I haven't been blogging lately, because I haven't been traveling. Hardly anybody has. Since the coronavirus pandemic reached America back in early March, almost everything was shut down for the duration. Fortunately, it appears that duration is now close to ending. At Travel Designers Travel Leaders in Rice Lake, we've been working hard these past three months to help our clients sort out their travel issues and help them start planning for the day--hopefully soon--when it's safe to travel widely again.
We've been putting out a weekly newsletter in these past few months, and to get this blog rolling again, I thought it might be helpful to go back and reprint the newsletters, starting with the one we issued on March 30. Looking back on them, it's hard to believe we've come this far in just two months' time. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be using this blog to give our readers and travel friends an idea of where we were, how our clients were doing and how we've coped.
So, let's go back in time to the early days. Unlike the old Lone Ranger TV show, we don't consider them "thrilling days of yesteryear."
***
March 30
Hello,
fellow travelers. It feels odd to write that, because nobody is traveling now,
and we really don’t know when we’ll be able to start again. I’m confident that
day will come, but in the meantime we have to deal with the disappointment of
lost vacations, delayed dreams and fears that these chances to travel again might
be a long time returning.
As we
work together to straighten out the myriad and often maddening web of
cancellations, vouchers and refunds, we also have to deal with the grief of
seeing our travel dreams deferred to some uncertain future date. And “grief” is
exactly what it is, with stages that are familiar, because we’ve all
experienced grief.
Stage
1: Denial
We had all heard
that the coronavirus was causing serious problems in China, but we tended to
downplay the voices who warned that it would disrupt the entire world.
Hysterical doom-sayers, we thought.
But
then it happened, and as we saw flights and cruises canceled and heard news of
borders being closed, our denial quickly changed. We entered the next stage.
Stage
2: Anger
By early March, it
was getting very real. Athletic events and concerts were being canceled. I was
traveling with some colleagues to South Asia, leading up to our scheduled
International Summit in Jaipur, India. In the foothills of the Himalayas, we
explored Nepal, but our planned visit to neighboring Bhutan was called off when
that nation closed its borders. Within a couple days, India closed its borders
and we were advised to come home. The conference was canceled and we were told
to get the first available flight out of Kathmandu and hope for the best.
We were
tired, fearful and a little angry that we’d been unable to visit Bhutan and
India, and when we returned to our offices the new reality sank in very
quickly, as we went to work helping our clients alter or cancel their own
travel plans. We heard the pain and frustration in their voices and much the
same from our travel partners—airlines, cruise lines, tour companies, hotels—as
we all struggled with the situation. Very quickly, we had to move out of Stage
2 and deal with what had to be done next.
Stage
3: Bargaining
We’ve been able to
secure travel vouchers for virtually every one of our clients. These vouchers
are good for future trips, as the great majority of our vendors were confident
of their ability to ride out the virus and resume full operations at some
point. Some of our clients requested cash refunds, perhaps because of the
uncertainty of future dates being available, or the desire to have cash
available now. Every day, we are working diligently to ensure that all of our
clients will be able to come out of this trying period with something.
Horror
stories have been rolling in almost daily about internet-based companies, such
as BookIt.com, who have closed their virtual doors and left their clients
literally stranded in foreign countries, in some cases with large tabs for
hotels or airline tickets that they had already paid to the travel companies months
ago. In other cases, these clients are stuck on hold for hours on end, if they
can even get through to someone, in their desperate attempts to get relief. I
have great empathy for travelers stuck in those situations, and our office has
been working extra hard to make sure our own clients are served as quickly and
as professionally as possible. And as we work together with clients, we begin
to move into the next stage.
Stage
4: Depression
We began to
experience the same feelings our clients were having. Will this ever end? Will
our business survive? When will things get back to normal? And what kind of
“normal” will that be? We avoided looking at our retirement accounts. Every
night we sat in front of the TV, trying to figure out what news could be
trusted, whether our leaders were doing the right thing. As more and more of
our town and area moved into quarantine, with school suspended, many businesses
shuttered and even our churches closed, we started thinking, if only just a
little bit, that the gloom-and-doom people might just turn out to be right
after all.
It was
depressing to even think about it, and for what seemed like weeks but was
actually only a few days, things looked bleak indeed. But then, we moved on to
the next stage.
Stage
5: Acceptance
The new reality,
even if it is only temporary, is now upon us. We can’t travel—not only on
flights or cruises, but not even by car across the state to visit relatives. We
now know a lot about phrases like “social distancing” and “self-quarantine.”
Our leaders have called upon us to be mindful of our neighbors and other
members of our community, to help them, and us, avoid infection and illness.
