Travel experts discuss the state of the travel industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TravelTranscript
00:00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:03 At Afar, we've always believed in the power of travel
00:00:10 and that travel is a force for good.
00:00:12 And part of that is how do consumers experience that?
00:00:19 And advisors have been such a main key player
00:00:23 in getting more consumers out and having deeper experiences.
00:00:27 So shortly after Afar launched, we
00:00:30 launched our Travel Advisory Board.
00:00:31 In fact, John Galante, who's on the panel today,
00:00:34 was working with us at Afar.
00:00:36 And John and I started the board in 2012.
00:00:39 And it's grown since then to include even now
00:00:42 an Afar Advisor platform, which many of you
00:00:45 are fully aware of.
00:00:46 But today's focus is really to allow our esteemed Travel
00:00:50 Advisory Council to be here for you during this time.
00:00:54 So Annie Fitzsimmons, who is our Afar Advisor Editor and Luxury
00:00:59 Editor at Afar, has been moderating these so
00:01:02 successfully.
00:01:03 And we'll take over from here.
00:01:05 And we're so grateful to have you, Annie,
00:01:07 throughout this journey together.
00:01:09 And thank you for moderating today.
00:01:12 Thank you so much.
00:01:13 And hi, everyone, again, from my dining room table,
00:01:15 still in London.
00:01:16 Here we are.
00:01:18 So in a few words, just before we start,
00:01:21 we're going to focus a lot on the why today,
00:01:23 why we're in the industry, why we believe in advisors more
00:01:26 than ever, and why we will travel,
00:01:27 even if we don't know when.
00:01:29 Because we've been talking a lot over the last few weeks
00:01:32 about different cleanliness measures, and safety,
00:01:36 and trust, all of which is so, so important.
00:01:39 But my first question, for this incredible group of advisors,
00:01:43 agency owners all over the country,
00:01:47 I'm going to first talk about why
00:01:49 you got into the industry.
00:01:50 But first, I'm going to introduce you.
00:01:52 So we have John Galante, who is in Aspen, Snowmass.
00:01:58 We have Jennifer Wilson-Budajedge, who is in--
00:02:00 are you in--
00:02:02 you're not in the city, right?
00:02:03 You're in--
00:02:04 Snowmass, north of Manhattan.
00:02:06 Yes.
00:02:07 We have Katie Kadar, who's in Malibu, right?
00:02:11 Yeah, that's right.
00:02:13 We have Eric Marinov, who's in LA.
00:02:17 And then we have Carrie Gray.
00:02:19 Hi, Carrie.
00:02:21 In LA, also.
00:02:22 In LA, yes.
00:02:23 Thank you guys so much for being with us today.
00:02:26 So first, I just want to open with why you became an advisor,
00:02:31 why you're more committed to this industry than ever before,
00:02:34 and what the power of travel as a force for good means to you.
00:02:37 John, if you want to open for us, that'd be great.
00:02:40 Sure, thanks, Annie.
00:02:41 Hello, everyone.
00:02:42 Good afternoon from Aspen.
00:02:46 I was lucky enough to get into travel as soon--
00:02:50 even before I graduated college.
00:02:52 Travel was something that my family and I did often.
00:02:55 It was something that my parents did a lot of.
00:02:58 And it was just something that I wanted to do more of.
00:03:01 And so with graduating college and having some experience
00:03:05 working for an Atlantic City hotel wholesaler
00:03:11 and getting out of college with a marketing advertising
00:03:14 degree, I always found myself attracted to travel.
00:03:18 And so I spent a lot of years working for advertising
00:03:21 agencies, specializing in travel accounts, mostly luxury travel
00:03:25 accounts.
00:03:27 I did that both in the New York, New Jersey region,
00:03:29 as well as down in Florida.
00:03:31 And then that brought me to the opportunity
00:03:33 of spending time with my good friend, Ellen Esvideo,
00:03:38 at Travel and Leisure Magazine and American Express
00:03:41 Publishing.
00:03:42 So then my career kind of took me into the travel world
00:03:45 via publishing.
00:03:46 And that was a really great way of me
00:03:48 getting a chance to experience the world
00:03:51 and getting a chance to see the world from that really
00:03:54 high-end level.
00:03:56 And I changed my life a little and moved out to Aspen,
00:04:00 but still stayed in the travel industry,
00:04:02 working for, at this time, the hotel representation side.
00:04:06 And then shortly after, my good friend Ellen
00:04:09 called me and said, do you want to come and work with us
00:04:12 at a far?
00:04:13 So I got the chance to go back to the publishing side
00:04:16 on the travel publishing side, which was amazing.
00:04:19 And then I've always been around travel advisors and travel
00:04:23 agents in all of the aspects of my positions
00:04:28 and travel throughout my 30-plus years.
00:04:30 And so a natural transition for me
00:04:34 after leaving the publishing world
00:04:36 was to become my own travel advisor.
00:04:38 So I became an independent contractor with Smartflyer,
00:04:41 based out here in Aspen.
00:04:43 And that's been about now five-plus years.
00:04:45 And it's been great.
00:04:48 Travel, because it's such a passion for me,
00:04:50 really just makes me happy to be able to focus
00:04:53 on travel all day long.
00:04:55 And I love that.
00:04:56 And I feel like whenever I talk to you,
00:04:58 too, you always have an answer of where should I go,
00:05:00 or what should I do, or where should I eat.
00:05:01 You're that type of--
00:05:02 all of us on this call, I think, but that really comes
00:05:05 through your passion for it.
00:05:07 Yeah, I love to live travel.
00:05:08 I love to talk about travel.
00:05:10 So for me to become an advisor and help people experience
00:05:14 the world that I have been able to, it just gives me great joy.
00:05:18 And to be able to have a client come back
00:05:21 and say they had an amazing experience, an amazing trip,
00:05:23 and then recommend me to their brother or their sister
00:05:27 or somebody else who wants to take a trip
00:05:29 is just really heartwarming for me.
00:05:31 And it makes it all worth it.
00:05:32 Thank you, John.
00:05:33 That's great.
00:05:34 Jennifer, why do you believe in travel?
00:05:36 And why are you committed more than ever right now?
00:05:38 Many of you would think that I actually was always
00:05:43 going to be in travel because Val is my mom.
00:05:46 And it's hard to follow in the footsteps
00:05:48 of such an iconic lady.
00:05:49 But I swore I would never join the family business.
00:05:51 Who's Valerie?
00:05:54 Exactly.
00:05:55 Exactly.
00:05:56 Sort of like Cher or Beyonce.
00:05:58 You only need one word.
00:06:00 It sort of started as a fluke or a favor.
00:06:03 Val asked me to join her for two years
00:06:06 when one of our colleagues was transferred
00:06:08 overseas with her family, much like you in many ways, Annie.
00:06:11 And at first, it was sort of I felt an obligation
00:06:16 to a family and to a family business.
00:06:17 And what I didn't realize is I actually
00:06:19 had that travel bug inside me all my life.
00:06:22 And it's become a passion point.
00:06:24 And it's migrated to recognizing that this is
00:06:27 an industry that I love dearly.
00:06:29 So no great plan.
00:06:31 That was 29 years ago.
00:06:34 I was on the hotel side before.
00:06:36 But when you talk about making a difference, what I realize
00:06:39 is the world is, in fact, better because of all of us.
00:06:45 I look at it as an ecosystem.
00:06:46 And we have the client, the traveler.
00:06:49 We have the suppliers and our preferred partners.
00:06:51 And we have our advisors.
00:06:52 And I always look at it like a triangle.
00:06:55 And the world is better because each one of these parts
00:06:58 are part of this ecosystem.
00:07:01 And we all bring a different perspective.
00:07:04 We know that it shows new cultures and cuisines,
00:07:07 new religions, new historical point of view
00:07:10 so we can learn from each other.
00:07:12 But for me, I am just so incredibly
00:07:14 proud to hopefully help change the process and the protocols
00:07:18 and the awareness of the advocate.
