Last week we offered a little preview into our world as travel agents, in light of the cruise industry having ground to a halt the week before.
It sure feels like more than a week ago, doesn’t it?
We’re still very busy helping clients adjust their plans, but the pace has become manageable to the point where we can begin to form some new routines until the world returns to normal.
And it will return to normal – it will just take longer than most of us would like.
We’ve been struggling with how to best communicate with you. We obviously don’t think this is the appropriate time to be sending out “sales” messages, but we don’t want to be silent either.
Earlier today, we were privileged to attend a (virtual) meeting with the top Executives from ten major Ocean Cruise Lines, and were reminded of few important things about this industry.
Perhaps most notably, the meeting reinforced how instructional the tag line for our business The Pampered Cruiser is at this time. Remember, our tag line is “Dream.Travel.Share”.
During our meeting, we were reminded that travel has a ‘triple bottom line’. When you plan a trip, there are three payoffs. Travel brings joy:
- when you dream about it
- when you actually experience it, and
- when you remember it
When we travel, the one-or-two-week experience itself is really only one-third (or less) of the total value we get from the trip.
Before we go away, we have the anticipation, planning and excitement of the trip (DREAM). Interestingly, studies show that this is where we actually get the most value out of our trip.
When we return, we come back with memories and stories that last us a lifetime (SHARE).
We aren’t really able to TRAVEL right now, but we can still DREAM and SHARE.
Some of us aren’t ready to DREAM yet. The reality of what is happening in the world is still too raw.
Many others are already actively dreaming about (and planning) the trips they want to take when this is over. Almost all our clients who had their cruise cancelled in April have already re-booked.
This crisis, like all others, will eventually pass, and each of us has to decide when we’re ready to DREAM again.
Whenever you’re ready, we’re here for you.
We can also SHARE while we wait this thing out.
Bob and I are working furiously right now to re-edit some of our video clips from our previous river cruises, and will have something to SHARE shortly.
Here’s a hint: We’re going to take a Viking River Cruise on the Danube, and we’ll invite all of you along. We’ll post this on Facebook, so if you’re not connected with us already, here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser
If you’ve already done this cruise, we’d love you to weigh in with Facebook comments about your own experiences on this trip. If this trip is on your bucket list, this is a great chance to get a preview. If you were going to do this trip in the next few weeks, and had that option taken away from you – well, it won’t be as good as if you actually got to go, but perhaps this will be a bit of fun until you get to do it yourself.
We’ll send out a note once we’re ready to begin “broadcasting” on Facebook. We’ll visit a different port every day, and discuss our experience there.
If you want to SHARE a different itinerary, we’ve documented a number of our other cruises on our YouTube Channel. Here’s the link: www.YouTube.com/ThePamperedCruiser
For Bob and me, this process has been quite cathartic. Rather than being exclusively focused on cancelling and rebooking clients’ cruise plans, we are looking forward to being able to DREAM along with them again.
In the next few weeks as we walk this tightrope between being sensitive to the very real crisis happening in the world, and DREAMING for when it’s over, please excuse us if we err too much on one side or the other.
Warm regards,
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
