New Adventure Based on My Love of Travel!

As most of you know, during the past decade I have enjoyed sending guests all over the world as a travel agency owner. With the current pandemic and the lack of travel happening, I've gone through 10 years of adventures and have created some fun travel-inspired coasters from images I took (mostly) or from postcards I collected while on the assorted adventures (a few, but mostly my own photography though). I have more adventures and destinations not yet represented, but you have to start somewhere, right? A sampling of the images is displayed below. (I've also coupled these with my love for Wood Badge, and have a few Wood Badge-inspired items as well.)

I've sold a few sets by word of mouth, but have now taken them online have my own little shop. You might have a favorite destination that you enjoyed and would like to bring into your home, or you might find inspiration for a gift for a loved one, or inspiration to plan your next adventure. Either way, I'd love it if you take a look, and if you feel so inclined, to shop small and support our small business in this way.

 

Thanks for looking, and if you do purchase anything, our family will be very grateful.

Thanksgiving Greetings

Thanksgiving Day may be different than normal for you...there may be chairs empty at your table that are usually filled with loved ones...and 2020 most certainly hasn't gone as you envisioned back at this time last year...

but if you have breath in your lungs, a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, and food on your table, remember that you are considerably blessed!

From our family to yours, enjoy the day and give thanks for all the blessings in your life. We wish you all a wonderful holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reflections on Turning 50

Yesterday was my 50th birthday and it was a great day!

THANK YOU so much to all those who took a moment and wished me a happy birthday here on Facebook, and in addition to all of you, I received many wonderful texts, emails, phone calls, and a delightful amount of physical cards in the mail. It's a milestone for many parts of this world to reach the half-century mark, let alone live much longer beyond it.

> One of my younger friends said that I've reached level 50 and I'm zooming on my way to level 100!

> One of my older friends pointed out that I'm now closer to 100 than I am to birth.

> Another of the older ones than me (my brother), shared this little nugget which I find quite profound... "at 50 I have now passed over from the old age of my youth and entered the youth of my old age".

 

I've always felt that age really is just a number and you are as young as you feel, and I've always enjoyed being active and doing things to make me feel young, and to know that I'm in the youth of my old age... It's great to be a kid again! But in reality, it is just a number as I begin my fabulous 50s and I look forward to many wonderful new adventures yet to come in numerous sectors of my life.

I'm very grateful for my circle of friends and family and all that you mean to me. I cherish each and every one of you, and as I scrolled through my Facebook messages from so many of you, I tried very hard to respond to each and every one of them, as each one brought a smile to my face and a happy memory or two of past interactions together. If I missed any, it wasn't intentional, but probably Facebook making it hard to keep up as they just kept coming! While we may not be able to see each other often physically due to many factors including distance, available time, and more, know that you're in my heart, and I look forward to the day that we might be able to be together again in person.

Cheers!

Alaska. A Veritable Delight!

While not my first visit there, I got to visit our 49th state in my 49th year and it was quite an amazing adventure! If you have never experienced Alaska...you really should consider it! It's a veritable delight in any season...spring, summer, fall, and yes, even winter! I was there right before all of the 2020 stay-at-home orders began, and LOVED IT! There's so much to see and experience! If you are considering an Alaskan trek of your own - whether by land or cruise ship - or both - be sure to mark your calendars for October 21 at 5pm ET and join us for an amazing virtual experience to get your planning juices flowing so you too can discover the last great frontier. This presentation...ALASKA: Discover the Last Frontier...will take you on a virtual adventure through the wilds of Alaska. Learn about the best places to catch sight of a whale breaching, how you can walk on top of a glacier and where to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. And that's just a taste of all the amazing experiences Alaska offers. Alaska is one of my top-selling destinations, and I would love to help you make your Alaskan dreams come true in 2021 or 2022. With so much pent-up demand to travel following this 2020 pandemic mess, 2021 is nearly sold out, so don't delay...if you want to make your Alaskan bucket list dream come true next year, let's start the conversation with this virtual presentation.