00:07:19 But I'm all in.
00:07:20 And thanks for having me here.
00:07:22 Thanks, Jennifer, so much.
00:07:23 I know you're all in.
00:07:24 You have to be, right?
00:07:25 You have to continue the name and the family business,
00:07:28 of course.
00:07:29 And Eric, I wanted to ask you as well what
00:07:31 travel means to you.
00:07:32 In the interest of time, I'm also
00:07:33 going to tack on a cruise question
00:07:35 because so much of your business is focused on cruise.
00:07:38 And I would love to know also what you love about cruising
00:07:42 because there's been some bad press and what you want people
00:07:44 to know about cruising who may misunderstand or fear it.
00:07:48 Thank you very much.
00:07:50 My background in travel, a bit like John,
00:07:52 I was very fortunate to grow up in a family that traveled a lot.
00:07:56 And so I was blessed with a lot of travel as a child.
00:08:00 As luck would have it, my senior year in college,
00:08:02 while I was looking for a job doing accounting,
00:08:05 I ended up getting a job doing the accounting
00:08:07 for a small travel agency part time.
00:08:11 And then that led into a logical progression.
00:08:13 And I've been in the industry now 40 years with a short resume
00:08:17 because a few years later, I opened up my own agency.
00:08:21 We just celebrated 36 years in the business.
00:08:25 Used to be much more involved in corporate travel
00:08:28 than with vacation.
00:08:30 That's transitioned over time.
00:08:32 In this business, you're constantly
00:08:33 reinventing yourself.
00:08:35 And you're right.
00:08:36 I've become a real avid fan of cruising.
00:08:38 And years ago, I swore I'd never cruise at all.
00:08:41 But I do truly enjoy cruising.
00:08:44 It's a great camaraderie with the people on board ship,
00:08:49 a great way to have a more relaxed experience,
00:08:52 and a great way to get to see so many more destinations
00:08:55 and have a much more fuller, more relaxed travel experience.
00:09:00 As far as cruising goes, unfortunately, I
00:09:03 think that the cruise industry did get
00:09:05 a bit of an unfair black eye.
00:09:08 At the time that all of the virus broke out,
00:09:10 there was over 350 ships out at sea.
00:09:14 And I think it was less than nine ships that even
00:09:16 had any impact whatsoever.
00:09:19 Unfortunately, when COVID first started,
00:09:23 it really started with a couple of ships and people
00:09:26 being stuck on board.
00:09:27 And that just made good news media story.
00:09:30 With all of the passings, and unfortunately, COVID,
00:09:34 it has been such a detrimental experience.
00:09:36 I believe if I've got my stats correct,
00:09:38 there was only nine people that were involved in a cruise ship
00:09:42 that got COVID on a cruise ship that have since passed away.
00:09:45 And yet, there were over 250,000, I believe,
00:09:47 at sea when it broke out.
00:09:49 So I still believe cruising is a very safe environment,
00:09:53 a very safe opportunity.
00:09:56 And it's a great experience.
00:09:57 And there's so many different cruise ships out there.
00:09:59 There's a product and opportunity for everybody.
00:10:03 Thank you, Eric.
00:10:03 I love that.
00:10:04 So true.
00:10:05 I think in 50 years, we'll still be fighting about numbers
00:10:09 and how the spread worked and things like that.
00:10:12 But thank you for sharing that.
00:10:16 Katie, what does travel mean to you?
00:10:18 Why are you all in right now?
00:10:20 Like everyone on our board, we're
00:10:26 all so passionate about traveling.
00:10:28 And since I got into this industry,
00:10:30 it's been part of my life.
00:10:34 I believe that travel opens minds.
00:10:36 It sparks curiosity.
00:10:38 It educates.
00:10:39 I was a teacher.
00:10:40 And I think there's nothing that educates better than travel.
00:10:44 It connects people.
00:10:45 It creates friendships.
00:10:47 It also improves local economies.
00:10:49 And I've really been heartened to see the help that the vendors
00:10:53 who've stepped up, the hotel rooms which have been
00:10:56 opened to first responders, the companies who
00:11:00 are taking care of their staffs during this awful time.
00:11:04 So I think travel, as a force for good,
00:11:07 is one of the strongest ways that we can come back and connect
00:11:11 to each other.
00:11:13 I'm hoping as travel opens up again,
00:11:15 that travelers will be more appreciative.
00:11:18 And we've talked about this with Julia on the board,
00:11:21 that travel is a privilege.
00:11:23 And hopefully, our people will be better travelers.
00:11:27 Right, and hoping that we have that once in a century chance,
00:11:30 right, as Julia said, to maybe make some positive changes.
00:11:35 And Carrie, I know, I mean, it's of course probably important
00:11:38 for you to travel with your daughter as well, right?
00:11:41 But I would love to know why you're all in.
00:11:45 Oh, sorry.
00:11:47 There you go.
00:11:49 Hey, everybody.
00:11:50 Those are all--
00:11:51 I hate-- everyone's so articulate.
00:11:53 It's not easy being the last one.
00:11:55 Yes, I do have a daughter who's been to 28 countries now,
00:12:00 and is about to turn eight.
00:12:01 So yes, family travel has been a new passion.
00:12:05 But I started in 1990 as a bicycle guide at university,
00:12:12 as us Canadians say, working for George Butterfield.
00:12:16 And that was a wonderful relationship
00:12:18 for more than a decade.
00:12:20 And started Gray & Co. in 2009 at another not so great time
00:12:28 in terms of years to start a business.
00:12:34 But what we're excited about is to help everybody go from--
00:12:41 yeah, that's right, all good things.
00:12:44 And thanks to Ellen, we've had a long love affair
00:12:47 with afar that continues stronger than ever
00:12:50 after all the great marketing that they've been able to do
00:12:53 and all the wanderlust that they're inspiring.
00:12:55 But we specialize in private active trips around the world.
00:12:58 So we're really excited to get people out of their houses
00:13:00 and on the trails and the best roads and the best waterways
00:13:03 around the world.
00:13:05 Thank you, Carrie.
00:13:07 I wanted to also ask all of you, you're
00:13:10 doing a lot for your agencies at this time.
00:13:12 Of course, the Band-Aid's been ripped off.
00:13:15 The shock of it has faded.
00:13:17 What is something right now that you're
00:13:18 doing that's really helping, something
00:13:21 that you'll take into the future that you maybe
00:13:23 weren't doing before or you've just realized works really well?
00:13:28 Katie, do you have something you've been doing?
00:13:33 Well, something we've been doing all along is we've had a daily,
00:13:36 basically a 10-minute meeting with each team.
00:13:40 But now that has become longer because we
00:13:43 miss each other so much.
00:13:45 So that chance to connect every day for a short time,
00:13:49 check in with each other, update on information has been great.
00:13:53 And within our leisure management team,
00:13:55 we've increased our meetings.
00:13:56 So we meet on the Teams app twice a month now.
00:13:59 So we take a full hour, and we all really
00:14:02 get to talk with each other.
00:14:03 And that has helped me emotionally, as well as
00:14:07 sharing information.
00:14:09 Nice, thank you.
00:14:10 I don't know about you guys, but I
00:14:12 feel like I'm busier than ever in certain ways.
00:14:15 So Jennifer, what about you?
00:14:19 I think one of the things--
00:14:20 I'll follow what Katie said there-- is it's communication.
00:14:23 And we sort of look at it as the three Cs.
00:14:26 It's communication, connection, and community.
00:14:29 And we just added this week, clarity.
00:14:30 Because the information is changing so fast,
00:14:33 we have to be that much more clear.
00:14:36 There is a real difference from crisis panic
00:14:39 to stabilizing to recovery and rebuild.
00:14:42 And you have to shift your meetings and your mindset
00:14:45 at the same time.
00:14:47 So internally, we do a Tuesday Associates--
00:14:49 what we call our ICs--
00:14:52 a town hall.
