The border between Canada and the United States has always been relatively porous, with folks going back and forth easily for business and pleasure. The pandemic put an end to that for the most part. There is still some traffic, though, involving those who are essential workers or travelling for trade. I checked in on a couple dealing with cross-border business travel right now to see what it’s like when there is no tagging along, and it comes with the extra stress of COVID-19.
Heather and Damon Surzyshyn live in Winnipeg with their two adorable three-year-old twin daughters. Heather is a systems analyst with a health organization, and Damon runs a video production company called Nomad Digital. I’ve worked with Damon on a few projects over the years, which is how we met.
Damon’s enduring side hustle is car racing, including ice racing in the depths of winter, which I always thought was bonkers (although I’ve never told him that). His two worlds recently collided when he began producing (and starring in) a documentary series called Going Pro. The show features Damon and his teammates as they compete in the SRO World Challenge TC America, which spans seven world-class race tracks in the US.
Although the race series ground to a halt when COVID-19 hit North America, it’s been back on track the past few months, which means Damon is regularly crossing the border. That’s left Heather working from home full-time while juggling parenting when Damon’s on the road. I feel a little guilty about it, but I convinced Heather to give up thirty minutes of her precious time to find out what these past few months have been like for her and the rest of the family. Here’s our conversation:
Deb: How are you doing?
Heather: It’s hectic. I feel like I have no time, and that’s not a good feeling. Damon left this morning for Austin, Texas. But, he had to drive to Grand Forks first so he could catch a Delta flight. Delta just suspended flights out of Winnipeg. Crossing a land border meant he had to get a letter from Homeland Security for clearance. He just contacted me to say he got through, so that’s good.
Deb: What a crazy journey. I remember seeing on social media that Damon was travelling to a race just as COVID restrictions were coming into play. Tell me about that.
Heather: Yeah, he had travelled to Florida March 12 for a race, and en route was getting conflicting information about whether it was going ahead or not. They closed the event to spectators but were planning to go on. Damon was in his car lining up in the pits before a qualifying race when they shut the whole thing down. That was a stressful return home because no one knew all that much about COVID, the airport was packed with panicky people, no one was wearing masks, there was no screening. At that point, all races were postponed and didn’t resume until this past July with a compressed season.
Now when Damon attends a race, competitors wear these proximity cards that register when you are within a two-metre distance from someone. They use them for contact tracing should there be an infection. Race organizers have also modified the event set-up to allow people to spread out more. Spectators are still not allowed. It feels pretty safe. There are only two more races left this season, so we just need to get through those.
Deb: And what’s the travel experience like for Damon?
Heather: It’s pretty different than before. He wears a mask and packs hand sanitizer; the airports are empty. He flies Delta because they don’t sit anyone in the middle seat on the plane, and they stagger seating in a checkerboard pattern, so there is a fair amount of space between passengers. They fog sanitize the aircraft in between flights. All of that is reassuring. Hotels have also really stepped up with cleaning and with collecting information at check-in.
It’s such an interesting time to travel for Damon. He’s getting all of these upgrades because tourism is so low. When he was in Sonoma recently, he stayed at the Archer hotel, and they moved to a room with an outdoor lounge that included a fireplace. And I’m like, wow, that’s great. I wish I could be there.
Deb: Yeah, that sounds pretty sweet for him. I guess it isn’t possible for you to tag along at this point.
Heather: I have zero desire to travel right now. If circumstances were different, I would, for sure. However, I did take a staycation here in the city a while ago at Inn at the Forks for two nights just to recharge. Damon was literally coming home from the airport through the front door, and I was leaving for my getaway. It was wonderful. I just slept, ate fantastic food, walked around outside. I had a friend join me one night, and we went to the spa. It was lovely.
Deb: That sounds terrific, although it would have been nice if you could have done that with Damon. You’re kind of tag-teaming it right now.
Heather: That’s true. We have a night away together planned once the races are done–we’ll get someone to watch the girls for us. Right now, it’s just so busy, but we’re looking forward to that.
Deb: So, I know you’ve done some tagging along on Damon’s business travel in the past. Can you envision a time when that can resume? I mean, short of a vaccine, what would you need to feel comfortable doing that?
Heather: I have so many places on my list to travel, but it’s all pleasure travel. Iceland is first on the list with all of those Delta travel miles Damon’s racking up. I’m not sure when that will happen. I think maybe in spring 2021 we’ll look at that more seriously. Things might have changed by then.
Deb: What’s the best tag-along trip you’ve done?
Heather: Probably Vegas, last year. I took a small group tour of the Grand Canyon while I was there, which was really special. I don’t know when I’d have the opportunity to do that now, so it’s good that I took advantage of it. Damon was racing, so I had to occupy my time.
Deb: I know just what that’s like. Do you enjoy that aspect of tagging along?
Heather: Doing stuff independently has never been an issue for me. I did a lot of solo travel when I was single to Ireland and England and other international destinations. It’s nice to do what you want to do without having to compromise sometimes. Damon would never have done that day-long Grand Canyon tour.
Deb: I recall there was a very glamorous party at the end of that trip, right?
Heather: There was. It was a black-tie gala for the wind-up of the entire SRO series, so there were people from all over the world –there was the Asian series, the European and British series, so there were many racers and their spouses present. It was pretty over the top. There were fancy cars, laser light shows, go-go dancers, impressionists. There were lots of sideshows. It was a lot of fun.
Deb: So, how do your daughters cope with all of Damon’s travel?
Heather: It was hard at first. They would act out a little, but as they’ve gotten used to things and started to mature, it’s become easier. We watch the races on TV together, so they find that fun. Although, that can be nerve-wracking for me.
Deb: Tell me about it! How do you cope with the risks involved in the sport?
Heather: Yeah, there have been a few times when Damon’s car has crashed. Then the girls ask me what happened, and I have to say I don’t know. I always get nervous when watching a race. We have a new rule now that if he has a crash or car malfunction, he has to text me right away so that I know he’s safe. However, they don’t always show the crashes on TV, and then I get a text, which is also not good because I didn’t see what happened. Anyway, it’s been good the last while, things have gone smoothly, and when it all goes well, it’s a lot of fun to watch.
Deb:
What advice would you give to your earlier self before all of this travel started regarding making the best of it?
Heather: I think I would have gotten as much help as I could at the outset instead of waiting until I was stressed out and tired. I would have sent the girls for more sleepovers at my mom’s, which would have been a super break, and they have a blast when they are there –it’s something for them to look forward to. And my in-laws coming for a day from time to time is a big help too.
I think taking that time for yourself, such as that staycation, is important too. I’d like to do that more often.
Deb: I think, too, I know when I plan something special for myself when Steve’s away on travel, I feel less resentful. Maybe resentful is too strong a word, but there is an enjoyable aspect of business travel even though he’s working. Doing something on your own that’s fun takes that edge off.
Heather: For sure. Oh, I also order takeout once during the week while Damon’s away so that I don’t have to cook that night.
We also booked a family stay at a cabin in the Whiteshell once all of Damon’s travel is done so that we can spend time together in nature. That’s something we can all look forward to.
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