Let's be honest, most of us are ready to travel again. But until then, what now?
Let's chat a bit about community, immunity and you.
Immunity is defined as “resistance to or protection against a specified disease; power to resist infection”. When the body is exposed to a disease or toxin that it has never seen before, the immune system kicks in and produces antibodies to help combat the illness and protect the system from future infections of the same disease. It’s an amazing thing, but that isn’t the focus of my message this week. Besides the invasion of the COVID-19 virus, we are also being challenged by another unknown toxin – isolation. It’s ironic that one of the main solutions to curbing the spread of the virus is to isolate, yet the side effects of that are taking their toll on our communities. So how can we build some strong “Community Immunity” to combat the spread of isolation? Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Even if your body must stay home right now, your imagination doesn’t! As travel professionals, we are doing our best to provide our community of past, present & future clients with inspiration so we can continue to dream about our future journeys. Have you always dreamed of visiting the Galapagos Islands? Do some research, watch some videos, read some travel books about the destination. Talk with your immediate family about their travel bucket-lists…you might be surprised to learn that your teenage son has always dreamed of surfing the waves off Waikiki Beach. When this is all over, let’s get planning and make those dreams come true.
2. Be generous with your actions in your own neighborhood community. Regularly check-in on neighbors who live alone. If you are venturing out to the grocery store or pharmacy or bank, ask if anyone needs anything. Bake 2 lasagnas or loaves of bread instead of 1 and share. Don’t purchase and hoard supplies that you really don’t need. Be kind and generous to your neighborhood “essential” workers who are risking their own well being to provide the services you are using. Your kids are homeschooling…brainstorm ways that they can contribute to the community, it is the most important lesson they may learn from this.
3. Stay in touch with your family via video chat or Zoom-type calls. These days, the average family is spread out across the country. Coordinate a regular video call with far-reaching family members to catch up and see how everyone is doing. Take turns sharing funny stories and reminiscing about past events. Plan for future visits or multi-generational vacations you would love to take. Family is the most important community that we all have yet it is easy to take for granted. Don’t! Create new memories now that you will talk about in years to come.
So, how will you help to build your own “community immunity”? We hope that this has given you a head start on developing your own antibodies to the isolation and separation toxins that social distancing has thrust upon us. We would love to hear how you are keeping the dream alive in your own home and your community, drop a comment below. Soon we will be back to the “next normal” and we’re hoping that it will be an even better “normal” than before - where we have more appreciation for each other and our incredible freedoms to see the world.
Remember, we are here to help you make your travel dreams come true. Until we can travel, keep dreaming!
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. You matter, people love and care about you, reach out.