00:14:53 And on Thursday, we do a VWT town hall.
00:14:56 And it has been great to reconnect with everybody
00:14:58 from around the US and around the globe.
00:15:01 The other theme, I would say, is I look
00:15:03 at travel as the larger entity.
00:15:06 And on behalf of all of the advisors
00:15:08 trying to speak in one voice, I think
00:15:10 we have the opportunity right now
00:15:12 to elevate us as a sales channel and maybe change and put
00:15:16 our wish list together for our suppliers.
00:15:18 Because unfortunately, not everyone
00:15:20 is going to survive this-- not the suppliers,
00:15:22 not the advisors, not the ICs.
00:15:24 And we really want to continue to elevate
00:15:27 this profession for all of us.
00:15:30 Yeah, something we had talked about during our board meeting
00:15:33 just before this was that the people that do survive
00:15:36 are going to be some of the best, right?
00:15:38 Because they really--
00:15:39 Absolutely.
00:15:41 And it's how we look forward and what
00:15:43 are the must-haves in this new travel landscape for all of us
00:15:49 collectively.
00:15:50 Yeah, absolutely.
00:15:52 Carrie, what about you?
00:15:53 So you're not going last again.
00:15:54 Amazing how effective the whole virtual world
00:16:04 has become very quickly.
00:16:05 I think a lot of us were hesitant to assume
00:16:09 as much as we've been forced to tackle.
00:16:14 And it's been wonderful to see how quickly people
00:16:17 are capable of pivoting.
00:16:19 And to echo Jennifer's sentiments,
00:16:23 it's such an asset in terms of keeping communication
00:16:26 as clear and as connected as it has been.
00:16:30 Because really, we have no other choice right now.
00:16:32 And we are all so excited to keep pushing the rock uphill.
00:16:37 And we just cannot wait for the world
00:16:40 to open up so we can all use it as our usual playground
00:16:44 that we've gotten very used to.
00:16:45 Yes, absolutely.
00:16:47 I can't wait to be at a restaurant again.
00:16:50 Eric, what about you?
00:16:51 We were fortunate that before this even started,
00:16:58 a lot of our staff was virtual in the first place.
00:17:00 So that particular transition was relatively easy.
00:17:06 But to Jennifer's point, it is all about communication.
00:17:09 And it is all about pivot.
00:17:11 You're right, the frenzy has slowed down a little bit
00:17:14 for the first couple of weeks.
00:17:15 I'd walk in early in the morning and have my to-do list.
00:17:17 And within 15 minutes, that was out the window.
00:17:19 And it was all about what was happening in the moment.
00:17:22 I also agree with you, Annie.
00:17:24 I don't think I've been busier than this in many, many years.
00:17:28 And then, of course, I am going through airplane withdrawal.
00:17:31 I think this is the longest time I've had my feet
00:17:33 on the ground in years.
00:17:36 I am certainly ready to get back on an airplane
00:17:39 and go and resume life.
00:17:42 I know it's going to look different than what it has been.
00:17:45 But still, the freedom to travel, to connect with people,
00:17:49 and to connect with the staff in person,
00:17:52 because our staff is spread out all over the country.
00:17:55 So definitely, the last part is we won't take anything
00:17:59 for granted anymore.
00:18:00 And all of the things that we once thought
00:18:02 were the unknowns and couldn't happen, well, it certainly
00:18:05 has happened.
00:18:06 Yeah.
00:18:08 And John, what about you?
00:18:11 I have to say the communication during this time
00:18:13 has really been incredible, both from within our agency,
00:18:18 in SmartFlyer, from all of our suppliers, our hoteliers,
00:18:22 our cruise lines.
00:18:23 Communication has been great.
00:18:25 And to be able to have opportunities,
00:18:27 like not only the AFAR TAC Board,
00:18:29 to get together and talk amongst each other as to what's going
00:18:33 on, are we experiencing similar things, different things,
00:18:37 what are we seeing out there, what are our clients
00:18:39 saying and doing, just gives us a chance
00:18:42 to sharpen our skills, pick up some education
00:18:46 during this time when it may be a little slow for new bookings.
00:18:51 But I think we're all very serious about gearing ourselves
00:18:55 up, ready for the phones to start ringing again for us
00:18:58 to get people out there.
00:19:00 Absolutely.
00:19:01 And that leads into my next question, which we always
00:19:04 get a lot of questions about what's working really well,
00:19:07 what's sticking, what are you remembering
00:19:09 as far as marketing or education or things like that.
00:19:11 I mean, for me, and I know we've talked about this,
00:19:14 Sangeeta has done such an incredible job
00:19:15 with their virtual game drives.
00:19:17 I feel like I'm in Africa, which is not
00:19:19 easy to do on a Vimeo channel.
00:19:22 But what about-- John, I'll start with you.
00:19:24 What have you seen that really has stuck with you?
00:19:27 You know, it's interesting to see some GMs doing cooking
00:19:32 demonstrations at their hotels, in their hotel kitchens, which
00:19:36 are empty, and sharing that with the world.
00:19:39 I've seen some dance, Zoom dance, and cocktail parties
00:19:43 where people are just wanting to see each other.
00:19:47 Because we're kind of isolated and quarantined,
00:19:50 it gives us a chance to have a little bit
00:19:52 of that human touch.
00:19:53 So I was a slow adapter of Zoom and still getting used to it.
00:20:02 But I think it's really been beneficial for people
00:20:04 to come together and see each other and share.
00:20:07 And so now I'm a little bit more of a proponent of it.
00:20:10 Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:11 I think the Zoom calls won't really stop in a year.
00:20:14 There just might be fewer.
00:20:17 Jennifer, what about you?
00:20:19 What has stuck with you?
00:20:22 I think it's reaching out to people I normally
00:20:26 wouldn't have had time to.
00:20:27 It sounds kind of crazy, but I make a point of reaching out
00:20:31 to at least two competitors a week to say what's going on.
00:20:37 I've made a point to reach out to at least one customer.
00:20:42 And I don't mean like an associate independent
00:20:44 contractor, but a client that has something on the books
00:20:46 for the future to walk through the process right now to say,
00:20:49 what are you thinking to hear it?
00:20:52 But for me, I'm probably over Zoomed.
00:20:56 Just a quick text, a quick email.
00:20:58 I've taken time to go back and find a photo.
00:21:01 And one of the ones from this TAC, a FAR group,
00:21:04 was from Monarch Beach last time.
00:21:07 And there were the little butterflies.
00:21:08 And I pulled one of those out, and I keep
00:21:10 meaning to send it to Ellen.
00:21:11 So instead, I'll do it on this call.
00:21:13 But it's find something from a memory from a moment of time
00:21:16 and just say I'm thinking of you.
00:21:20 I love that.
00:21:21 And actually, I'm going to switch gears just a little bit
00:21:24 because we only have a couple minutes.
00:21:25 So I wanted to ask you guys, we get so many questions
00:21:28 all the time about your wish list for suppliers,
00:21:31 what they'll do, how they'll communicate
00:21:33 with you during this time.
00:21:34 And on our board meeting, there was
00:21:36 a mention of just kind of an updated sheet
00:21:39 about what hotels are open.
00:21:42 What else would you love to see?
00:21:43 Eric, I'll ask you that.
00:21:45 You're right.
00:21:49 It still boils down to communication and the evolution
00:21:52 of opening going forward.
00:21:55 So much is unknown.
00:21:57 And I realize it's unknown by the suppliers as well.
00:22:00 So it's a matter of keeping that communication going,
00:22:03 sharing with us their updates as they see it,
00:22:06 but also making sure that they're sharing it with us
00:22:08 before they tell the whole rest of the world,
00:22:10 even if just a heads up would certainly be helpful.
00:22:13 Maybe we don't have to have a FAR heads up,
00:22:16 but at least be at the front of the line instead of the back.
