Behind the Scenes with Suzette: Doing Business During a Pandemic

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post, January 29 to be exact.  I just reviewed it, and though the world has changed dramatically since then, it’s still relevant, as is the one before it (How to Travel Well in 2020). While travel is mostly paused right now, I’m going to pull back the curtain on the life of a travel advisor in a series of “behind the scenes” posts.

When people ask how I am doing, they are often surprised at how busy I continue to be, months after the crisis first erupted.

I can only speak for myself, but I suspect my life has been similar to most travel advisors.  Here’s how I spend my time:

Managing cancelled trips – Unraveling all arrangements, re-booking for 2021 where possible. Requesting and tracking refunds and credits.  Assisting with travel insurance claims, or  transferring/pausing unused policies.

Managing upcoming trips – Staying on top of new payment and cancellation policies, preparing to pivot to a new plan as conditions change.  Monitoring COVID-19 updates and restrictions for destinations.

Educating myself –  Attending webinars on the domestic trips that are in high demand as the country opens up, such as national parks, RV vacations, ranches and lodges, and private home and villa rentals. Keeping up with industry news to stay on top of new developments.

Communicating with colleagues – Sharing resources for finding the most accurate information about suppliers, destinations, and health and travel advisories.  Sharing personal anecdotes about airline and hotel experiences so we can best advise our clients. And sharing news on our personal lives, to feel more connected during this difficult time.

Meeting with hotels – Learning when are they opening, what services are they offering, what health and sanitation procedures they are implementing.

Meeting with travel suppliers – Getting their expert insider information on destinations, updates on booking and cancellation terms, and their frank opinion on what to expect in the coming months.

Diving deep into travel insurance– Understanding COVID-19 coverage, staying up to date on procedures for claims and new policies, getting training on various insurance companies and their products.  Despite some bad press about coverage being limited in a pandemic, there are still many ways travel insurance can protect a traveler’s investment. More on that in a future post.

I created an Instagram poll last month to see how people were feeling about travel.  Here are the questions and the results.

If you’d like to contribute, send your answers to suzette@suzettemacktravel.com.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep dreaming!