Lithuanians showed what modern vacations are like: in the morning, on the beach, in the afternoon, in line to look for viruses.

The new reality is that the term is increasingly used by tourism professionals to say that, at least for the next few years, the holidays will be different from what we were used to until March 2020. Initially, the coronavirus completely stopped the tourism, but people’s desire to vacation is too great. Even out of fear of a terrible disease, thousands, well, thousands, should probably say millions of people around the world, but they decide to fly to other lands.

I have already mentioned in my texts that Lithuanians are no exception. Many of our compatriots have been flocking to Mexico since mid-November. One of the reasons is that this country has no restrictions for tourists, it does not even require a negative COVID-19 test. Shoot and Variark, Where do you want. Although I am lying, you must fill out an electronic form and answer honestly to feel any symptoms or not. If you notice that you are not sorry, everything is free.

Lithuanians go to Mexico both to travel independently (rent a car, put backpacks in the trunk, and fly where your eyes see) and to choose a regular hotel vacation – book for a week, two, or a month. All choose according to their needs.

However, I dare say that our most popular destination is the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Sea. There are many cities and towns with hotels, private villas, and apartment blocks. By the way, there is much more expensive than, for example, in the Mexican capital. But compared to European resorts, it is still cheaper than relaxing in Nice, Barcelona, ​​Malta or Mallorca. It is possible to find places where you can rent a room for two people for a week for 200-300 euros. Okay, really friendly prices.

Of course, the cheapest accommodation is not the most popular. Most Lithuanians tend to choose hotels with an all-inclusive program, as well as hotels with breakfast and dinner. Or renting a private house on the seafront, but it is already a much more expensive pleasure. I will write about real estate prices and options in Mexico in the near future. I was very surprised by some interesting facts, I think they will get a lot of attention in Lithuania.

But now I will share what the day-to-day life of vacationers looks like in that “new reality.” What you read here takes place in the popular resort of Playa del Carmen, near the famous Cancun.

The first thing I’ve seen spread on social media is a joke about people lining up when everyone is keeping a safe distance. Now they spread to all possible places. To restaurants, bars, clubs, the airport, etc. Praiseworthy, you say, distances are now essential. I also believe it. But when you drop your pink glasses, you see the whole truth. If people lined up at a distance, huddled in a bar or sitting on an airplane, they forgot all the distances. Rubbing the buttocks together. Still, come on vacation, have fun, don’t want to take a moment and forget that you have to be very careful, careful with every potential contact.

Beaches, even the most popular ones, are also distant. People leave as much space around them as possible when they burn, even if they have to go far away, they are lazy and they do.

But immediately, after a moment, a mass of people melt into the beautiful Caribbean Sea, jump on the waves, rattle. Sometimes the sea is so dense that you want to be reluctant to come into contact with a group of strangers. And in the sea, there are no masks or antibacterial liquid. But what are you there, dancing through the wave, thinking about those things?

Spend all day having fun on the beaches, partying in the bars. Everything was as usual in the “old reality”. Precisely here, there is a difference that becomes evident in the afternoon, when it gets dark. People seem to feel the symptoms of colds from air conditioners, cold drinks, or anything else and try to get to medical facilities before heading out to town at night. Thinking: I’ll check if I’m sick before dinner.

The Playa del Carmen resort has several private medical offices, several clinics, a public hospital and a polyclinic. Queues everywhere! Get to the doctors at the same time as needed – little chance, you need to make an appointment after a day or two.

Usually people don’t even want to be treated, but just take the COVID-19 test, so at night, walking through the resorts of the Yucatan Peninsula, you can see the queues sticking out. It is not a vacation image, but you have to get used to that reality at least for a while. There are more fervent travelers offering more money to doctors, trying to raise their voices just to get a place “here and now”, but not everywhere these tactics work.

Especially long lines at clinics occur after parties or larger events. In early December, a story rang out loud in New York when a group of young people returned to the United States after a big party at the Tulum resort in Mexico, and they all returned with a positive coronavirus test.

Travelers who want to go from a resort like Playa del Carmen in Mexico to a place where a negative response to the test is required, encounter difficulties. If a person has not thought about this in advance, they may have to change their plans because there is almost no chance of getting an immediate response. To avoid such inconveniences, register with local clinics as soon as you arrive on campus. This is true not only in Mexico, but wherever you go on vacation now.

For example, I have heard from friends who have recently traveled to Africa that it is very difficult to get a free place in Ethiopia to take the exam. You even have to drive around a few cities until you find a clinic that makes them and can accept them right away.

That is why, once again, I try to remind travelers that, at this moment, it is worth thinking about all the risks that have increased significantly in recent times. For example, unexpected flight cancellations, unexpected closures of certain places and the like. Before you go anywhere, you need to read all the local requirements ten times for updates. And best of all, buy airline tickets with the option to change the flight date at any time if you don’t take the test or if it comes back positive. Many acquaintances had to “extend” their vacation in this way – stay in the hotel for a couple of weeks with the virus for their money. It’s good that those cases ended happily.