00:22:19 And just the general communication
00:22:20 as to how things are transitioning, what's opening,
00:22:23 when it's opening, what are the restrictions as they
00:22:26 know it to be, and how are they facing some of the safety
00:22:29 issues that's everybody's concern.
00:22:31 But going forward, it's going to continue to evolve
00:22:33 and continue to share with us that information and evolution.
00:22:39 And if I can just add, a lot of the client--
00:22:43 well, not a lot, but there are many of us
00:22:45 who have a lot of private jet clients.
00:22:48 And so even though places may not
00:22:50 be achievable via commercial airspace,
00:22:55 we are doing all we can to make things as quick as possible
00:23:01 once places do open up to get people there as quickly
00:23:05 and as well cared for as possible.
00:23:08 And that could be somewhere as remote as the Faroe Islands
00:23:11 or to some of the other places that I know our watchers are
00:23:17 thinking about.
00:23:18 So don't, to Eric's point, keep us in the loop
00:23:22 and think out of the box and think big
00:23:25 and don't forget about those private jets.
00:23:28 Don't forget about the private jets.
00:23:31 I love that.
00:23:33 There's a question here from Laura Davidson.
00:23:34 How do you plan international travel
00:23:36 when we're not sure when Americans
00:23:38 will be allowed into other countries without quarantine?
00:23:41 Is it kind of still-- is it a waiting game for you guys
00:23:44 until you know that?
00:23:46 Katie?
00:23:47 Yeah, exactly.
00:23:51 We can discuss and plan and dream.
00:23:55 We can create itineraries, but we can't put anything firmly
00:23:59 into place until we know what borders are open,
00:24:01 what countries are letting us in.
00:24:03 We don't want to risk planning something
00:24:05 and then have some country say, now you're
00:24:08 going to be quarantined for 14 days.
00:24:10 So until we have firm information,
00:24:12 we can't set the tripping stone.
00:24:16 And flexible booking policies.
00:24:17 Does that help, John, with getting someone
00:24:20 to book something even if you're not sure about the quarantine
00:24:22 yet?
00:24:23 Yeah, because we're still dealing with, in some cases,
00:24:26 getting refunds from clients on canceled trips,
00:24:29 whether it be from hotels closing down,
00:24:31 countries closing their borders, or clients not wanting
00:24:34 to travel.
00:24:35 And so we're going to have to--
00:24:39 we're still dealing with those, and we're not really
00:24:41 wanting to create more refund situations.
00:24:44 So like Katie said, we can tell what the itinerary is
00:24:48 going to look like.
00:24:49 We can talk about dates.
00:24:51 But until all of these unknowns are answered,
00:24:55 we really can't do any more booking.
00:24:57 It doesn't make sense for us to do much booking.
00:24:59 Well, my sister--
00:25:00 Right now, not this year, maybe.
00:25:02 Oh, sorry.
00:25:03 Just for the drive market, though,
00:25:05 and California is opening up on May 15th.
00:25:07 And a lot of hotels are still putting 10-day booking windows
00:25:12 cancellation policies, which makes zero sense.
00:25:15 10 days, we've all seen what rapid change
00:25:17 can happen in 10 days.
00:25:19 So those kinds of hotels that are
00:25:20 going to be putting in those kinds of policies
00:25:22 are not going to get the business that they probably
00:25:26 would like.
00:25:27 Yeah, good point.
00:25:29 Just to finish up, too, I want to do a quick round-robin just
00:25:31 for some inspiration.
00:25:32 The world opens up tomorrow.
00:25:34 Where are you going?
00:25:35 Eric?
00:25:37 Well, up it goes.
00:25:39 OK.
00:25:40 Nice.
00:25:41 I haven't been.
00:25:42 Great cruise ship.
00:25:43 Definitely a safe destination.
00:25:45 Not many people there.
00:25:47 And it's on my bucket list of life.
00:25:49 Why not?
00:25:50 Love it.
00:25:50 For Timmy.
00:25:51 [LAUGHTER]
00:25:54 There's one for you, too.
00:25:56 What about you, Katie?
00:25:58 Kenya.
00:25:59 I had a trip to Kenya planned out.
00:26:02 And I was so excited about it.
00:26:04 I was supposed to be flying out to Africa on March 21.
00:26:07 It was canceled, obviously.
00:26:09 So I still have my ticket on hold.
00:26:11 And I'm ready to go.
00:26:12 Postponed.
00:26:15 Jennifer, where are you going tomorrow?
00:26:17 Those of you who know me well, Scotland's
00:26:19 one of my happy places.
00:26:20 I can get 18 of holes in before lunchtime,
00:26:24 do a little bit of history, have a good drink,
00:26:27 and go back and see a lot of friends.
00:26:29 That's right.
00:26:30 You had mentioned Glen Eagles to me,
00:26:31 I think, when I interviewed you a few months ago.
00:26:34 That is-- you're exactly right.
00:26:36 It's one of those places that I've sort of grown up with.
00:26:39 And I was there in the '70s, '80s, '90s,
00:26:43 and as recently as last year.
00:26:45 And it is a glorious playground.
00:26:48 Amazing.
00:26:49 John, where are you going?
00:26:51 Puglia, Southern Italy.
00:26:53 I like that.
00:26:54 I was saying, my sister just sent me something
00:26:56 that Elba is open to tourists in a couple of weeks.
00:26:58 So--
00:26:59 Oh, my.
00:26:59 Interesting.
00:27:01 Could be the next hot spot.
00:27:02 Carrie, where are you headed?
00:27:05 Well, same as John.
00:27:07 I can't wait to give my Italian friends the support
00:27:10 and the love that they need after this terrible time.
00:27:13 And we've got-- the Veneto is right on the top.
00:27:17 And at the other end of the boot would be Sardinia.
00:27:22 So good friends in both places, and need
00:27:24 to reach out and connect.
00:27:26 I love it.
00:27:26 Doesn't even just talking about it make you excited?
00:27:30 Yeah.
00:27:30 There's no real possibility.
00:27:32 I mean, really, I'm like, OK.
00:27:35 All right.
00:27:35 Well, so thank you guys.
00:27:36 That went super quick.
00:27:37 But what we're going to do is switch
00:27:39 to the other half of our board.
00:27:40 Thank you so, so much.
00:27:41 If you're able to turn off your video and mute yourself.
00:27:46 Thanks for the opportunity.
00:27:47 Keep talking, and we'll get everyone else back on.
00:27:51 And Ellen, you can stay right there.
00:27:53 Perfect.
00:27:59 There we go.
00:28:00 Perfect.
00:28:09 Oh, Carrie's still there.
00:28:11 Michael's.
00:28:13 And Michael--
00:28:14 You got to love, he came back on at 420 and left.
00:28:24 I know.
00:28:25 I can't tell if he's here.
00:28:26 He's right on here.
00:28:28 You're Judy Pearl.
00:28:29 But my video-- Annie, could you start my video, please?
00:28:33 Yes, I can.
00:28:34 Hold on.
00:28:35 Thank you.
00:28:36 Yes, we definitely want to see you, Michael.
00:28:38 And Annie, can you start my video, Judy Pearl?
00:28:41 Oh, yeah.
00:28:42 OK.
00:28:43 So our second group, which I'm going to introduce now,
00:28:51 we have Michael Holtz in New York.
00:28:55 We have Judy Pearl, also in New York, right?
00:28:58 You're in New York now, or--
00:29:01 perfect.
00:29:02 We have Josh Alexander in Jersey City.
00:29:06 We have Kate Doty.
00:29:08 Kate, where are you?
00:29:11 San Francisco.
00:29:12 San Francisco.
00:29:14 And we have Will Kaburs in St. Louis.
00:29:16 And Josh Bush in Philadelphia.
00:29:23 So thank you guys again, all, for being here.
00:29:25 And what we're going to do is kind
00:29:27 of start with the same question and then move
00:29:28 into some different questions.
