It was lack of testing, not COVID-19, that forced me to cancel a trip
I should be writing this from on board Hurtigruten’s inaugural expedition cruise to the Galapagos Islands. But after two days of failed attempts to get a COVID-19 PCR test at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the closest I’ve gotten to the equator is southern San Francisco.
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As news reports can attest, it’s not easy to find PCR tests right now, let alone get results back in a reasonable amount of time. And despite doing all of the right things and planning everything in advance, I was still unable to meet the testing requirements for what would have been a dream trip.
As a professional traveler, I knew better than to rely on airport testing to meet my needs. With weeks to go before my bucket list trip, I booked a test near where I live — about a two-hour drive north of SFO — that would fall within the 72-hour window needed to enter Ecuador. I had another test lined up after my arrival to make sure it was safe for me to visit the fragile Galapagos, and yet another to check my status once on board. I'm fully vaccinated and have received a booster. I was as prepared as I thought I needed to be.
You will never guess what I encountered when I arrived at my preflight PCR test appointment: nothing. There was nothing and nobody there. Well, technically there were also about 30 other confused denizens of my town with appointments of their own milling about the parking lot of the supposed testing site. (I would call myself unlucky, but my sister Monica encountered a similar kind of nothingness elsewhere in Northern California during the same week. Maybe it’s genetic.)
Related: Your guide to at-home COVID-19 tests for international travel
With the clock beginning to tick down toward my flight, I scrambled to find a test for the next day. A Walgreens an hour away was able to get me in 48 hours before my flight, but since their test results could take up to 72 hours, I needed a backup plan. Unable to find a rapid PCR test appointment anywhere else, I decided to line up at SFO’s walk-in testing site the morning of my flight. I would have booked an appointment at the airport, but they were filled up for the next week.
The day of my flight arrived but my Walgreens test results did not, so I made the two-hour pre-dawn drive to SFO, pulling up to the international terminal full of optimism and maybe a bit of naivete.
No cars and no crowds could only mean one thing, right? I was about to see some blue-footed boobies and get my predeparture test taken care of in no time. However, when I marched up to the Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care near Counter 6 well before its 8:15 a.m. opening, I encountered a line with more people in it than any of the surrounding check-in desks combined.
As I stepped into the queue, an airport employee approached me with trepidation. When I confirmed my regretful status as a walk-in patient, she apologized, telling me, “It’s going to take two to three hours for you to get tested, and then another hour to get results.” She also shared that many of the people ahead of me in line had been camped out there since the night before.
With my 11:10 a.m. flight looming, I had to make the difficult decision to bail on the line and change my flight to the following day at the United counter. An airline representative told me they don’t track the specific reasons why passengers cancel their flights, and the helpful and friendly counter attendant commiserated with me about how quickly things in travel went from sort of OK to worse again before changing my flight to the following day at no cost.
My Walgreens test came back (negative) a few hours after I left the airport, but missing my flight meant missing my Ecuador-based test to get to the Galapagos, so I would need to make it happen stateside. Exhausted and filled with FOMO, I spent the rest of the day searching for rapid PCR tests to no avail. Fortunately, I barely avoided dropping hundreds of dollars on a testing service that turned out to be a scam (according to reviews via the Better Business Bureau).
For my final attempt at making my flight, I arrived at SFO by 6:30 a.m., this time choosing the XPresCheck rapid testing site in domestic Terminal 3, which opens a little earlier than the other one at 8 a.m. and costs $250. I figured domestic travelers don’t need PCR tests the way international travelers do, and I was validated when I found myself fifth in line for walk-ins. My husband joined me so I could run to my gate after getting tested while he waited for my results. I had it all figured out — or so I thought.
Related: How to save money on pricey rapid COVID-19 PCR tests
Around 7:45 a.m., an employee came out to tell the growing line that patients with appointments would be seen first, but we could expect our line to begin moving around 8:30 a.m. They announced that folks at the end of the line might be waiting for an hour, but at least, they said, we weren’t upstairs in the international terminal where the line took two to three hours.
Fast forward two to three hours later, and I was fourth in line after the family in front of me had to face the reality that they would be changing their flight for the third time (a separate testing site had returned only four of six family members’ results). Like me, they weren’t poor planners but casualties of bad luck and a lack of cohesive information about PCR testing.
Ultimately, I had to cancel my trip.
Despite my disappointment, I don’t blame the airport or the airlines. By this point in the pandemic, there should be a centralized hub for COVID-19 information, including every vetted option for where to get tested and vaccinated based on ZIP code.
Yes, I’m sad about having to cancel my trip, especially after investing so much time and energy to get tested and still having it not work out. But hopefully, my foibles can help you travel better. Right now, travel requires planning far ahead and being redundant in scheduling PCR tests.
Do not rely on airport walk-in testing unless you have at least five or six hours to spare, and even then, prepare to settle in: You never know if you might need to camp out until the next morning to try it all again.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.