Respecting the Distance

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized2 Comments

For those of you who follow me on Facebook and Instagram you know that just over a week ago I had a very traumatic experience at Walmart. It was the weekend of hoarding and panic buying. It really sparked a level of anxiety I don’t think I have ever experienced before. I know I am not the only one who felt (feels) that way.

The start of my work week was much like the week before. I went to the office and it was all hands on deck. Being in the travel industry, which is an ‘essential’ service, we were helping people get back to Canada, facilitating clients who had to cancel their existing bookings and be there for each other. If you know someone who is a travel professional, you may have some understanding of what this time has been like for us.

On Wednesday I finally had the go ahead to work from home. When I left the office I called my parents to ask what they needed from the store as I once I got home I would not be going out again for many days.

I went to the No Frills at Centrepointe Mall. I walked over to one of the produce staff and thanked him. He said, “what for”? I said, for make sure all the customers got what they needed. He was very vocal about the insanity from the weekend before. He really shed a light on the process. Because of all the panic buying and food hoarding, it set back the supply chain about 72 hours. They can’t catch up while the people are storming the stores and grabbing everything in sight.

But that changed towards the end of the week. The city and province put rules in place for “social distancing”, limiting the number of people in the stores, recommending special hours for seniors and those with compromised immune systems. Thankfully I was tucked in at home and didn’t need anything.

Until yesterday…when I went to make KD for lunch and took out my milk, which had gone bad. Yup, no milk for my coffee or my KD. What was I to do? Well, nothing yesterday. It was already the middle of the afternoon and I wasn’t going anywhere at that time of the day.

I woke up early this morning and arrived at No Frills on Centre about 8:45am. There was a line which didn’t bother me. I got my cart and took my place in line. I would say that for most folks they were leaving a shopping cart length between, except for the man behind me who didn’t have a cart and was too close to me. I moved up two inches, he moved two inches. I was about to say can you back the “f’ up, but just moved the cart around.

I was observing the folks leaving the store. Do you know what each and every cart had…you guessed it… TOILET PAPER.

I spoke to the owner when I entered the store and thanked him. I told him that this was the least anxiety I have had since this started. He said they were just waiting for the directives to be put into place to help level it off.

There was meat, chicken, lamb and more. There was a full case of meat and chicken in the Kosher section, milk, eggs cheese and more. Some of the milk options were limited, but there was at least milk to buy.

I thanked the clerk who checked me out and came home. Home is where I plan on staying for quite a while. There is no need to leave (except for walks). My fridge is full, my freezer is full and my pantry is full.

I was quiet at home, resting on my couch when I got a text message – it said go to ur balcony. I had a nice surprise visit when my brother brought my two nieces for a quick hello from the street. Made my day.

I am looking forward to talking to you, my friends on the phone or on FaceTime any time you want. Those of you with families have a busy house with lots going on. Take the time to remember those who are alone. Social distancing, or self isolation is hard for those who live alone, no matter the age.

I think we all need to get used to this new normal as I feel it is going to be here for a while. I think quite a while.

I will be here, and sharing my love for storytelling with you. I hope you will come on this journey with me. What else do you have to do?

Stay home, safe and secure and most of all stay connected.

Lisa

 

Tales from the front line – crisis management

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized1 Comment

As I mentioned in my post a few days ago, I have been battling a lot of anxiety. I want to be open and honest about it, as I am heading to the office today for, if all things go well, the last time for a while. It is 100% the right thing to be doing and I said to friends on Sunday, that by Wednesday I knew it would be the time.

While I know we, in the travel industry are not ‘front line’ essential workers but the societal definition, if you ask anyone in the travel industry, WE have been on the front line for a long time now in this global event called Corona-virus or Covid-19.

Our Asia division has been working through this for a few months now. In January as my Europe team was in FULL on booking and planning mode with our clients, planning honeymoons, anniversary trips, birthday celebrations to Europe our team across the floor was being crushed. All flights to Asia stopped, countries in lock down, cancellation after cancellation. We listened as co-workers, hugging and lending a compassionate ear. All the while, we were in our glory, bookings and quotes and requests for glorious holidays to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and beyond.

A few short weeks ago, we started to get information that a hot zone arrived in small towns outside Milan, Italy. Concern started to grow as those areas self isolated. Then a week or so later, it was out of control.

For those who may not know, Italy is one of our top selling countries in Europe. If you have been, I do not need to explain. The phone calls started, and at first, it was not a panic. Our ‘travel season’ really starts in the spring, so April travel mostly is where it begins. This is February…lots of time, we should be okay, right?

Think again. We are now, as we all know in a global pandemic. Italy is closed. Now country by country the world is shutting down. If you haven’t been listening, it is the only way to ‘flatten the curve’.

The calls for travel requests have stopped. Now the calls are for cancellations, and changes and helping people work through their own panic and fear, as I said the other day, balancing and working through our own fears.

We are here, still working, helping clients who are STILL, I mean still not back in Canada as of yet. Yesterday one of my team mates was jumping back and forth between two computers trying desperately to get her clients out of Malaga back to North America. It is becoming harder and harder and after this weekend, if you are not home in North America, it will be too late. Wherever you are, you will need to stay for a while.

People still want to travel, but they don’t know when it will be okay to do so. I know that my trip in May to London and Dublin is rapidly falling away. I am too busy helping other people work out their plans to think about my own, but I know that in the coming weeks I will need to make my decision to cancel my ticket and put my trip on hold.

Travel is not just something I “do” for work. I have been doing it for thirty years. It is a part of who I am. Just ask some of the people I have been messaging the past week or so. A friend of my parents who spends the winter in Mexico, she is thankfully back on Canadian soil now, but had her trip scheduled to return at the end of the month. A friend who works for one of our airlines, engaged me for some personal assistance with her parents trip yesterday. I was concerned about the amazing lady I met last summer who is recovering from Cancer and was on a family holiday trip to Hawaii and followed her journey and all the comments of people advising her to come home.

The tourism industry is being beaten up in a way that has never been seen before. When the battle is over and the dust clears it is clear that not all will be left standing. It is too soon to say what cruise line, what hotels, what airlines will look like in a couple of months. But one thing is FOR SURE, the industry has proven time and time again that like the Phoenix, we will rise again. People are already asking about changing their trips for the fall, and I feel that we will be able to look ahead and I would put money on the fact that 2021 will be a rocking year as all of world will be looking for tourism to come back.

I will go to the office today and continue to help people from there until I can work from home. Once I am home, I will need time to rest. While I will still be working, it will be time to slow down, self isolate and self care.

We all need some self care right now. I used the word madness in a status update on Facebook last week and it is. We all need to take a pause.

I am going to keep writing as I work through this. There are so many stories I want to share with you all. I really appreciate you as come along with my on my journey.

Stay inside, wash your hands and make sure you reach out to someone today, they need it, more than you know.

Lisa

The Battlefield of the Unknown

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized1 Comment

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