When Qantas announced in September that it was starting international flights from December, I must have been one of the first to book – to Cape Town in May 2022.

I got there sooner than I anticipated, thanks to family illness and Australian borders opening up from November 1. And while it was surreal taking off from a deserted Sydney airport in early November, travelling via Singapore, here I sit looking at Table Mountain wondering when I’ll get back to Sydney.