Travel Memories Getting Me Through Covid

I don't normally share a lot of truly personal stuff as I tend to be fairly private except for those that I'm closest with, but I have to just admit that 2020 has been my own personal "Annus horribilis", (as the Queen of England once described the year 1992). Very quickly after the bulk of this covid-19 mess took off and so many stay-at-home / self-isolating/quarantine orders began around the country in early March, I watched as much of my booked business for the rest of 2020 quickly disappeared before my eyes, as cancellations by vendors mounted weekly (and still are), taking away all of the income for the summer and into the fall that would have come in, since as a travel agency owner I get paid when my guests actually depart on their trips. Despite all that bad, we've been ok as God has provided, and I've kept busy by serving in our church's Food Pantry two days each week and DoorDashing the rest of the time to bring something in each week and help with both the household and business obligations. Dealing with all the cancellations and re-booking sucked, to be honest, and I kind of went into a funk for several weeks as no one was even considering booking anything...until a couple of weeks ago when I got two different requests for actual NEW travel, not just re-booking something that has been canceled.

Back in mid-March, as a way to not get sucked into the looming depression that could have happened as a result, I began sharing a "travel memory" nearly every day since then. It began as a single image per day, and more recently I upped it to also share a video per day from my assorted travels and adventures that I have enjoyed through the past decade or more.

These images and videos bring joy in many ways and brighten my day each time I choose a new one to share as they remind me of wonderful places, experiences, and people - both friends and family that I got to experience and enjoy together with. They have primarily been shared on my Instagram (info included in the image), so if you're on Insta, and would like to follow me to see more, I'd love that. More recently they've also been shared on my business FB page Cruise Planners - Christopher Lingren & Associates (link in my bio or on the left side of your screen if using your computer to read this vs your phone). If you don't currently "like" my page, I also invite you to do so and follow my stuff there as well.

This has been a hard year for so many, in so many different ways. Yes, I'm ok and will be, but I have to admit it's been very, very, very hard to keep it together. Many days I just haven't cared about most all of it and just haven't wanted to do anything, but I keep pressing on as my family needs me to. I so want to go somewhere, and adventure again, but alas that too must wait for another time. Until that time comes, more travel memories await. I hope you'll follow along! And more than anything, I hope and pray that YOU are faring well through all of this yuck. If there's anything that I can pray specifically for you, please don't hesitate to let me know. God hears our prayers and loves you so much. So do I. Thanks for being you, and being a part of my life.

Like us on Facebook for a Chance to Win!

We all love a great party! Now you can have one on us with 16 of your closest friends and family in beautiful South Florida, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or St. Thomas.  Simply LIKE my Facebook page to unlock the sweepstakes.  (Open to US Residents only - sorry international readers).  

What do YOU want to celebrate?

So Many Channels!

Thanks for reading along here and checking out the various entries that are posted, but have you checked out our website lately?  There's lots of cool stuff to see and learn about the U.S. Disney Destinations, as well as cruises and other travel.  

Have you liked us on Facebook?  


  Have you found us on Pinterest?  


How about Google+?   Or twitter?

We also have our own You Tube channel, as well as Stumble Upon, and are currently in the midst of populating a Flickr page with photos (though that one needs a lot of time and help still).

All of those are great ways to connect with us.  We'd love to see you join in the conversation in any of these social media portals in addition to following along here in stopher's stuff. 



Thanks for joining in the conversation!  

Until next time,

  

Social Media & Us

Social media has definitely become a big part of marketing plans for companies big and small.  Communicating with customers and potential customers happens a lot on Twitter, Facebook, and others.  Don't miss the boat - literally!  Many of the best special offers - cruises, Disney destinations, Universal, river cruises & land tours - are announced on my social media outlets before they hit my website.


Have you found me on Facebook yet?  Have you liked it?  I would love to have you like my page and join the 150+ others who are seeing fun info, offers and destination highlights in that forum. (even if you don't cruise or go to any of the Disney destinations yourself). That added little bit of word of mouth and increase in "reach" is a wonderful thing. Numerous customers have found me because of Facebook!


How about Google+?  That medium hasn't grown as much as Facebook has yet, and I don't have nearly as many followers - but I am trying to "mix it up" and not share the same information on each site.  I would love to grow this presence as well.  Follow me or add me to your circles, and let's see how it grows.


What about Twitter?  I'm not quite as adept at the whole 140 characters or less thing, but there are posts beyond what feeds directly from my Facebook page.  While I know many of my followers, a great deal of those who follow my tweets found me thanks to their friends.

Signed up to receive the Cruise Planners Magazine yet?   Two issues per year, January and July.  If you sign up now, I can still get you a copy of the January issue, while supplies last. This 28 page magazine provides all kinds of special & exclusive offers only available through Cruise Planners.


How about the weekly ePostcard full of interesting, unique and exclusive Travel Deals sent directly to your email in-box?  We don't do "spam" - so you've got to opt-in yourself.  You'll even receive a confirmation message verifying that you want to receive this weekly email.  You can opt-out at any time... why not give it a try for yourself.  You never know when that "perfect for you offer" will arrive.


Each of these are free and available to you by a few quick clicks with your mouse.  Thanks for reading and following along in various ways. I appreciate it, and hope to be able to provide fantastic vacation offers to you, your family or friends in the months ahead.


Here's to the power of social media!