REGISTER BELOW and tune in on October 21 at 5pm ET to learn more about Alaska vacations.

https://tinyurl.com/VirtualAlaska

An Adventure I Will NEVER Forget

One of the proudest moments in my 40's came last year as I was officially awarded my Course Director beads and woggle in front of family and dear friends, and then got to have the extreme pleasure of serving together with an incredible staff to bring the 100th Anniversary Wood Badge leadership training course to our Council in 2019. We had a full, sold-out course, and over half of our participants so far have completed their homework, working their Tickets successfully...and the rest are well on their way to completion. They have 6 more months of working time, so nearly half of my 50th year will still be part of Wood Badge. If there was a way to continue on that journey, I'd love to do it, but once Course Director, my time is done.

It was a WONDERFUL experience going from a participant at 39, through all the years of staffing, and then serving as Course Director from 48-50. Wood Badge was a big part of my life throughout the entire decade of my 40's. Looking back, making the decision to attend that course back in 2010 was the best choice I could have made, and what an honor it was to be able to serve so many participants through the years under excellent mentoring and tutelage from 8 fine Course Directors before me. It was such a thrill to have all of them participate in some way at our celebratory dinner, in the course itself, and in supporting ways along the way, as well as with a couple of other great former Course Directors who helped us out in the kitchen! What a blessing it was to me to be part of it all and to be able to lead an exemplary staff. It truly was an ADVENTURE that I will never forget.

Remembering Alaska...Travel Memories

 This popped up in my Facebook memories today.  Man, this was an amazing experience 4 years ago. I LOVE Alaska. That was my last big adventure this year before this pandemic really changed everything this year, and 4 years ago this week I was there as seen in this memory. I can't wait to be able to go back. I love it in Summer and Winter. Now I need to see it in Spring and Fall too.

So Much Has Changed in A Year

This memory popped up in my Facebook feed today, and wow, how much has changed in a year! Last year today I was interviewed for a TV segment on travel and business was booming. This year...not so much. Hopefully, travel can return sooner than later. There are so many places I've yet to explore, so many experiences yet to be enjoyed, so many mountains to climb, and so many time zones to go to sleep in.

But until then...it's Food Pantry Day. I'm excited to be able to go over and finish the prep work this morning so that our guests can receive some fabulous food blessings this afternoon. 

Ahhh, Paris. Travel Memories...

 This popped up in my Facebook Memories today.  Sigh.  

Three years ago...I so wish travel could be part of our summer this year. Ahhh, Paris...that was an awesome trip.

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.

I Miss Traveling

This popped up in my Facebook memories today. That trip to New York, being with many CP friends, being on TV, and sailing on the inaugural of Norwegian Breakaway was such a blast. I miss traveling.

 

National Travel Advisor Day

 "Together with its industry partners, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is celebrating the occasion on May 6, 2020, and extending its recognition and a heartfelt “thank you” to travel advisors nationwide for all the hard work that they put into taking care of the traveling public."

This pandemic has made my job a lot harder over the past couple of months, doing double even triple the work with all the cancellations and rebooking, but I still love what I do, and still want my clients to have the best trips possible. Even though no one is traveling now, and things will look a little different when travel resumes, it's still a great time to be thinking about and planning for the future. It's a great time to get your 2021 travels booked with your favorite travel advisor. I'm here ready to help you plan something fabulous! To all my colleagues on the front lines of this mess, I salute you and the hats work you do for your traveling guests day in and day out.

Remember that websites don't care about you or your trips, but travel advisors do!

Travel Memory and No Croatia, for Me!

A Facebook memory popped up this morning. At this time two years ago, I was enjoying a wonderful expedition voyage with Hurtigruten. This week I was supposed to be in Croatia, but thanks to covid, I'm NOT. I miss traveling and hope it can resume soon. There's so much to see and experience in this beautiful world of ours.

The Cancelations Continue

Last Friday the last of my summer client departures were canceled by the vendors. Today the fall break cancellations began, this time by clients. Oh, such fun. I "can't wait" to see how many more happen like that. So much fear has been instilled in people's minds because of this mess. 😔

Continuing Ed - Hospitality & Tourism Management

Using part of this crazy time to do some additional coursework and learning. This is one of the programs I've been working on. The other will still take a while but continuing education is important, and with all travel shut down yet for a while, it's a great time to get it done.

