The End of Travel? Nah...Hold My Beer.

Although, announcements of "new" CDC guidelines appear to be never-ending, there really is a light at the end of this miserable tunnel we've all found ourselves in.  Whether your personal news source is CNN, CNBC, FOX, facebook or something else, you need only to scroll down a bit to find articles of encouragement regarding some positive news these days.  Nationally, overall new Covid cases and hospitalizations are declining, at a pretty significant rate.  Am I too optimistic?   Perhaps.  Having a positive attitude is imperative to our mental health; it's how we move forward in life.  It forces us to set goals and continue to move forward even when it seems there is no end to our turmoil in sight.    

Some of you may think the new CDC guidelines will destroy the travel industry permanently, not so fast.  This is literally our industry's "hold my beer" moment.  The "unknown" is what has had us all feeling helpless and hopeless. The new guidelines provide us the opportunity to find solutions and the travel industry has done just that, and it has done so at a remarkable speed.  It's no secret our industry is fighting for it's life.  Not only are speedy solutions necessary for our survival they are also a testament to our resilience and will.

Before you throw in the towel on those bucket-list dreams, here are some things to consider:

RE-ENTRY TESTING IS NOT NEW

Throughout this pandemic, airlines were never completely grounded, which means people have continued to travel.  Many other countries have been requiring re-entry testing for months, as well as, some states right here in the U.S.  Most of you have not traveled so this new announcement has come as a shock; but many of you may have already experienced this and it has become "old hat".  Everyone hates change, but travel enthusiasts hate to be sitting at home doing nothing even more.  We will do whatever is asked of us to continue to explore the world.

THERE WAS FORESIGHT

The industry has been following how other countries have handled their re-entry testing requirements.  Tropical destinations rely on tourism to survive and because they knew it was imperative for their survival they have come up with their own protocols, and when it was GO-TIME they WENT!

THERE ARE SOLUTIONS

The immediate implementation of affordable and/or complimentary onsite testing at hundreds of resorts/hotels proves our industry is ahead of the game.  "What if my Covid test comes back positive", you ask?   The majority of those same resorts/hotels are also providing reduced pricing and/or complimentary accommodations for guests to quarantine.

THERE ARE OPTIONS

Just as with everything else, you all have options.  As a travel advisor myself, at the expense of my livelihood, my conscience has kept me from selling travel for months.  However, now that we have some guidelines, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is time to encourage people to travel again or, at least, to be thinking about traveling again.  The lessons learned through travel are simply too numerous and too valuable to discourage.  That being said, we all have our own comfort levels, and you should only travel if you're up for the challenge because it will be a challenge, at least at first.  If you're not comfortable traveling yet, by all means stay home and wait until you're ready.  However, if you're one of the brave souls ready to forge a path through this "new normal" of travel, I'm happy to help you navigate that path, and I will gladly "hold your beer" for you. 



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