Wishes Travel Working New Magic For You
“When you can’t work in your business, work on your business.” This quote from a friend and networking colleague Wallace Moorehand speaks volumes about the challenging times we’ve all been experiencing.
In March 2020, we were just about to launch the busiest Spring Break travel week in the eight-year history of our agency. Wishes Travelers were excitedly planning upcoming breaks that included traveling to Europe, cruising the high seas, basking on the beaches of the Caribbean Isles, and adventuring in fun theme parks.
It was going to be epic.
Within a week however, disaster struck. What that meant for us was spending over 15-20 hours per day processing one cancellation after the other in what can only be described as a massive hemorrhage in expected revenue for our agency. Client after client were forced to cancel upcoming travel.
What was supposed to be a temporary pause for the travel industry, extended through March…and into April…then May and on… with no end in sight. Each week delivered more bad news with indefinite postponement of the cruise industry and continued closures of Disney and Universal theme parks. The Caribbean Islands kept their borders sealed and even within the U.S., interstate travel bands went into effect.
Once the initial wave of cancellations paused, we, like the rest of the world went into a sort-of hibernation. Then we received that call from our friend Wallace, checking in to see how we were doing. It was during that conversation that he uttered those words of wisdom which we took to heart.
For our first blog entry on our newly-developed site, I want to focus on three of the many adjustments we’ve made for Wishes Travel to become a better agency on the other side of this all. These include strengthening our relationships with travel suppliers, cultivating new types of travel experiences, and developing the romance travel arm of our agency.
Supplier Relationships. The same room at a Mexican resort may be offered by multiple companies. But it doesn’t mean the experience booking, traveling to, or staying in that room is the same. While some of these companies were easy to work with during the travel interruption, some were not. We have chosen to move forward and only work with the companies that have the best interest of our clients in mind. This ensures that when our clients are ready to travel, they be well taken care of!
New Destination Experiences. Let’s face it, until the U.S. sees a massive decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and positive tests, there’s a good chance we will remain on the international “naughty list”. Until that happens, we’ve chosen to focus on our clients’ domestic travel needs. Many who have never rented an RV before or taken a “road trip” out West are turning to us for advice. Wishes has tirelessly worked hard to set up new opportunities to travel right here in the U.S. by offering RV rentals, road trip itineraries, rustic cabin experiences, and a focus on our hidden gem destinations!
Romance Travel and the Mini-Moon. One morning my husband and co-manager Sam was listening to a business podcast, and this one big piece of advice resonated with him: “When things are abnormal, find out what is still normal and constant.”
Giving this some real thought, he realized that one type of travel that IS still happening is honeymoon planning. Sam spearheaded the development of a Romance travel arm of Wishes Travel by certifying as a Destination Wedding, Honeymoon, and Romance Travel Specialist and strengthening relationships with the romance travel industry. Many couples still desire a big-dream honeymoon, but in the interim they’re opting for smaller “mini-moons” they can take right after the wedding to places. To like Mexico, Napa Valley Wine Country, or the Florida Keys.
Travel is slowly returning. Disney and Universal parks are now open with capacity restrictions and safety requirements. Mexico is open for business as long as you have a passport, and the Caribbean Islands are starting to accept guests with a negative COVID test. But we are still far from the “normal” resumption of travel.
In the interim however, we’re choosing to use our time wisely by making Wishes Travel a stronger, more resilient, and more diverse company than ever before.
When you’re ready to move from dreaming about your next vacation and are ready to plan, we stand by ready to make it so!
Blog by: Kristy Mosolino, Owner Wishes Travel
