It is hard to actually communicate what I am feeling, and what I think so many people around us are feeling. It is such a fast moving storm people really don’t know where to go and hide from it….or do they? Home is where you hide from it. If it were only that simple.

A week ago I went to work on Monday morning and who would have thought that the events that happened over the course the next five days could ever happen? Not me.

As a travel professional

As I mentioned in my post last week, I have seen and survived many global crisis in my career and this by far is the worst crisis I have ever experienced.

Imagine in the course of five days every single cruise line stopping all sailings for two months, all coach tour companies, all river cruise companies, all buffet restaurants in Vegas, all international flights from Europe to the US, countries closing their borders, locking people in and keeping people out. Even the happiness place on earth has closed of its theme parks. It is unprecedented and has brought the global travel industry to its knees. Other than a time like 9/11 where the plans just stopped for that time period. We are almost there. An airline full stop globally, could that even happen?

It’s so much more than just the travel. It is every aspect of life as we know it. Schools, Gyms, libraries, and more.  Most cities have banned large gatherings of people which of course turns the lights off on Broadway, and Toronto, and many other US cities. All concerts, all sporting events ranging from NBA, NHL, MBA, Soccer, golf, NASCAR, figure skating, March Madness and so much more. All but the Olympics have been cancelled at this point, although I feel that this will happen very soon.

I work for one company selling a unique product now. That product is Europe and of course Europe, like the rest of the globe is under siege. My livelihood has gone from being exciting, robust and fulfilling to full stop, anxiety-ridden daily discoveries of what is to come next. I have been very aware of other friends in the industry that work with selling the south and all the people planning to travel south for March break.

I appreciate the travellers frustration. Your trip has been cancelled, or you chose to cancel or change your date. There is no refund only future travel credits. You are upset. But you have to look at it as if they gave every person their money back instead of future credits, the entire industry would cease to exist.

I bought myself a birthday present last month. For those of you who know my ‘slight’ obsession with #LondonCalling and my great desire to make a bucket list dream finally come true – well it is supposed to come true on May 22nd. Happy birthday to me – London and Dublin.

I advise my clients on a daily basis, “May is a long time away from now, this will look a lot different by then”. I have now been saying this for several weeks now. Yes, it is looking different and not in the way that I hope for. May is still a long way away, but I am going to be hopeful and I am not cancelling my plans, yet. I have purchased insurance that does include CFAR (Cancel for any reason) and even though the coverage is not a 100% refund I can exercise the right to cancel at any time and not go on the trip.

It is Sunday night and for the first time in a very long time I have a case of the Sunday Anxieties. I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that the government both provincial and federal have some very tough strong decisions that are going to come down this week. Our landscape is going to look a lot different by the end of the week is my feeling.

Until then, I will go to the office and help as many people as I can work through their own anxiety while internally battle my own.

If you know someone in not just the travel industry, but in any service industry, check in on them. They are not okay.

I am sure I will be in touch during the week,

Stay healthy, wash your hands and keep your distance!

Lisa