Musings from a sedentary travel advisor …
As I sit looking out my window on this lazy afternoon, you may be surprised by what I am thinking.
As a luxury travel advisor, my normal day is spent chatting with clients about their upcoming trips, reaching out to suppliers, planning interesting experiences, and keeping organized. Every day brings new clients, unique itineraries, and fresh possibilities. What an incredible pleasure it is to bring clients’ bucket lists to life. That’s why this profession is so gratifying. Who knew, in the midst of all this wonderful busyness, that our world was about to change?
It turns out that people weren’t the only things traveling from one side of the world to the other. The virus that reached our shores brought haunting disease and terrible upheaval to our lives. In addition to the significant health and economic impact we suddenly faced, our days of relatively carefree travel were over. Everything ground to a halt. Securing refunds, cancelling reservations, answering travel insurance questions, and postponing trips consumed my life. The reality of living in this “new normal” was breathtaking.
Newly armed with TIME to spare, my wheels started turning. I assembled a project list – everything from organizing drawers, matching lids to containers, cleaning the garage (yuck), to doing yard work, washing the dogs, and cleaning my chicken coop. Once these items were crossed off the list, I watched travel webinars, read books – one after the other – and redesigned my website (www.travelistaalli.com). My favorite project was organizing tons of family photos in boxes into separate stacks for each of my children. Slowly sifting through pictures of our vacations, family celebrations, school plays, baseball games, and all the pets we have owned was such a treat.
It’s amazing … with the time to really ponder life, count blessings, truly reconnect with family and friends and enjoy the little things that make life so special, this global “time out” has actually been a bit of a gift.
While my profession was profoundly impacted by the crisis and the world is a different place than it was three months ago, as I sit here looking out my window, I am filled with appreciation and optimism. We can look forward to a “better normal.” We WILL travel again … and when we do, it will be with a renewed sense of awe and wonder. The freedom to explore the world will deepen our connection to the planet and to each other.
In the meantime, my dog Marley is keeping watch over our flock of hens in our backyard, and I have the luxury of time to dream.
Travelista Alli 
Fantastic read!! You were meant to do this and better days will come again
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Fantastic read!! You were meant to do this and better days will come again
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