Holiday to Florida 2nd jan decision please help!

[CovidisaThiefofJoyandcandoone]

My husband is flying out to see his dad in Florida on 27th December and I’m due to fly to Florida to join him on 2nd Jan, leaving ds1 (19) looking after ds2 (16).
I return on 9th and ds1 has to be back at Uni by 18th jan.
We don’t have much by way of back-up plan - my family are unreliable/have mental health issues.

I keep going back and forth about whether to cancel (dh will still go).

Can anyone help me figure out my risk of not getting home to the 16 year old?
What would “self-isolating” mean in Florida/at home?
How long do people tend to stay positive-testing?
@divorcedanddelighted I have seen your helpful posts are you around?

It seems unlikely that both dh and I will be stuck there but I’m anxious about it.

A couple of friends in my town have encouraged me to go saying they could look in on the boys if necessary.

All help appreciated. I am a nervous flyer with a crazy 83 year old mother who won’t be told about the trip. Those negative issues are slightly clouding my judgment.

bumping to say "would you go?"

No

probably not. its just too risky. I would be able to leave my ds when he was 16 on his own. if it was my dd when she was 16 then no way.
only you now your child and if they would cope being home alone if you got stuck out there.
have you had all your vaccinations op?

OP, we cancelled Dubai on Monday. I should be there now. I am heartbroken. There were other factors but after seeing the delays at airport check in, the stress having to have a PCR test to even fly out and that chance of losing the flight/hotel if we tested positive, then the possibility of not being able to get back if we tested positive there was too much.

I am so sad. I have just been and done my xmas shop

I have boys the same age.
I wouldn't go.

You have friends who offered to help. I'm not sure why you're so keen to go, but I'd be optimistic about going.

Is he a GCSE 16yr old or a sixth-form one. I probably wouldn't leave a GCSE Student as they have enough stress going on but by sixth-form if the 16yr old was fairly responsible I would consider it, especially with local friends willing to pop in. You have about 8 days, and it seems that quarantine times are dropping.

I wouldn't go, but not because I was worried about not getting back for my children. At 16 and 19, they can look after themselves, and your 16 year old should be able to look after himself too, as long as he has money for food, and particularly if you have supportive family/friends/neighbours who can support in an emergency.

I just wouldn't want to be ill, or even quarantining in a foreign country. Would your insurance cover you if you actually developed Covid in the USA? For how long? would it cover you for long Covid, and ICU care if you needed it? What if you had long Covid and couldn't travel for months?

And I'm usually quite gung ho about this kind of thing!

thanks for replies, please keep them coming.

Yes we are all triple-jabbed.
He's GCSE year.

I'm so torn. DH wants me to go and has filled in the forms for booking the tests/renewing the ESTA, etc.

I'm visiting Florida now... we all knew that we could abort our trip < 24 hrs before departure & I suppose I was willing to suck up the large amount of money we'd lose (on flights alone). I think you have to know how your 16 yr old would cope. I was prepared to leave a 17 yr old in his own if necessary. I can't keep stopping my whole life because of Covid scares. I was on a plane full of ppl who didn't test + for Covid & I expect the same when we fly back. The uncertainty is stressful, sure. Hope you can emotionally navigate whatever comes next.

Ps: fair chance your ds1 would have remote learning only from 19th anyway, if Covid goes as terrible as some predict. Else the scare could ease off a huge amount by mid January, this outcome is equally likely. - it sure is easier to socially distance out here

thank you lljkk x

is it lovely there?

You are only away for a week, a 16 and 19 year old will be fine, they will probably have a great time! I went on holiday myself at that age and also was left at 16 with my 18 year old sister when my parents went on holiday and it was totally fine.

Covid is a separate issue and if i was you id make my decision based on that rather than the kids.

If it was me I would go

I'd go

If your 16 year old is sensible my main worry would be medical cover if I were ill in the USA given the cost of treatment out there. If I wasn't reliably insured I wouldn't go.

Good point will check my insurance.
If I go for it I might buy ba’s recommended insurance as well.

Wonderfully sunny & "cool" (Day locals) in south Florida, at a mere 20 degrees. Pretty lovely in my book!

We are going 3rd Jan.

Have checked insurance, which will
Cover if we test positive before we go. Will also cover if we test positive over there.

Tests all booked. This is the 5th time we have rearranged. If we can go, we will go.

I’ve currently gone out to a different bit of the states - left just before the new variant stuff kicked off in full effect. It feels pretty safe - you have more space in the US, there’s much more mask wearing (even when walking in the streets) and with the good weather you can enjoy the outdoors. But then I live in a very busy part of London which is currently the worst affected place in the UK. We’ve been testing regularly with lateral flows which are available in the chemists. I’d go

We flew in to a different part of the US on the 18th. It was sooooo stressful and I burst into tears in Macdonalds when we got the negative test results the day before we flew.
We are seeing family that we have not seen for many years and this trip was cancelled last year.
I feel like we got on the plane by the skin of our teeth, I had spent the week before the flight in a permanent state of nerves.
I'm not worried about getting ill here, adults are all boosted and it seems way more chilled about covid.
It's actually really good for my mental health to be away from constant rolling news about covid!
In your shoes I'd go, the likely hood of getting covid here is tiny, and if you do and you're boosted it will most likely be no more than a cold.
I'm 99% certain if we have to quarentine when we land it will be at home.
There is no way they will have enough hotels to make all returning travels pay for a hotel. This happened in the summer, they realised they didn't have enough hotels so said quarentine at home!
Go, have fun, and get a break from covid craziness in the UK!
Your boys will be fine

thanks for these nice posts.

swooning at the florida pic.