With everything that’s been going on and the insanity that has the coronavirus at its foundation, I’ve gotten a tad behind on blog posting and, well, life! I’ve had a lot of people reaching out to see how we’re doing and express their concern which finally prompted me to write an update to our clients. Since it goes beyond just our clients, I thought I’d go ahead and share it here also… Hope everyone is hanging in there – quarantine and all! We WILL get through this!
Dear Friends, Clients, & Fellow Adventurers…
I have been receiving messages from so many of you wanting to check in and see how I’m doing during this bizarre time that we all find ourselves in, so I figured it might be helpful to just send a note out to you all with an update.
2020 started out much like other years… As everyone emerged from the holiday celebrations and sugar comas, many of you started thinking about where you wanted to venture this year. Itineraries were being designed, booked, and anticipated with excitement…but then people started hearing about what was going on in Wuhan, and within a few short weeks, everything changed.
Having worked in financial services for nearly 2 decades prior to entering into the travel industry, I am no stranger to difficult times, but the coronavirus has had impacts that have left the travel industry around the world reeling. Even those who have been around for decades have recognized this as a truly unprecedented event.
It’s been sad to watch this beautiful business that I love and have poured so much of myself into basically wither away in just a few weeks. Some trips have cancelled completely, others have just rescheduled, and I’m sure that things will turn around and we’ll get back to where we were, but the question that no one really knows the answer to is, “How long will that take?”
While awaiting an answer and sitting here under the “Shelter In Place” ordinance, it’s helpful to know I’m not alone!
My heart has always been for serving – that’s why I started this business in the first place: To serve people with something I was passionate about. This is still my heart’s desire and I’m not about to stop moving forward with that goal no matter what the future holds!
That said, I want to let you all know that I am not closing my doors at this time, but with the extensive loss of business, I am in the process of taking on other work so that I can pay the mortgage, eat, and generally just keep living.
As such, if you are currently working on any itineraries with me, I would ask for your patience as it may take me a little longer to respond depending on my new work schedule once that’s in place. However, I want to assure everyone that I will still be monitoring and working on your trips and responding to messages as I’m able.
If you have a trip currently booked that hasn’t been rescheduled yet, right now we’re seeing tour operators, hotels, and ground operations teams trying to handle things with about a 2-4 week window, so if your trip isn’t happening until later this summer or fall, we may well be past this crisis, so rescheduling without penalty won’t be an option until we get closer to your departure date. We’re staying in close touch with our partners on those trips also and will communicate with you individually once we have something of relevance to share.
If you’re not currently planning a trip, there’s no rush. The world ultimately isn’t going anywhere. And when you’re ready to travel, we’ll be here and be ready to serve you as we have been doing!
I’m enormously humbled and thankful for the support and care that so many of you have expressed in reaching out and want you to know that, as much as I have been and will continue to be passionate about travel, I’m truly passionate about all of you – it’s my clients that really keep me moving forward and for that, I can’t thank you enough!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have.
Wishing you peace, joy, health, and
deepening personal connections during this time!
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