When you are getting ready to go on a vacation, what do you pack first? No, that’s not right.

Depending on your personality or vacation destination you may have thought sunscreen, camera, maps, bathing suit or tour guide.

Money and credit cards may also come in handy. Your phone charger – especially as phones have pretty much replaced maps, cameras and tour guides.

These day though, none of those is first on the list. Or not mine anyway.

The last couple of trips I have packed for, the first thing in the suitcase has been rapid antigen tests for COVID-19. It’s a sign of the times

More than twenty million Canadians, according to health authorities, have been infected by the Omicron variant if the COVID virus. It seems as if we are all going to get it at some point. Some of us more than once. (as I type this I can think of three people I know who are having their second bout of COVID right now.)

Packing the tests has become a necessity for the savvy traveler. After all, who knows where you can find them at your vacation destination? Better to be prepared in case you come down with symptoms.

Packing used to be stress free. Times have changed.