It’s great that you asked for input. I personally find others can bring up things I hadn’t considered. My only thought, being a woman, is “How does your wife feel about you going without her?” Good marriages respect each other.

Side effects from the vaccine
 

side effects which most people get from the vaccine can for most part be bad, I recommend you wait at least 7 days after the shoot before you take long trips, like Florida. I have taken the vaccine and had bad side effects so be careful in traveling. A lot of my friends have had lingering side effects also.

How far did the dogs drive when helping?:icon_wink:

Also they say full effects of the vaccine take a couple of weeks. People can still get Covid with the vaccine. Why not give your body time to build the antibodies. Maybe your wife can get more time off and you both come for a longer visit in April.

We "kind of" have similar issue. We have lots of credit with the airline and i want to come down...easy right. Well there's the dog ...and yes, we have a cart, but having the car in addition is nice too. Then there is that 2nd shot in 2 weeks....and I HATE long car rides. Lol. I feel your pain.
But, as someone said, at least give a day after the shot for reaction recovery.

Wait till April

If the vaccinations only last for three months, and it takes over a year to vaccinate the whole population, it’s pretty easy to see that plan will fail!

The OP’s wife must not have a ‘remote’ job. I think that the best solution is to hunker down in the snow belt state until your wife is free to get time off from work to take vacation time. Then fly down to Florida, so that you don’t waste a lot of the short vacation time driving to and from Florida.Then rent a car in Florida, so that you’re not trapped in the Villages, without a car. A week car rental isn’t that much more expensive than two round trip shuttle rides.

You might consider flying first class, if you can afford it. It’s much less crowded and packed in at the front of the aircraft. Sun country has $45 to $49 extra cost seats in the first several rows, much less expensive than airlines that offer first class seating. There were many empty seats in that area, and it was packed behind that section. We felt much more comfortable, not having to sit in the totally packed area of the aircraft.

I think if you are second guessing yourself, your gut intuition is telling you not to travel. April will be here very soon!

take your girlfriend - share the driving

I read an article sometime ago where a guy who made terrible decisions sold $1 shares of himself (1 share per person only). He would then post his situation & the related choices online, his shareholders would vote, and he would do as the majority voted. Should I ask this person out? Do I need a new car? Should I change jobs? You get the idea. Not only did he say his life improved but he made some money from selling shares of himself.

When you think about it, how many times have you seen a friend or family member planning on doing something really dumb but will never listen to reason from anyone? Afterwards came the divorce everyone predicted, car that fell apart, business that failed, etc. I have a relative whose life would seriously improve if he stopped making such horrible decisions for himself & would even just consider taking a bit of advice on occasion.

So if you have a track record of bad choices or are just plain indecisive, I agree with your approach to taking this trip or not. See what the group has to say. Clint Eastwood as 'Dirty Harry' said "A man has got to know his limitations".

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...aking-hard.jpg

Can I ask OP why you can't fly? I personally think it's safer than going shopping in Publix. There are HEPA filters in the cabins and the air gets turned over every 3 minutes.

if that's the case, you need Fl asap, lol. the sunshine is warm & we always welcome fellow residents any time of year. the only thing is how your wife will feel if she sees pix of you by the pool, in shorts & a tank with a drink in your hand while she is stuck 'up north' in a snow covered tundra. :)
ps; i drive everywhere, a LOT more freedom on the road than in the skies

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where George Costanza would do the opposite of what he would normally do. Everything started working out for him.

Take the train!

I can't imagine coming alone, unless you're a loner, but you're married so.....

Gary - I just had my second covid shot and felt terrible the next day as if I had the flu. If you're driving, leave time to recuperate after the shot since you may feel terrible. This is a normal reaction and not all get it but I could never have driven anywhere the next day.

Where is the 3 month thing coming from? I haven't seen any documentation about that at all.

Know what you mean
 

My brother wants to drive down with his dog from Maryland. I’m not nuts about him making the trip alone but if he makes it a 2 day trip, maybe it won’t be as bad. When you’re 77, I worry a little more. (He’s 77, not ME). But staying just 7-10 days isn’t enough. Too long a drive for a short visit. Since you don’t have a dog, have you considered the Autotrain? You drive to Lorton, Va,, get on the train (car too) and relax for the next 16 hours. Let’s you off in Sanford which is 1.5 hrs. From The Villages. My husband and I have done it 3 times now and love it.

