Kaitlyn Brady and her husband, Brian Amaral, are one of countless couples whose trips have been derailed by the global pandemic. But Brady and Amaral didn't just make a pitcher of lemonade — they built the entire lemonade stand.
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The couple had been planning a trip to Madeira, one of the Portuguese islands off the coast of Morocco, for a couple of years. They booked flights from Boston (BOS) to Madeira (FNC), and strategically took advantage of TAP Air Portugal's stopover program to have a few days in Lisbon (LIS) on the way home.
Related: The ultimate guide to airline stopover programs
Their flight was supposed to land in Madeira on April 2, which was Amaral's birthday. Plus, Portugal has always had a special meaning to the couple, as Amaral proposed to Brady there.
Once it became apparent the coronavirus was going to wreak havoc on their vacation plans, Brady had to come up with a new way to celebrate.
"I tried to think of ways to make the day special while stuck in our apartment — a big difference from our original plans! One of the big tourist activities in Madeira is riding down the steep, windy streets in wicker toboggans. We were really looking forward to doing this since it's so unique and silly, so I had the idea of editing us into a picture of a basket ride. Then, I kept coming up with other ideas for pictures, thinking of all the things we were excited to do," Brady told TPG.
She continued to research some of the most famous attractions in Madeira, and had fun editing herself and her husband into the photos. She said it provided her with a sense of escape.
"We're living in such strange times, and stuck at home, so the little things that can make us laugh are really important," she said.
On April 2, Amaral's birthday, she gifted him the photos from their virtual Madeira vacation.
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Brady recommends that anyone who has had to cancel their vacation plans look at pictures of their intended destination, watch videos or even find a Rick Steves' episode about the location.
She adds that, while she thought it might have made them more aware of what they were missing out on, it was "really fun to pretend they were there."
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To top it all off? The couple is still continuing the birthday celebration this weekend and getting takeout from a local Portuguese restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island, conveniently named Madeira. Of course, they can't wait to visit Madeira in person whenever they're able to — and recreate the real-life version of the photographs.
