Damn. My “bucket list” rugby trip is cancelled again.
I originally purchased this trip as a “big number” birthday gift for myself for April 2020. COVID had other plans so the tournament was pushed back to October 2020. Then the world burned and the remaining 2020 HSBC World Series was cancelled. I rebooked my trip for April 2021. April 2021 was about the worst of the pandemic (so far) so the tournament was pushed back to November 2021, and I admit I was beginning to get very excited about my trip as we’re now only four months out. With travel restrictions slowly lifting around the world I was waiting to see when HK would start allowing visitors again. Now the 2021 edition of the Hong Kong Sevens has also been cancelled and the 2022 tournament is scheduled for the normal April calendar slot.
I have to reschedule my flights with United for a third time and contact the travel agency to push my accommodation and event ticket funds forward anther year. Yes, these are first world problems, for sure, but still very disappointing to me. My “normal life goalposts” keep moving further away. I had already begun preliminary planning to go to the Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa in September 2022. Next year is either going to be a hell of a travel year or continued disappointment. I will continue to hope for the best outcome but plan for the worst.