental exams. We’ll have the option to elect COBRA coverage over the next 60 days, and we’re hoping to minimize or eliminate any period of time without insurance. In the fall we’ll rely on the insurance Michelle obtains through medical school.
Things have been relatively quiet trip-wise. Since we finished buying our tickets we’ve relaxed a little, and let ourselves get caught up with the more immediate concern of moving out of the apartment. We still need to book some rooms in some of our destinations, and we should have a little time next week to work on that. Not having a full time job frees you that way.
The thing that was most disconcerting recently was the swine flu outbreak. We purchased our tickets such that any “cancel for any reason” flight insurance couldn’t be obtained within the allowable dates. Nor could we contact Expedia and re-elect the flight insurance options on our legs. The news reports were talking of the possibility of flight cancellations, and I worried that just one snag like that could throw the trip off in a bad way. Not to mention the news of various passengers being held in quarantine upon arrival at their destinations.
From what we read on the CDC site as the swine flu was making headlines, swine flu didn’t seem bad. We did, however, worry about getting it while abroad, without normal insurance and health care facilities. We’ll be spending many hours in the close quarters of airline cabins, and many more roaming airports and busy streets.
Thankfully, swine flu hasn’t gone completely pandemic. It’s following the normal seasonal flu pattern and ebbing during the summer months. We should be fine, but this out-of-the-blue issue highlights some things you should consider when planning a trip around the world.