00:29:29 But just kind of a brief overview
00:29:32 of why you're all in and you believe in travel
00:29:35 more than ever.
00:29:35 Michael Holtz, I'll start with you.
00:29:38 People want to get out of the house.
00:29:40 I mean, whatever got us into this dilemma
00:29:42 is going to get us out.
00:29:44 It's only a matter of time.
00:29:45 And we all need to be patient.
00:29:47 We mainly need to be very patient.
00:29:51 Yeah, good point.
00:29:54 Kate, what about you?
00:29:55 I could say the exact same thing.
00:29:59 I think we're all relearning what
00:30:03 it is to be in the same place for a long time.
00:30:06 This is new for all of us in this group.
00:30:09 And for me, it is just what it always has been.
00:30:13 It's about landing somewhere and having an unexpected experience
00:30:17 that just brings you joy.
00:30:22 I think that travel is something that we're all--
00:30:27 it all runs in our veins.
00:30:28 We don't really-- very few people
00:30:30 I know that get in, that get hooked, get out.
00:30:34 Whether it's John talking about getting into journalism
00:30:37 or being in that for a while, I think it all
00:30:40 brings us back to exploring.
00:30:42 We're explorers by nature.
00:30:43 It's kind of part of what it is to be human.
00:30:46 And whether that's in your own backyard
00:30:47 or that's in Africa or South America, yeah.
00:30:52 Any desire that I had for more nesting is now gone.
00:30:55 So Josh, Alexander, what about you?
00:30:59 I mean, echoing the same things as Michael and Kate,
00:31:02 I mean, people just--
00:31:03 there's-- most of our clients, people-- it's human nature.
00:31:07 People want to keep exploring.
00:31:08 They want to keep checking the boxes
00:31:12 and experience things that they haven't experienced.
00:31:15 They visit countries that they have never been to.
00:31:19 And that's certainly not going to stop.
00:31:21 Yeah.
00:31:23 And Will, we've talked a lot about this.
00:31:26 Why do you believe in travel right now more than ever?
00:31:29 I mean, I've believed in it all my life.
00:31:31 I started at like 16 working for my mom,
00:31:33 escorting groups or handling bags.
00:31:35 And the time I spent away from the family business,
00:31:39 I was in anthropology, which is kind of a similar field,
00:31:42 I think, study of people.
00:31:44 And since I've been back in it the last 20 years,
00:31:47 it's been--
00:31:49 it's a great thing to share with people.
00:31:50 And I'm excited.
00:31:52 I'm really excited about what lies ahead,
00:31:54 because I think that we can be a part of the change.
00:31:58 Opportunity in a crisis, absolutely.
00:32:01 Josh Bush, what about you?
00:32:02 This is in your family as well.
00:32:04 Yeah, sure.
00:32:05 So I mean, I grew up traveling as a kid in the family business.
00:32:08 It was a value that was instilled
00:32:10 in me at a very young age.
00:32:12 And it's one of those things that you
00:32:14 don't realize how important it is until it was gone.
00:32:16 And so now that's happened twice to me in my life.
00:32:19 The first was shortly after high school, where I said,
00:32:21 I wouldn't do anything with the family business
00:32:23 and went off and did my own thing.
00:32:25 And then the second is right now.
00:32:27 And understanding how valuable travel is
00:32:32 and how relevant that statement is right now
00:32:34 is pretty powerful.
00:32:38 So I'm in the business, however, because I
00:32:40 feel that travel as a force for good for me
00:32:43 is really all about exploring humanity.
00:32:45 It's about fostering relationships around the world
00:32:48 and becoming a better global citizen.
00:32:51 Travel has made me a more tolerant person.
00:32:55 It's exposed me to new cultures, thoughts, and ideas.
00:32:59 And it's given me a perspective of understanding
00:33:01 that now more than ever--
00:33:03 I mean, it's cliched, but we're in this together.
00:33:06 And I firmly feel that as a better person
00:33:09 through my travels, and if I can facilitate that for others
00:33:12 and give them just a smidge of some of the experiences
00:33:15 that I have had, then we'll all be better because of it
00:33:20 and because of those travels.
00:33:22 Absolutely.
00:33:22 And I just realized you're wearing a tauc t-shirt.
00:33:24 I should have asked all of us to wear our favorite swag
00:33:26 from preferred companies.
00:33:29 Well, it just got a little chilly here
00:33:31 because the clouds have rolled in.
00:33:32 And I needed just to put on this nice little vest that I had.
00:33:35 So I didn't even--
00:33:36 Oh, it's a vest.
00:33:36 I can't see.
00:33:37 It looks like a polo.
00:33:38 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:33:40 Judy, what about you?
00:33:43 So I've always had a passion for travel
00:33:45 since I was a young child.
00:33:48 My parents gave me a globe that used to sit on my desk.
00:33:52 And I would spin it and stop it with my finger.
00:33:54 And wherever my finger landed is where I was going
00:33:57 to travel when I grew up.
00:33:59 And I never lost that sense of passion or discovery
00:34:03 of the world.
00:34:04 And I managed to create my own livelihood.
00:34:07 And I taught myself entrepreneurship
00:34:10 and built my own business around my passion.
00:34:14 And I think the power of travel as a force for good to me
00:34:21 means that travel drives economic growth.
00:34:26 It creates jobs.
00:34:27 It promotes cross-cultural understanding.
00:34:31 It's also been a very significant contributor
00:34:35 to my own children's educations and has taught them
00:34:40 how to become global citizens and how
00:34:45 to show empathy and understanding
00:34:48 of other cultures.
00:34:49 Absolutely.
00:34:50 It's better than a degree sometimes, right?
00:34:53 Or a lot of the times.
00:34:54 I don't have a master's degree.
00:34:55 But I feel like I do because I've traveled so much.
00:34:58 We're getting a lot of questions about whether people are
00:35:01 actually expressing any interest in traveling domestically.
00:35:06 We've talked a lot about domestic coming back first,
00:35:08 then international.
00:35:10 But certain places domestically that are sticking out to you
00:35:13 guys or that people are asking about domestic Caribbean.
00:35:19 Josh?
00:35:21 Yeah, just we're getting a lot of requests
00:35:24 for domestic and some Caribbean or even Mexico places
00:35:29 that have--
00:35:31 ones could have a private villa or private residence
00:35:34 or be secluded so they can protect themselves,
00:35:38 but still enjoy the destination, enjoy the property.
00:35:43 My team, we have a family going to St. Barts in June,
00:35:47 who's going to be flying private to San Juan
00:35:50 and then flying private from San Juan to St. Barts
00:35:52 and renting a villa.
00:35:55 Places like Montage, Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina
00:35:58 has villas and residences available and other--
00:36:03 lots of other hotels in Arizona and out West have this makeup.
00:36:08 So there definitely has been demand for that.
00:36:11 And it's more right now for people who will fly private
00:36:18 or have the means to fly private.
00:36:19 But there's other ones.
00:36:21 If they could take a short domestic flight,
00:36:25 combine that with some sort of drive,
00:36:27 they're willing to--
00:36:28 people are showing-- they're willing to wear
00:36:32 a mask for a short period of time.
00:36:33 And that's not going to get in their way of their experience.
00:36:38 Michael, do you agree with that?
00:36:39 Is that what you're seeing as well?
00:36:41 Yeah, I mean, we had a few exclusive use buyouts this week.
00:36:46 Montage Laguna is still open.
00:36:48 People could go there.
00:36:49 It's just a new way of life.
00:36:51 And some people are OK with masks.
00:36:53 Some aren't.
00:36:55 We're still early on.
00:36:56 We're just going to figure it out.
00:36:58 But we also have strong bookings to Australia.
00:37:01 We saw bookings to Italy going through, obviously not
00:37:04 for this summer.
00:37:06 But we don't-- look, this is only week eight, OK?
00:37:10 We don't know what's going to happen in another two, three,
00:37:12 four months.
