Travelling with a Purpose and being positive
I suspect that we will remember the long year of 2020 as the year of COVID19, which presented us with devastation and confusion, dodging between safe air corridors of travel and the ever-changing FCO advice, and Zoom meetings.
In August 2020 I wanted to have a first-hand experience of what it would be like to travel by air, pass through an airport and security, and adhere is protocols put in place by hotels around the world. There have been so many questions around wearing a mask, what will it be like? Will I have to wear a mask on the beach? What if my destination is put on the return to UK quarantine list? I opted for Belfast and if you are interested you can view my blog. It will soon be available.
My Summer holiday was planned for sailing around the Greek Islands, but it was impossible for me to travel in the knowledge that many of my customers have been disappointed to have to rebook or cancel their holidays and business trips. I have enjoyed having more regular contact with my customers, giving them assistance, advice, reassurance and support. I would not have been able to sit at my desk since March without the outstanding support from Travel Counsellors' head office and directors. They have been immensely caring. They have given all us Travel Counsellors access to our Coronavirus hub, proving guidance to rebookings, cancellations, refunds, and the ever-changing policies of our partners and airlines. In addition to health and safety, protocols, Mental Health access, financial support access, and daily TCTV updates, and as ever providing a caring, professional, and personal community. I have never felt alone in all this.
We have all carried on working daily since lock-down. It takes more time to unravel, cancel or rebook a trip, than the hours spent putting a travel itinerary together. You can only continue with this resilience and passion for what you do, in what has been a very tough time for the travel industry, if you have the support of your family and friends, and the outstanding Travel Counsellors community.
In business there are always opportunities if you keep a positive mindset, and I am very excited for the future of my travel business.
In the meantime, I am sure that we will travel with a purpose, leisure and corporate. We will cherish our travel experiences and memories and have a greater appreciation of the amazing destinations we can travel to. And above all I hope that we will be kinder to the environment, our wildlife and give back to communities around the world through travel. Let us travel with a purpose!