But we
have also seen many hopeful signs. In some countries, the rate of infection has
dropped. In our own country, the massive power of American industry is kicking
in to supply our medical providers with vital equipment and supplies. Our scientific
community is working hard to develop drugs to treat the disease and a vaccine
to prevent its spread. Government on every level is responding with
coordinated, non-partisan efforts. We’ve also been able to start gaining
much-needed perspective. A hundred years ago, America suffered greatly from the
Spanish flu, and yet here we are, thanks to the sacrifice and determination of
our great-grandparents.
We will
get through this. Working together, caring for our loved ones and our
neighbors, we will survive this. The planes will fly and the ships will sail,
and we will be there to help our clients realize their dreams.
April 6
We are
now into April, and although it seems like the coronavirus pandemic has been
disrupting our lives for months, it’s actually been only a couple weeks or so
since schools and many stores closed down and we were forced to start changing
or canceling our planned travel.
How are
you doing? Hopefully, you and your loved ones have been able to steer clear of
the virus. Things might still get a little worse before they get better, but
many projections now have us approaching the peak of the pandemic here in the
U.S. Indeed, many countries that were hit hard early are now getting a handle
on things and moving back toward normal life.
It
might be hard for us to remember what “normal” life was, even though it wasn’t
that long ago. For most of us, dealing with things like social-distancing or
self-quarantining are presenting us with new challenges. To meet them, maybe we
can get some tips from our friends across the sea, in one of the countries hardest-hit
by the virus.
Italy
has always been one of my favorite places, and one of the top European
destinations for our clients. But the virus has hit the Italians harder than
any other nation on that continent. There are signs that Italy is on the
downside of their “curve,” and we join our Italian friends in hoping and
praying that’s true, and that in a short time things will start getting back to
normal over there. In the meantime, Italians are coping, and many of the ways
in which they’re doing it can teach us a few lessons over here. Travel writer
Natalie Beauregard writes about them on the site www.afar.com. She talked with Sophie
Minchilli, operator of a food tour company based in Rome, who said it’s about dolce far niente.
That translates to
“the sweetness of doing nothing.” Minchilli notes that many Europeans, like
Americans, live in a world where we have to constantly stay busy. Full
schedules give us meaning and purpose. But, she says, “Italians have a
different approach to life. They have figured out a way of being in the moment
with such joy and blissfulness that they don’t need to ‘look forward’ to
anything else.”
How can
Americans find “the sweetness of doing nothing” while we are home under
quarantine, or at the least, very limited in what we can do if we leave home?
Here are some tips:
-- Make a schedule. Even if we’re staying
home that day, it helps to get organized and have things to do, so we’re not
overwhelmed with free time. Set some goals: start that book you’ve been meaning
to get to, bake some bread, tackle a home-maintenance project that’s overdue.
-- Get some exercise. You may not be able
to go to your gym, but the internet is full of free classes, and you can always
take a walk, stretch, and do exercises that don’t involve special equipment.
Good physical health and emotional well-being go hand-in-hand.
-- Take a technology break. The explosion
of information can be overwhelming, so set aside a time where the phone is
turned off and you stay away from the computer, especially before bedtime.
-- Chat with friends, interact with family. When
you use your phone, use it like a simple telephone. Give a friend or distant
relative a call. Re-connect with people you haven’t talked to in a while. If
the kids are home with you, set aside time for games, and not computer games,
either; re-discover the joys of board games and puzzles. And now might be the
time to spend more quality time with your spouse, too.
-- Cook something. Anybody who’s been to
Italy, or even to a good Italian restaurant in the U.S., knows that Italians
know how to cook. Since we’re not going out to eat for the duration, the joy of
cooking can return to our homes. Plan a menu for the week, so you can shop
smartly, and involve family members with the cooking (and clean-up!) chores.
Experiment with new recipes. Now’s the time to think outside the food box,
literally. Cooking from scratch is not only emotionally rewarding, it provides
healthier meals. (And it’s a lot more fun!)
When
things get back to normal, we’ll be helping our clients resume their travel
dreams, and no doubt some of them will want to go to Italy. The history, the
culture, the food…I might just go back myself! But in the meantime, while we’re
still here at home, we can all enjoy a little dolce far niente.
Arrivederci, my friends!
April 13
The big question everybody has now is,
“When will things start getting back to normal?” And for those who want to
travel, and those of us who want to help them, it’s more specific: “When will I
be able to travel again?”
Those are questions that have no
definite answers right now, but all indications are that we’re getting there.
Nobody can put a date on it, but there are some things that must happen before
we can start traveling:
·
-- The State
Department must lift its Level 4 travel advisory, which has been in place since
March 19.
· -- The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must give the “all clear.”
· -- The World Health
Organization (WHO) must give its all-clear, as well.
