Advising Travel in the Time of COVID
It was one incredibly hectic week. A hurricane was bearing down on Riviera Maya, and the resorts we were planning on touring were in the bullseye! It was the first time we’d traveled internationally since COVID-19, so cash was needed for tips, drinks, transfers, and bellmen. Plus, I needed pick up all those sweet travel size hairsprays, face wash, lotions and toothpaste!
As I was preparing for our trip to Mexico, you could see those helping me had their curiosity piqued. “Where are you headed?” asked the CVS employee.
“I’m off to Mexico, to see some resorts that we want to book for our agency’s clients.” I said.
“No way!…how are you getting there? There’s a global travel ban” she exclaimed.
“No, the global travel advisory was terminated back in early August,” I corrected her.
A little later, I was at the bank. Although other trips to Mexico meant we needed pesos, this time we were only going to be at American-friendly resorts. So, I just needed to withdraw some smaller dominations of cash.
“Why all the small bills?” asked the clerk.
“I’m off to Mexico with my travel agency” I said.
“How?” she asked. “I heard the border is still closed.”
“No, the border is actually closed to foot traffic” I corrected her. “Flights have been happening consistently since the tourism corridor of Riviera Maya opened up back in June.”
That same week, I was at my doctor’s office, getting medically cleared to travel. The doctor informed me “Sure you’re cleared to travel, but there is NO WAY you are going to be able to go to Riviera Maya this week when it’s expected to be hit with a hurricane. There’s no way to know what’s been damaged in time.”
I explained that “I just happen to have all my resort managers and sales personnel available on email and by cell. I’m sure I’ll have an update in plenty of time to know if we can travel or not.”
By the time Saturday had arrived, Sam and I were packed and ready to go. Money in hand, passports ready, Mexican medical questionnaire filled out —as we’d already heard that none of the resorts we were visiting had sustained damage. We were unquestionably off to Mexico!
As a travel advisor, now more than ever, it is my job to educate those around me about where clients CAN travel to, the protocols necessary to ensure that they can travel safely, as well as letting them know where travel is still not yet advised.
Furthermore, clients are typically uninformed on what quarantine requirements are in place for both their destination as well as their home state. In lieu of researching these requirements, people often decide it’s too hard to determine and instead make other “staycation plans.” Or sometimes barrel ahead thinking that somehow it will all work out in the end. Not a smart move.
Earlier this season clients reached out to our agency asking if they would get their passport renewal back in time to ski in Canada for Christmas. They were getting ready to use flight credits and didn’t want to bother us with planning the trip. But they had no idea that Canada was closed to non-essential travel right now and that being a U.S citizen without authorization to visit this country would have led to fines.
In other situations, we find it incredibly common for those who haven’t booked with a travel advisor to not have had the correct type of COVID test, may not be aware of an unexpected quarantine, or even worse, not to be allowed to enter the country in the first place.
Knowledge empowers our clients to make smart decisions about their trips. For those who can safely travel along with a little extra planning assistance from our team, we can make that much needed-family or romantic escape happen — safely and securely.
So, dust off that passport…make sure the expiration date is not happening during the time you plan to travel, and allow our dedicated team of genies make your dream vacation happen!
Blog by: Kristy Mosolino, Owner Wishes Travel