Why come down without your wife? Things in Florida are pretty wide open considering how closed a lot of states are like NJ where I am now for my son’s wedding. I feel like I am incarcerated! Do not believe a lot of what you hear on this site. People are as scared as jack rabbits and will say anything.

I can understand why you're really torn, but can't help you make the decision.

As others have mentioned, the second dose of the Covid vax can pack a big punch. While DH and I haven't yet received it, our daughter (age 25, currently on emergency medicine rotations) received the second dose and had several of the typical reactions. My MIL (age 90's) received the second dose and had no reactions, whatsoever. Go figure.

Also, keep in mind that it typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination.

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but if you go to FL, what's your state's re-entry procedure?

In NY, travelers must obtain a test within three days of FL departure, prior to arrival in NY. The traveler must, upon arrival in NY, quarantine for three days. On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain another COVID test... If both tests are negative, you are free :a040: ! This essentially turns the 10 day quarantine into a +/- 6 day quarantine. This is still the rule in NY, even if the traveler has received both shots.

Are you and your wife both OK with you coming back to your home after traveling, or will you need to find somewhere else to isolate, as you await the results of your Covid tests or wait to make sure you don't develop Covid (unlikely, because you'll be vaccinated)?

All the best to you, whatever you decide :)

Garywt, come on down, you're the next contestant on "The Villages is Right". Seriously though, break the trip up into 2 - 3 days. I know how you feel, I also dread traveling without my wife. Safe travels.

If you have a place down here with a golf cart already....why don’t you just fly down.? Just take the shuttle or an Uber.

I drive it all the time.. am senior but stay longer.. husband flies down..cheap air fares... is he spoiled or what.. you should stay until she can come down.. absence makes the heart grow fonder

Air fares have been really low - might be better to fly. Check it out.

Bring a friend

Stay with your wife for crying out loud. You only have so many days left on this earth...so why spend them alone? My wife and I are together 24/7 (we both work remotely from home) and have not been apart in years...and yes, we like it that way.

Take Southwest, and the Villages shuttle. Easy!

Just trying to get a conversation going is all. Always interest in opinions and everyone is not a stranger.

So glad you are getting the second shot but may want to make sure you truly feel ok before leaving.
Going separate might be ok but a long trip down and back by yourself. Whatever you decide I would be leaning towards stating home...

Yes I know a car is not need but currently those other modes are not available to me right now.

Thank you. We started stopping our last trip down and getting 6-7 hours sleep was helpful. I would arrive on a Friday and leave Sat morning so 8 days. It is worth it. We have owned the house for 2 years on March 5th and have spent a total of about 8 weeks there. We did fly a few times the COVID hit and no more flying for me.

Can’t take a plane. Did spend 2 weeks last February down there without her. Flew down and it was good. Been married 34 year this June. Always easier to go/drive when you are looking forward to the destination but generally harder going home when you don’t want to leave.

So she is still working and I am on disability and retired. I was no longer capable of doing my job after 7.5 years of chemo. I have to do things on my own sometimes. She actually has the time but wants to go to Florida in April so she actually did not ask so it was her choice. She loves Florida and our house and I was hoping she would come last minute. Between her job and her business she is very busy.

Takes us 8 hours to get to DC and 12 hours from there. Never stop at a sit down restaurant. Only food is what we packed, what you can get at a rest stop or a drive through fast food and we eat when we start driving again. No time to waste.

86 sounds so nice, open the windshield of the golf cart and drive. Still lots of snow here.

Yes, our house.

Thank you for the offer but we own a house in The Villages.

I have to go home to get my Chemo and a few other things.

We generally leave around 4:30 in the afternoon so we get through NY and NJ without traffic. We had been driving through and if we left on chemo days I could easily drive until 9:30 in the morning or longer. My wife would do the last 3 or so hours and we would arrive early afternoon. Driving on a regular day the 2-3 AM time could become deadly so we started to stop in Virginia to spend the night.

Wow, one of the 2% I guess. It is just a conversation.