00:37:13 It feels like week two, but week eight it is.
00:37:20 What about-- and again, domestically, Josh,
00:37:22 are you hearing that as well?
00:37:23 And then are you hearing they need
00:37:25 to have certain standards in place
00:37:26 before they'll consider traveling internationally?
00:37:30 Yeah, I think-- I agree with Michael wholeheartedly.
00:37:34 It's still too soon to tell.
00:37:36 I mean, we have a third of our clients
00:37:37 based on surveys that are just ready to break the doors down
00:37:41 and get out.
00:37:42 And they'll go wherever they can.
00:37:44 These are our intrepid travelers that are absolutely fearless.
00:37:47 They'll do everything they can.
00:37:48 And they're going to be the ones that
00:37:49 are really going to take advantage of the values that
00:37:51 are out there right now.
00:37:53 But now more than ever, I think that it's
00:37:55 important to be able to use a travel advisor
00:37:58 and for our supplier partners to rely on us
00:38:01 to help be an extension of their sales teams.
00:38:04 Because clients are going to want to know about cleanliness
00:38:07 policies.
00:38:09 How often are people going to be in rooms
00:38:13 before they turn them over?
00:38:15 What type of disinfectants are they using?
00:38:18 There's so many fantastic videos from different brands,
00:38:21 from different hotels, from different airlines,
00:38:23 as to what they're doing in order to protect the consumer.
00:38:26 And in this current time of fear,
00:38:29 where we're looking at 66%, almost 2/3,
00:38:32 of our veteran, hardcore travelers
00:38:37 are still in that fear phase, the more education
00:38:40 we can give them, the more information
00:38:41 we can equip them with, I think the better it's
00:38:44 going to be for them to be able to say, yes, states are
00:38:48 opening up.
00:38:48 It's time for me to start to travel.
00:38:50 Let's get in the car, or let's take a short flight.
00:38:52 I feel comfortable doing this.
00:38:54 Those types of information and education
00:38:58 you can give us that we can then comfortably sell
00:39:01 your product for you is where I think
00:39:03 we're both going to benefit.
00:39:06 Definitely.
00:39:07 And are you keeping track of that, like in a spreadsheet,
00:39:09 or just in your mind, or on weekly meetings,
00:39:12 or how are you keeping track?
00:39:13 I mean, yeah.
00:39:13 So it's weekly meetings.
00:39:15 And we are basically ringing virtual sales bells
00:39:19 at this point.
00:39:20 And we're still seeing glimmers come through.
00:39:22 Believe it or not, we did book a world cruise for 21.
00:39:27 We have clients who are actually in Colorado, of all places,
00:39:31 who said, we actually came down with COVID.
00:39:34 We survived it.
00:39:36 And now we're ready to go ahead and see the world and move out.
00:39:42 We have some destination weddings
00:39:44 that are still going forward with how do we plan that
00:39:46 and bring people together, not for this year,
00:39:49 but in the near future when things open up,
00:39:51 how do we make that happen?
00:39:52 So there is going to be this pent up demand.
00:39:55 And we just want to be there and ready to catch
00:39:59 that wave when it comes.
00:40:01 Yeah, and thank you, Josh.
00:40:02 That's helpful, very helpful.
00:40:04 Kate, your clients, you tend to go far away when you book.
00:40:10 How are your clients feeling?
00:40:11 I mean, are they talking about domestic right now?
00:40:13 Or are they just talking about they
00:40:14 want to go to Bhutan as soon as they can?
00:40:16 They are definitely focused more on the international,
00:40:19 I think.
00:40:19 And yeah, I think that there's an arc, as we've talked about.
00:40:24 Some guests are ready to go right now.
00:40:26 Some guests aren't.
00:40:26 But we are definitely-- we are booking new trips.
00:40:29 So whether it's for this October and whether it happens or not,
00:40:33 if we move it to the following October or--
00:40:36 but we are booking trips.
00:40:38 And we launched Algeria.
00:40:41 And we're looking at Angola.
00:40:42 And yeah, I mean, we're just looking forward.
00:40:49 And I think that nobody knows.
00:40:52 Like, everybody's sort of articulated already.
00:40:54 This is unknown territory.
00:40:55 And so anybody who wants to participate in the process
00:40:58 has to look at what that structure is.
00:41:00 And we are still moving forward on that.
00:41:04 And--
00:41:06 Yeah, I mean, I think the hardest thing
00:41:07 is that it's not-- it's open--
00:41:09 or closed today and then open tomorrow, right?
00:41:11 I mean, it's very phased.
00:41:12 It's all over the world.
00:41:13 It's different.
00:41:13 It changes every day.
00:41:15 Yeah, I think we'll know a lot more in eight weeks.
00:41:17 But it could be better than we think.
00:41:21 It could be worse than we think.
00:41:22 But the idea of planning trips and thinking about where
00:41:25 you're going to go next-- most people have multiple trips
00:41:28 on the books for the next year or this year
00:41:30 or a couple of years.
00:41:31 And we deal with families who are looking
00:41:33 at three and five-year slots.
00:41:34 And this is a big disruption.
00:41:37 But that just hasn't changed who they are.
00:41:38 They love it.
00:41:39 They want to be-- they're excited about it.
00:41:42 And that's going to keep happening.
00:41:45 And I think that we just have to be patient, as Michael said.
00:41:49 And Will and Judy, is that what you're seeing as well?
00:41:52 We've talked about it might be hard to get into Sengita
00:41:55 next year, right?
00:41:56 I mean, because people want to go--
00:41:58 Sengita is sold out for next year.
00:42:00 There we go.
00:42:01 August--
00:42:02 Sold out.
00:42:02 Yeah, Botswana.
00:42:04 Botswana is tough.
00:42:06 These are things that--
00:42:08 but there's also going to be more movement.
00:42:09 You just don't know.
00:42:10 You just have to keep trying.
00:42:12 Well, and if Sengita is sold out, Judy,
00:42:13 where are you looking for next year?
00:42:15 And are you seeing more bookings for next year right now?
00:42:20 So we do have a lot of strong bookings in the cruise market
00:42:25 for fourth quarter of this year and for next year.
00:42:29 And none of our cruise bookings for October, November,
00:42:34 December--
00:42:34 I shouldn't say none, but very few have actually canceled.
00:42:37 So there's been very little movement.
00:42:41 And the groups are staying strong and solid.
00:42:45 Other bookings that we've taken have
00:42:47 been remote domestic destinations,
00:42:52 such as national parks, New England coastline, Prince
00:42:58 Edward Island, and a lot of self-drive destinations
00:43:02 up and down the Eastern seaboard.
00:43:04 Yeah, and you had mentioned something
00:43:06 during our board meeting, too, that it'll
00:43:08 be even more important to not have so many stops.
00:43:12 Nonstop flights are going to be more important than ever,
00:43:14 which I thought was interesting.
00:43:18 And that also goes for cruises, too.
00:43:20 People don't realize that cruises
00:43:23 are bundling multiple destinations without having
00:43:26 to pack and unpack and going to different airports
00:43:30 and making connections so that you could literally
00:43:33 travel from Italy to France and Spain and Portugal
00:43:40 in a cruise ship environment, of course,
00:43:42 when all the safety protocols are in place.
00:43:45 It provides a great social distancing and the ability
00:43:50 to be able to do that seamlessly without having to go through
00:43:55 a lot of different airports.
00:43:57 Yeah, that's another thing I didn't even think about,
00:43:59 another good reason for a cruise,
00:44:02 besides the fact that you don't have to unpack and pack
00:44:04 all the time.
00:44:06 Michael, I did want to ask you, because you're the airline guy,
00:44:10 what's resonating with you as far as airline messaging?
00:44:13 Are the Emirates videos about cleanliness,
00:44:15 is that stuff that is really something
00:44:19 that's resonating with you?
00:44:20 Or what do you see that's working?
00:44:23 Look, I mean, everyone has their own take on it.
