Wow! What an interesting 3 months it’s been living in a post Covid-19 world.  When our Prime Minister announced the “avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada” advisory on March 13th the following few weeks were absolute chaos in the travel world.

It was the start of the March Break here in Ontario and we were still in high season for travel.  Many travelers found themselves stuck in international destinations with cancelled flights and no way to get home or had their vacation plans cancelled at the last minute. With the sheer volume of travelers needing help, online travel agencies, airlines, hotels and tour operators were telling customers “Don’t call us, we can’t handle the volume of calls” and travelers found themselves disconnected after waiting on hold for hours over the phone and could not get the help or answers that they needed.

Customers who booked their vacation with a Travel Agent found themselves in a much better position.  Agents were working around the clock those first few weeks to help clients get clarification on what was happening to their vacation that was to be departing in the next week, to cancel and reschedule flights and to help travelers get home who were stuck in destination.  Travel Agents were also helping travelers whose vacation weren’t booked through them to get home with no expectation of being paid for the work they were doing (Travel Agents don’t get paid until after their client returns home from their vacation).

If there was ever a time to reiterate the benefits of working with a Travel Agent to book your vacation, now would be that time!

Although we can’t at the moment, we will travel again soon and now is the time to start planning and thinking about where you want to go when it’s safe to travel again.  The Travel and Tourism Industry (and the estimated 75 million people who work in the industry) are suffering from huge financial losses due to Covid-19 and they are going to need our help to recover.  If you need somewhere to start…why not plan your next vacation in Canada?  Whether it’s hopping on a plane to visit a different province, booking a hotel close to home for a weekend getaway or taking an epic week long road trip in the car with the kids to visit a few attractions.  And don’t forget that your Travel Agent will be there for you when you’re ready to travel again, before, during and after your travels.  Happy travel planning and stay safe!

Bonnie Gundert is a TICO Certified Travel Consultant and Owner of Great Adventures Travel. She lives and works in beautiful Oro-Medonte and has been in the travel business for 9 years, specializing in group travel, custom travel itineraries, women’s travel and family travel.  For more information visit www.greatadventurestravel.ca, call (705) 252-8012 or email Bonnie at bgundert@tpi.ca.