Closer to home, we will be watching for
when schools are allowed to open. Wisconsin schools closed on March 17, and the
school year is scheduled to end during the first week of June. And, of course,
we are all waiting to hear about the re-opening of businesses that have been
forced to close their doors or drastically limit what they can offer their
customers and clients, such as restaurants. China has already done that, and
many European countries are either starting to re-open or are planning on doing
so within the next couple weeks. Here in the U.S., several state governors are
now discussing their options.
Within the travel industry, one big
indicator will be when travel insurance companies start selling insurance
policies again. Many of them stopped when the outbreak began in March, and some
added new restrictions. When the companies start offering policies again, that
will be a strong indication that it’s safe to travel.
We understand that our clients may not
feel completely safe to travel, even when authorities are telling us that it’s
okay. Many people will want assurances that airlines, cruise lines and hotels
will be taking proper precautions with regard to hygiene. We will certainly be
working with our travel partners as closely as possible so that we’ll be able
to answer our clients’ questions with confidence.
Tourist attractions will start re-opening
eventually, but this may not necessarily be a completely reliable indicator
that it’s safe to travel. It will undoubtedly be a combination of factors that
will work together in helping you decide when it’s okay to travel, or even when
it’s all right to book a vacation that might be several months down the road.
Savvy travelers have been relying on us travel agents to help them for years,
and we’ll be ready to help you again when the time is right. And, we all hope,
that time isn’t too far away.
April 20
As we make our way through the coronavirus pandemic,
we’re starting to hear from clients who are wondering when they’ll be able to
start traveling again. That’s a good question, and one of those that’s
impossible to answer right now, at least as far as putting any kind of date on
our calendar. But it will happen, of that we’re very confident. And when we
start to fly and sail again, what changes will we have to deal with? Because
change is coming, and we’re pretty confident about that, too.
There
are some things travelers can do right now that will help prepare for the
coming re-opening of the travel industry:
· -- Make
a list of your travel vouchers and credits. Note their expiration dates, the
companies’ names, original travel date, original confirmation code or itinerary
number, and especially the amount of the credit. If you booked through our
agency, we have records of your vouchers and can help you with getting things
organized.
· -- Check
your passport expiration date. Although passports are good for ten years from
the date of issue, most people don’t realize that, in essence, the passport
expires six months in advance of the ten-year date. That’s because the country
you intend to visit often requires you to have six months of passport validity
remaining in order to enter the country. If you’re planning to go to Europe,
for example, and your trip is scheduled with less than six months to go on your
passport, you may not even be able to get on the plane. We advise our clients to
begin the renewal process as soon as they pass the nine-year mark. And right
now, no renewal applications are even being processed, because of the pandemic.
· -- Be
aware of the state of your destination country’s pandemic situation. Some
countries may “re-open” ahead of others, but there are no guarantees that
announced or predicted dates will actually happen. For example, you may hear in
July that Italy will “re-open” as of September 1, but you will want to book
your Italy trip for some time well after that date, just in case.
When you do get ready to travel, will
it be safe? During the current period, airlines
are offering only a few flights, and most cruise lines are not operating at
all. But planes and ships are not just sitting empty, and the airline and cruise
line employees are not all staying at home. A lot of them are at work, making
their planes and ships safe for their current and future customers.
Delta Airlines is still flying a
reduced schedule, and has already implemented safety procedures related to the
virus. Middle seats are not sold or occupied. Total numbers of passengers
allowed on any particular flight are reduced. Certain upgrades will only be
processed at the gate, allowing gate agents to determine if social-distancing
guidelines can accommodate the upgrade request. Delta has also instituted a new
standard of cleanliness for each aircraft. In addition to frequently cleaning
the cabin and other areas of the plane, Delta is streamlining its onboard food
and beverage service to decrease touch points between passengers and crew,
boarding only ten passengers at a time, and moving passengers about the cabin
after takeoff in order to maintain proper distancing and weight distribution.
Plus, Delta is giving passengers up to two years to re-book a canceled flight
for which you have received credit. This last part may change fairly often, so
we are making sure to stay on top of it so we can give our clients up-to-date
advice.
Cruise lines are using this time to
thoroughly disinfect their ships and institute new sanitation and hygiene
practices for when sailing resumes. Carnival, for instance, is greatly
increasing the frequency that virtually all surfaces on its ships will be
cleaned during a cruise. Among its extensive protocols, Carnival will make more
hand sanitizers available, and passengers in buffet lines will not be able to
serve themselves. The CDC regularly inspects cruise ships anyway, and certainly
each ship will undergo inspection before it goes back into service.
We are certainly looking forward to
helping our clients travel again, and they’re certainly anxious to travel, too.
But we’re all mindful now of safety, even more so than before. As our industry
moves toward the day when the “All Clear” is signaled—and we all hope that day
is soon—we’ll be working closely with our travel partners and our clients to
make sure that each client’s travel experience is safe, secure and even more
enjoyable than before.
