You’re probably wondering why I’m sending out a “Friday with Firdosh” letter during this difficult time when almost all of us are in a state of lockdown and some may even be without access to their office computers. But I had this overwhelming urge to communicate with all of you, and with time on my hands plus the fact that I have not written to you in ages, makes this effort timely and I hope, worthwhile. For me, being away from work and getting through the hours spent confined to my home have definitely been, in part, time well spent. It has been an opportunity for reflection and awareness, particularly realizing that we have collectively offered Mother Earth some much-needed moments of relief. The images of so many of our iconic and magnificent sites around the world now seen in clean, crisp and clear atmosphere are stunning to witness, and one day, we will once again visit them in person when the opportunity arrives!
Time, whether our enemy or our friend, is ours to utilize. Now we have choices which we thought we didn’t have, though I have to say we always had them but they were easy to ignore! For example, we are improved communicators as we discover the multiple means and ways to connect, such as with the numerous WhatsApp messages and video platforms. It’s no wonder that the video-conferencing company Zoom has seen its stock skyrocket 135% within the last 3 months. Thank goodness for our tech-savvy kids who we not only get to spend more time with but who themselves are acquiring endless new skills – everything from cleanliness, sanitization, communications, and/or general behaviour!! Our friends and colleagues too, are taking time to reach out to us and we to them. And, we are learning different skills every day. My wife and I try out new recipes, we take walks together, we try to maintain weight control (although the door around the refrigerator is beginning to wear out, and I could have sworn the last time I opened the fridge door, it said: “What, you again!!”). Best of all, our children who always insisted on texting, now call us every day and we have begun to have meaningful conversations. These are some of the most beautiful things to have happened to almost all of us and although these aspects of our life have always been there, we’ve too often let the ‘rat race’ get in the way.
On the business front, 2019 now seems like a distant memory. However it was a great year for us at Victours, not only for Europe, but more so for Africa & India. We had high expectations for 2020, and our plans included some very unique trips, a couple of them that I was to personally escort, being destinations that I spent years living in so that I could help all tour participants experience them in their full cultural and spiritual richness. Now all of these activities must move to 2021.
For now there are hurdles to overcome. The pandemic has overshadowed every other sound- bite. Right now the public is scared to even leave their homes, let alone get on planes or ships. But, people will travel again, which means keeping tuned in to what’s happening on the ground is vitally important. In a post-COVID-19 era, how we take a vacation, will be drastically changed. For
that very reason, I will continue to remain in touch with our suppliers around the globe, and so far, without exception, their responses have been nothing but encouraging. But more on this in the next newsletter.
Last but certainly not least, our sincere thanks to all of you for the years of support. 2020 is our 61st year in business and we have always deeply appreciated your loyalty. With time, travel will return with a wave of pent-up demand and we’ll be rocking together again. Meanwhile, stay healthy, stay strong, stay connected and most importantly, Stay Safe! And, to all my friends and colleagues who are reading this in Europe, Africa, Asia or South America, I wish you all a very Happy Labour Day and a very Happy May Day!
Until then, we will stay connected and continue to be by your side should you need our assistance.
Commentaires