You know that moment....when you see your clients post their happy vacation photos on social media and you think…. “Oh, How did they get there? They didn’t book with me!” The travel industry has taught me both understanding & patience after all everyone loves to travel!
I started my travel career in 2005, I am a Certified Travel Agent. My love of new places and my eagerness to listen as other people regale their tales of travel ignited a passion in me that, combined with my slightly fanatical attention towards details, created a career path that I felt like I was born for.
I am invigorated by seeing people come home from their travels with smiles on their faces. I get excited when they return to their favourite destinations with their children to pass on traditions. My mind reels, connecting dots, as I explore new areas myself… rolling through the names and faces of people I have worked with before, knowing who desires the quiet, rural hide-a-way and who will feel pampered by a little extra decadence!
Social media keeps us connected and my newsfeed is always filled with pictures of turquoise blue waters and mountain peaks. With the advances in technology, travel agents have had to learn to share the sleuthing of information and the booking of trips with every owner of a smart device or computer - and educating people on the benefits of working with someone who has your back and knows the ins-and-outs of the travel world has become as important as knowing the best eateries in the little village you are sending them to or how much their extra baggage charges will be.
Enter…... COVID-19.
The first week of March, my husband and I were just returning from a Mexican getaway ourselves as the rumblings of border closures started to unfurl. Those last few days in Mexico feeling like I was jumping onto a treadmill already in motion. Hours upon endless hours on hold with suppliers, juggling multiple phone lines at once, trying to advocate for people's needs while attempting to provide a calm, strong, educated voice to those who were unsure how they should proceed back to Canada (educated?...let’s face it, we were all learning with our feet held to the flames and acting on a combination of instinct and experience… thank goodness for both). Clients were reaching out via any means they could… FB messenger, text, phone calls, FaceTime… every platform was open and at the ready on multiple device screens at least 20 hours a day. So much uncertainty, so much unknown.
Then one afternoon the faces of clients on a beach in Mexico appeared on my Facebook feed. Wait… Had I spoken with Patti and James recently? For years, I had always booked their vacations, but I had no idea they were out of the country at this time! I immediately reached out through social media to ask if they were okay and received a response of… “NOT REALLY!” Patti explained that they had booked travel on their own this time using their airline buddy passes; and that their daughter, her husband and their three grandchildren had arrived a few days prior.. and did not feel it appropriate to call on me their travel agent for help to get them out of this mess! Patti continues, But boy were we happy when Sandy reached out to us as we were struggling to find a safe way home!
Travel by Sandy: The following days were filled with the same intensity that I had now become accustomed to, A level 3 travel warning had already been issued imploring all Canadians to return home, I was glued to my desk. I added Patti and James to my stack of files and went to work on finding solutions for them. In Patti’s retelling of the days to follow I am reminded of how much I have learned over the years in this industry. How much all of those little pieces and connections I have developed add up to create a network of safety for my clients. This industry is truly all about connections, I love the people I have met sometimes more than the places I have been!
From Patti: “Over the next few days Sandy was available within minutes to answer questions. She kept us current on what was happening as the rumours left us feeling like we were navigating pure madness. We were getting pressure from our kids at home to take the situation seriously and get HOME NOW! Although we were getting emails from WestJet telling us there were changes to our flights, no solutions seemed to be available during these unprecedented times. Sandy continued to reassure us that she was working behind the scenes and was confident that she would work something out. Our original flights had been cancelled out of Manzanillo and our media sources stated all airlines had cancelled all flights. We didn't know how we would get home.
We watched on social media the chaos going on in Puerto Vallarta. The airport was packed like sardines as airlines scrambled to get passengers home. How could this be safe when we are being told there is a pandemic? The United States had now issued a level 4 travel advisory and the only flights we could find online had us connecting through three USA airports, None of this seemed safe as there were still so many unknowns on COVID-19! Sandy asked us to be patience it may take a few days but that more repatriation flights would happen.
On March 23 early in the morning and I was trying to convince our travel agent Sandy to book us this complicated path home via the USA, but little did I know that she had already been working with her connections at the same moment she was working with the WJV destination rep that she knew personally on the ground in PVR to attempt to put together return flights for our entire party of seven. A flight that would be flying direct from PVR to YYC the next day. This flight was not listed anywhere online at the time not even through the airlines call center nor could it be purchased anywheres as it was a rescue flight at no charge.
But remember as all of this was unraveling everyone was in chaos as the world had shut down. It was through Sandy's shear determination to get us home and as a result of her hard work and connections we were able to inform friends in MX of the available flights. Ten people that we knew from AB. and B.C. returned home safely all feeling very very lucky that our Travel Agent (even though we had not used her to book this years vacation) but still had taken the time to reach out to us. We were so very well cared for & yes we do know the value of using a travel agent and are grateful for your services. Thank you again Sandy, you are an angel!”
Travel by Sandy: We live in a world where all of the information we can ever imagine is seemingly right at our fingertips, but I am quietly reminded of the depth of knowledge that comes from submerging yourself in your field of expertise. I am grateful for my years of research, the constant learning, first hand knowledge and creating those invaluable connections in this industry.
My main goal & driving force has always been to provide the best customer service that I know how, to treat clients like I would want to be treated, So when I saw clients struggling, the only thing I could do was react by offering my services. I am grateful for my repeat clientele and for my clients trust in the value of using a travel agent! It has taken COVID-19 to show the world the true value of using a travel agent because you can guarantee that every travel agent has clients with similar stories to tell.
As our worlds begin to carefully reopen and we all dream of travelling once again, I look forward to seeing all of your vacation photos - the faces of clients old and new filling my social media feed someday soon! I will always celebrate each of your joyous adventures… and… I will always celebrate your safe return home, reacting when I need to or simply by watching from behind the scenes to ensure all goes smoothly! I truly look forward to the hashtags the industry is circulating within social media #somedaysoon #travelsoon #plannow #travel2021 #adventureawaits, While planning your travel experiences & adventures, when it is safe to do so!
I do wish our lessons in life came more gently than this pandemic but in the worlds of our now iconic BC Provincial Health Officer “Be calm, be kind, be safe”.
Coronavirus has taught me to see the good in every moment and to breath, Until we travel again, my very best.
Sandy McLary, Owner - Travel by Sandy
Photo provided by the family