Sage Alexander's Second Overseas Trip during the Pandemic 2021

Traveling again during the pandemic makes a lot of difference since we have to take extra precautionary measures.

Back in 2019 as my baby's first overseas trip at 8 months, it was smooth sailing as he was not crying during the flight apart when there's turbulence, hence a QatarAirways cabin crew borrowed him for a while during landing, Sage had been controllable and calm however this time around at 30 months, he is more inquisitive, more curious and a bit hyper throughout. Instead of being on the trolley, he put his teddy on it, roaming around the terminal waited for our flight back to Seychelles.

Take Precautionary Measures Upon Travelling:

After taking the necessary travel protocols like the PCR Test, 72 hours before our flight, Etihad airways did not require for ages 2-5 years likewise grateful that our successive tests came out all Negative. Therefore I could attest that this pandemic is for social preconditioning of the mind whereby FEAR has been injected.

We left Seychelles International Airport in the early morning of September 20 with a four and a half hours flight bound for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Upon arrival, we took our welcome photo of the country’s pride, a Camel Statue.

Luckily we bumped into a friend with whom we shared the taxi fare going to Radisson Blu Hotel in Yas Island. Our checked-in time was earlier than expected.

Sage’s still sleepy and he wanted his bed right away hence we opted to upgrade to a superior room facing the golf, beach, and swimming pool view for an additional fee of 755AED or 205 USD. As soon as we reached the room, our baby could not contain his excitement, decided to roam around the hotel vicinity.

The Swimming Pool as His Playground

Radisson Blu Hotel has a nice poolside area for children and adults, highly recommended for a weekend staycation with a sumptuous meal for an affordable price. Sage excitedly jumped into the children poolside walking to and fro, splashing water as he’s the only one at that time afterwards some kids joined him in. He had the best time in his life and wouldn’t want to go back to the room.

I tried to take a video of him to document his moment at the pool and I was amazed when he said, “mommy put the phone” on the side because he thought of being at the pool doesn’t need a phone. He felt more free and relaxed as the area was wider and safer to swim around while Patrick and I were his body/lifeguard/ there looking after him.

Yas Beach on a Midday with a temperature of 39-40 degrees!

In the Middle East, a temperature of 39 degrees is roasting. I remembered back in Doha how difficult it was to stay more than 30 minutes outside without having a headache, however, my baby beat the heat.

We had a free voucher from the hotel and we were advised to bring our towel to use as we were heading to Yas Beach, 5 minutes drive by bus from Radisson Blue. It was a complementary inclusion of our 11-night stay with breakfast. Fair enough for 3959 AED good for three.

Every establishment will check your recent PCR tests, vaccination card, green list country stamp, and the type of vaccine you took. The Al Hosn App was not much needed for tourists but was required for the ex-pats who are working in the Middle East.

For 12 days in Abu Dhabi and took a day's travel to Dubai, the Al Hosn app was just the tip of the iceberg.

What caught my baby’s attention was the round pool with flowing water and he enjoyed the time splashing just the same as how he did at the hotel. I tried to take more photos of him apart from the video clips for documentary purposes to see how happy he has been traveling now that he’s aware of his surroundings at 30 months old rather than when he’s still 8 months.

Yas Beach may not have the kind of vibe how the beaches here in Seychelles but the amenities and its luxury with a swimming pool accompanied with fountain nearby the beachside was a great staycation while chillin in Abu Dhabi.

Yas Mall as Sage’s Shopping Center Area

The finale of our day at Yas Beach was always at Yas Mall, in Yas Island, a 10-minute drive from the hotel. When I booked mainly for our breakfast, thinking that it would suffice until lunch, dinner was another thing, henceforth, it was more convenient buying at Carrefour in Yas Mall as they had affordable pricing with their basic commodities as well.

Sage enjoyed his time shopping with items he could see from the shelves especially those car and firetruck machines. He would take those toys he loved and would say, “mommy nice for Sage?”

But of course, mommy and daddy have to explain that he has those toys already, and buying them again won’t be practical. We have to divert his attention to food and he would eventually take apples, pears, and oranges to put in the basket. We talked to him about what he wanted to eat and he would even say, “yogurt, milk, bread and COW!” as he referred to a slice of cheese to be put on his bread.

I have lived for three years in the Middle East and still, I was amazed that 200AED is more than enough for the three of us with all the essentials we needed good for two days and as per breakdown of our pocket money despite the decline of my Absa Bank Account just for emergency purposes.

My Motherly Advise to First-Time Moms/Dads

Question:
As a parent, what's the boldest thing
you have done for your family amidst the pandemic?

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