00:44:26 But I think most people, they don't care.
00:44:28 They just want some solution to the virus,
00:44:30 whether it's a vaccine or whether it's
00:44:33 some sort of shot that minimizes the potential.
00:44:37 I mean, like I was reading something today with masks.
00:44:40 We don't know what--
00:44:41 what does the mask do?
00:44:42 Does it help?
00:44:43 It definitely helps.
00:44:45 But then people are going to have to go to the bathroom
00:44:47 in flight.
00:44:48 I mean, are they going to have like a crosswalk attendant
00:44:52 standing there near the bathroom?
00:44:54 Like, you stand here, you stand there.
00:44:56 We don't know.
00:44:57 I mean, I think it's all too early to tell.
00:45:00 What about Plexiglas in between seats?
00:45:04 Well, I mean, yeah.
00:45:05 And also, are they going to make check-in desks at hotels
00:45:08 look like going to the bank?
00:45:10 Is it going to be like a bank teller?
00:45:13 I mean, it just-- it doesn't really work.
00:45:15 I mean, they need a solution so the whole world
00:45:18 could move forward.
00:45:19 But I'm very comfortable that it is coming our way.
00:45:22 We don't know when, but it's coming our way.
00:45:25 We don't know the date, but we know that it will.
00:45:27 I should have-- I know, you always say,
00:45:29 we should have invested in Zoom, but also Plexiglas.
00:45:32 I just thought of that.
00:45:35 So we had a question, and maybe I'll ask you, Will.
00:45:38 How are you feeling about the Caribbean?
00:45:40 Because again, your clients tend to go--
00:45:42 you talked about last week this trip
00:45:44 that you planned, a walking trip to Sicily in December,
00:45:47 which I just thought was so cool.
00:45:48 So they tend to go low season, interesting place.
00:45:51 How are you feeling about the Caribbean?
00:45:53 I feel great about the Caribbean.
00:45:55 It's where our last clients were traveling.
00:45:58 They got home right before the air shut down.
00:46:01 So it's what's going to be bringing checks
00:46:03 into our agency for the next several months,
00:46:06 our March Caribbean bookings.
00:46:08 And I love it for summer, fall, winter,
00:46:12 for people that are looking to go somewhere right now,
00:46:14 as soon as I figure out the area.
00:46:17 So do you think Caribbean is lumped in there
00:46:19 with domestic, Josh?
00:46:22 Is that when you're talking about domestic,
00:46:24 are you thinking that's the same?
00:46:25 People don't think of that as international travel.
00:46:28 Which Josh?
00:46:29 Oh, both, Josh and Alexander.
00:46:32 Yeah, I think it's lumped in there.
00:46:35 I mean, in terms of flight duration and getting there,
00:46:38 it's domestic.
00:46:40 I mean, I think we're seeing a lot of requests
00:46:43 for the Caribbean.
00:46:44 But people just want assurances that they're
00:46:45 going to have no problem getting into the country.
00:46:50 And so as long as the sort of safety protocols
00:46:55 are still the same as traveling domestically,
00:46:57 and that they'll have no issue also when they return back
00:47:00 to the US, yes, we would definitely
00:47:04 lump the Caribbean into sort of domestic in terms of demand
00:47:09 and what we see on the horizon.
00:47:12 And Josh Bush, do you agree?
00:47:15 Yeah, I mean, we touched on it earlier.
00:47:17 It's about, I mean, in the current situation today,
00:47:21 how long can you sit in a plane wearing a mask?
00:47:24 How comfortable are you doing so?
00:47:25 So it's about the nonstop.
00:47:27 It's about, is it maybe two, three, four hours at the max
00:47:32 that you would be able to fly?
00:47:33 But I think that, yeah, I would definitely equate Caribbean,
00:47:37 and for us being on the East Coast, Eastern Mexico,
00:47:41 so Cancun as a good destination for people in the short term.
00:47:47 We'll look at Europe probably for late Q3, Q4,
00:47:52 if not into '21.
00:47:53 Yeah.
00:47:54 Well, I'm looking at Europe now.
00:47:57 Well, yeah.
00:47:58 When can I get on the plane?
00:47:59 As I said, there is a handful of intrepid travelers
00:48:02 that will go now, that will still go to Asia,
00:48:05 that will do Africa.
00:48:08 And I would be--
00:48:10 we would all be remissed if we weren't knocking on their doors
00:48:13 and really reaching out to them.
00:48:14 That's going to be our lifeblood to get through this year.
00:48:19 Absolutely.
00:48:21 We had a question come in.
00:48:22 What's the number one thing, aside from a vaccine,
00:48:25 who knows how long that will take,
00:48:28 that will make your clients feel comfortable about booking
00:48:30 or traveling now?
00:48:32 I don't think they know.
00:48:37 I think that's part of it, is that people want more data.
00:48:40 I mean, we have guests leaving in June.
00:48:41 Are they leaving in June?
00:48:42 No.
00:48:43 We have guests leaving in July.
00:48:44 Are they leaving in July?
00:48:46 We just don't know those answers yet.
00:48:50 And I think we will know more.
00:48:54 We know a lot more now than we did four weeks ago.
00:48:56 And we will know a lot more in four weeks than we do today.
00:48:59 And--
00:49:00 Yeah.
00:49:01 Josh, what do you think?
00:49:02 That will inform our decisions.
00:49:04 You repeat the question.
00:49:08 I apologize.
00:49:09 Sorry.
00:49:09 No, no.
00:49:10 The number one thing, if not a vaccine,
00:49:12 which will get your clients to book or travel now.
00:49:16 Just comfort.
00:49:18 I mean, want to know where they're going,
00:49:20 that there's procedures and protocols in place,
00:49:23 that the hotel or the resort has their utmost interest at heart.
00:49:30 And then hotels are also showing gratitude to them
00:49:36 and will sort of essentially bend over backwards
00:49:39 to do whatever is needed to make their experience flawless
00:49:44 and enjoyable.
00:49:45 So flexible booking policies, I guess.
00:49:47 That would fall under this question, right?
00:49:49 Well, yeah.
00:49:50 Flexible booking policies.
00:49:51 Yeah, from the booking process, of course,
00:49:53 they don't want to feel like they're just up against any--
00:49:57 like 30 day, I got to make a decision.
00:50:00 They want to know, especially in this new cycle
00:50:02 where things change day to day.
00:50:07 I mean, people just want to be--
00:50:08 flexible booking is the start.
00:50:12 And then, like I said, the whole protocols and cleanliness
00:50:15 and activities and dining and everything.
00:50:20 Soup to nuts.
00:50:23 Michael, do you think that people
00:50:24 will be posting about their trips on social media,
00:50:27 like we've seen?
00:50:27 Or do you think that's going to take a while to come back?
00:50:30 I think they will.
00:50:31 I mean, people just-- they want to talk to people.
00:50:34 They want to show people where they've been.
00:50:37 And they want to see where other people are going.
00:50:40 What I will tell you is that I've been tracking things.
00:50:43 And when Dr. Fauci is talking about good news,
00:50:46 we do get more bookings at Smart Flyer.
00:50:48 So there is a correlation.
00:50:50 So I do think that the public does look at the media.
00:50:55 And I think people trust Dr. Fauci.
00:50:58 And that day--
00:51:01 one day, we're going to see something on CNN
00:51:04 that we're in a really good spot.
00:51:07 And then everyone's phones are going to be ringing,
00:51:09 because people are going to know we're at the tail end.
00:51:12 And that's going to be a great day.
00:51:14 Yeah, there will be a media tipping point as well,
00:51:16 I think, as well as a health care tipping point.
00:51:18 I think that's a good point.
00:51:20 Judy, what about you?
00:51:21 What is one--
00:51:21 On the flip side of that--
00:51:22 Yeah, sorry, Will.
00:51:23 Go ahead.
