Postpone, Don’t Cancel, To Support Small Business

As I sit here drinking my morning coffee and strategizing changes to upcoming trips due to COVID-19, I’m thinking about all the individuals who are affected by this situation. First and foremost, my heart goes out to those individuals affected by the virus who are fighting for their health. I’m sending positive thoughts to everyone in hopes that we all stay safe and healthy. Secondly, I’m thinking about my clients whose travel plans need to be altered. For weeks and months, we’ve been working to plan their trips, whether that’s a mother daughter weekend in Miami or a safari of a lifetime. No matter how big or small the trip, my clients are disappointed about the changes, stressed about making timely decisions and about making the right decisions. Even a week ago, conversations with my clients were about whether traveling was the right choice for them. Now there is no choice. Flights are cancelling. Hotels are shutting down. Borders are closing and we’re all social distancing. While taking in all these restrictions, it’s easy to see that large companies like airlines are heavily affected. There’s even talk of the government providing bailouts for these large corporations. But I want to turn your focus to the thousands of small businesses and individuals that aren’t being talked about in the media who are just as effected by these restrictions. It’s these individuals who bring your trips to life.

The image above on the left is of a maiko-san and a geiko-san (different stages of training in becoming a geisha) in Kyoto, Japan from my most recent trip less than a month ago. These ladies are 15 years old and 21 years old respectively. Their careers entail keeping Japanese culture and art forms alive by performing and entertaining their customers. No, there’s nothing promiscuous about it despite common misconceptions. On my last night in Japan, they performed traditional dance and music for the group I was traveling with.

The image on the right is of Antonio Viva; he’s the famous sandal maker on Capri. His shop is located on a pedestrian street in Anacapri. For decades, he’s been making custom sandals within 10-minutes for visitors to his store.

These are the faces of travel. Without booking your hotel on Capri, there would be little to no pedestrians walking past Antonio’s store to purchase his sandals. Without taking the bullet train to Kyoto, these young geisha-in-training would have no one to share their culture with.

Think about upcoming trips you have booked. Perhaps you have a dinner and flamenco show booked in Seville, Spain. There are countless people behind the scenes who enable that experience to happen for you - the person that plans your trip, the owner and the staff at the show’s venue, the flamenco dancers and musicians, the artisans who design and sew the dancers’ and musicians’ attire, the farmers and producers who provide the product for dinner and the distribution company that makes sure those products were delivered to the venue on time. Your dollars spent go directly to local communities to ensure their growth and survival.

My own small business, Sea to City Travels, is another example of a business that has been directly impacted by this situation. It’s been extremely difficult seeing months of hard work unravel within days. I’m here to help clients during this difficult time as much as I can, whether that means postponing or cancelling, and by no means want this post to appear as if I am complaining. On the contrary, I feel thankful that my clients continue to trust me during this difficult time. However, each travel restriction brings new trip changes, which means more time spent revising and no additional financial compensation. All advisors are paid for their time via commissions once clients travel. If clients don’t travel, we are not paid for our time and expertise, even when the trip is completely planned. Additionally, their money doesn’t support the local community they had hoped to explore. So from the bottom of my heart, I’d encourage all my clients to postpone instead of cancel their trips. I know that’s not possible all the time but when possible, please postpone. When you postpone, you ensure travel advisors are eventually paid for their time, and that every individual involved with your trip eventually sees your dollars. And you also get to take that dream trip!

If postponing is not possible at this time, please come back to us when it is the right time to rebook your travel. We’re here eagerly awaiting the day when restrictions disappear, borders reopen, planes are full and we have the privilege of helping you see the world, wherever your passport takes you.