00:51:23 On the flip side of that, I would
00:51:25 argue that one thing that helps my bookings is a low news
00:51:28 intake.
00:51:30 My clients that want to talk to me most about travel
00:51:32 seem to not be watching a whole lot of news every day.
00:51:38 It's also a good point, because there's so much--
00:51:40 I mean, this is--
00:51:41 not to give the media a bad rap here,
00:51:44 but this is the best thing that's ever happened to them,
00:51:47 is to have their viewing audience captive in home,
00:51:51 watch glued to the TV to see what's happening.
00:51:54 So it behooves them for this to extend as long as possible.
00:51:58 Because the worst thing that could happen
00:52:00 is we go out into nature, and we travel,
00:52:02 and we're not glued to the television anymore.
00:52:03 Yes, I mean, all of us will need that after this.
00:52:08 Judy, what about you?
00:52:08 Is there something maybe on the cruise side, or I don't know,
00:52:11 that would make them feel comfortable aside
00:52:13 from a vaccine?
00:52:15 Yeah, I think there needs to be more immediate testing, more
00:52:18 access to testing with quicker results.
00:52:22 And I think that'll give people, passengers as well as those
00:52:27 on the supplier side, more confidence and security
00:52:31 in moving forward, knowing that they can segregate passengers
00:52:35 who are ill and not have them board a ship
00:52:38 or enter an airplane in order to protect
00:52:42 those who are still healthy.
00:52:43 And something else you mentioned, too,
00:52:45 which I hadn't really thought about,
00:52:46 but just knowing where the hospitals are,
00:52:48 where the health care is, how easy
00:52:50 it is to get access to good health care
00:52:52 when you're going, especially someplace that isn't a city.
00:52:56 Absolutely.
00:52:57 A great point.
00:52:58 So what I want to do before I throw it over to Ellen,
00:53:00 I'm going to do a quick round robin so we can get
00:53:02 some inspiring talk about if the world opened up tomorrow,
00:53:05 where are you going?
00:53:07 Josh Bush.
00:53:08 Yeah, so I had a trip that was planned to go to London.
00:53:12 And so I'm looking to do that because, quite frankly, I
00:53:16 want to be back in an urban environment again.
00:53:18 I want to sit in a restaurant and have
00:53:19 others dine around me.
00:53:21 I want to sip and have a cocktail.
00:53:23 And I want to wear real pants again.
00:53:27 I mean, it's those little things that have
00:53:30 been taken away from us.
00:53:31 So I'm very much looking forward to--
00:53:33 You're going to have African tea with me, right?
00:53:35 I live in London.
00:53:36 Yeah.
00:53:36 And we'll come and see you in Oxford.
00:53:38 Exactly.
00:53:39 Kate, what about you?
00:53:40 Where are you going tomorrow?
00:53:43 Where am I going tomorrow?
00:53:44 Anywhere in Africa.
00:53:47 I had two trips scheduled there.
00:53:48 Yeah, me too.
00:53:51 And they're waiting for me.
00:53:53 And yeah, so that's my first go-to place.
00:53:56 But the fact is I'd get on a plane anywhere.
00:53:57 I'd get on a plane domestically.
00:54:01 I also feel like with Josh, it's like I want to be in a city.
00:54:04 I want to be in Istanbul.
00:54:05 I want to be in Hong Kong.
00:54:07 I want to be in--
00:54:10 I miss the vibe.
00:54:11 I live in a city.
00:54:12 I live in a fantastic city.
00:54:13 But it's quiet out there now, man.
00:54:15 Yeah, absolutely.
00:54:17 And Josh, your answer is Africa too?
00:54:18 Any particular country or place?
00:54:21 Well, I had a trip planned with my friends Federico Vonsanden
00:54:25 and Daniel Brown to East Africa to go to Kenya and Tanzania.
00:54:28 So I plan on doing that as soon as possible.
00:54:31 And my cousin's wedding got postponed
00:54:32 in the Dominican Republic.
00:54:33 I'm supposed to be there in November.
00:54:35 Now it's been rescheduled.
00:54:36 I plan on being there.
00:54:36 And I just want to keep going.
00:54:39 Yeah.
00:54:41 Will, what about you?
00:54:42 Definitely Africa.
00:54:45 Italy was the trip that I had to cancel.
00:54:46 So that's probably the first one that I'll want to do.
00:54:49 Judy?
00:54:54 So I've had to cancel four trips so far
00:54:56 between May and September.
00:54:59 And it's a toss-up.
00:55:01 The two that are my top favorites,
00:55:03 the first would be South Africa.
00:55:05 I had a beautiful trip to South Africa
00:55:07 planned in conjunction with We Are Africa.
00:55:10 And the second place I want to go
00:55:12 is to a wellness retreat in the Himalayas called Vana Retreats.
00:55:17 Oh, yeah.
00:55:18 I think a lot of people are going to need wellness after this.
00:55:23 Michael, where are you going tomorrow?
00:55:25 Well, in March, early March, I came back from Africa
00:55:29 with DM Africa and One and Only on our Smart Flyer One trip.
00:55:32 It was incredible.
00:55:33 We went to Rwanda.
00:55:35 And I guess I've been thinking about this.
00:55:38 And to me, I'm going to go to the 20 destinations
00:55:42 in North America that we have Smart Flyer advisors in.
00:55:45 And I plan on visiting every single one,
00:55:48 from Chicago to St. Louis, Kansas City, Birmingham,
00:55:51 Vancouver, Orange County.
00:55:55 I just want to see the people.
00:55:56 I mean, I miss them.
00:55:57 Will you hug them?
00:56:00 I'm not a hugger, but I'll always hug them.
00:56:04 So that's why I asked--
00:56:05 Don't press it.
00:56:06 Don't push the borders, Aaron.
00:56:07 Elbow.
00:56:08 But no, you aren't a hugger.
00:56:10 You're an anarchist.
00:56:11 Foot tap.
00:56:11 [INAUDIBLE]
00:56:13 Michael was an anarchist before.
00:56:16 Ellen, I'll close with you and ask where you're going to go,
00:56:19 and then let you wrap it up for us tonight.
00:56:22 Well, I had an apartment that I rented in Italy
00:56:25 so I can be close to my dear friends in Amalfi.
00:56:28 And I will postpone that for next summer.
00:56:30 But I used the analogy last week about the dog coming out
00:56:34 of their house with the door open in the car,
00:56:37 and you don't care where it's going.
00:56:38 That's going to be me.
00:56:39 I'm just going-- first, I'm going to go see my mom, though.
00:56:42 But then I will--
00:56:44 and I agree with all of you about the human connection
00:56:47 that you miss.
00:56:48 I also miss my high heels, though.
00:56:49 You might miss your pants, Josh, but I miss my high heels.
00:56:53 They're not as fun when you're sitting in front
00:56:55 of your computer all day.
00:56:58 But I really-- I thank you all for joining us.
00:57:01 This has been great.
00:57:02 I just adore you all and really value our partnership
00:57:06 and all of the impact that you make on the world.
00:57:09 I will say--
00:57:10 Ellen, quiet, please.
00:57:13 I will say that in closing, Afar did a survey to our audience
00:57:19 two weeks ago and got a tremendous response
00:57:22 in 48 hours, and 66% are booking a trip right now.
00:57:27 So whether that's domestic, Caribbean-- wherever
00:57:30 they can go, I know they will.
00:57:33 And interestingly, to support the cities that you guys want
00:57:36 to visit, there were a lot of cities on that list.
00:57:38 They weren't just remote places or solo travel or to adventure.
00:57:43 So it's very inspiring to see and hear
00:57:47 what all of you are saying.
00:57:48 And I know that we at Afar are here
00:57:50 to help to move travelers around the world with you all.
00:57:53 So thank you for joining us.
00:57:55 And thank you all on the Zoom call.
00:57:58 And everyone on this board, I hope
00:58:00 you rejoin on our former Zoom link
00:58:02 so we can have a little toast together.
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