When You Decide to Travel Again...Please use a live person. Do NOT click a “book” button on a website, ever again

I cannot take credit for writing this, but it is a great message to share. For all my industry colleagues...you are warriors. Until we are traveling again

* * * * *

Travel and Tourism account for 330 million jobs - that’s 1 out of every 10 jobs around the world that are affected by tourism.

The travel industry has been dealing with the coronavirus since January... an additional 2 full months before it really impacted anyone’s lives here. And I️ know it will be the last industry to start up again since there is now so much fear installed in people’s minds of being on a plane, a cruise ship, a hotel, or even any crowded space.

We’ve stopped travel for production on movies currently being filmed around the world. Stopped travel for global concerts for our clients. Corporate travel for multi-million dollar accounts- all canceled. Sports entertainment travel, done. That’s all on top of the usual consumer leisure holiday vacations.

Travel agents only get paid when their clients travel. Many are not eligible for any sort of government loan, even with the small business funding that ran out (and will quickly run out again). Many haven’t had new trips booked now for months.

**I️ do beg you when you do decide to travel again - PLEASE use a travel agent. I️ don’t care who, or what company - were all on the same team. But please use a live person. Do NOT click a “book” button on a website, ever again.**

Passing the Time during Covid with Puzzles

As I continue to pass the time during covid with some puzzles, here's a throwback to one of my favorite puzzles I've ever done. I completed this beauty on my Hurtigruten voyage around the Gulf of St Lawrence in May 2018. Sadly I had to leave it on the ship and couldn't bring it home.

During Covid, travel plans have become a bit tough to navigate!

I understand that during this time of ever-changing information about coronavirus, your travel plans have become a bit tough to navigate. I am staying up-to-date with travel advisories, cancellation/postponement policies and procedures, and reviewing all the latest updates that relate directly to your travel plans. I know that the choice to postpone a vacation can be disheartening, but in that case, having something else to look forward to is certainly a great “Plan B.” I am here for you, for all your travel needs and concerns.

 

Covid Cancelations - We Will Get Through it All

Another long day with all of this mess going on that has disrupted lives everywhere, but there is resilience in the travel industry and things will return in time. The cancellations and suspensions continue but the re-bookings for future dates have begun, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now time to shut down and go read a book, play a game, or do something with the rest of the ones who are self-isolating in my household. Have a great night all!

#tourismstrong #wewillgetthroughthis #changedatesdontcancel

Cancelations, Changes, & Rebooking for the Future

This past week saw many dominos fall thanks to the voluntary suspension of travel by so many vendors, and all but two of my business' departures over the next four weeks have been canceled. The week ahead is already full of rebooking for future dates as 95% of my guests have chosen to still go, just at a later date. Travel and tourism, and all those of us in the industry absolutely need you in the months ahead! Don't stop traveling after this covid mess ends.

#travel #tourism #changethedate #wewillgetbeyondcovid #seetheworld #takethetrip

NOW More Than Ever, Your local Travel Agent Needs Your Business

To All My Friends, you know I work in the Travel Industry. You’ve seen so many posts about my travel experiences and the importance of booking with a travel agent. NOW more than ever, your local agent needs your business.

Did you know that in 2019, the US travel industry accounted for $2.5 trillion in economic activity, and supported 15.7 million American jobs? Plus it drives economies around the globe when Americans travel. Dire consequences come when the travel stops.

These past few weeks have been horrific for the travel industry, and last night we were dealt a bigger blow with new travel bans & restrictions. I so appreciate all of my friends, clients, and family member’s calls and acts of support. Please, continue to support your local travel professionals including locally owned hotels, tour companies, restauranteurs, taxi companies, and travel agents as travel rebounds, which will, but certainly faster with your help. When you book locally (vs with Expedia, Costco, Orbitz, VRBO, etc), you’re truly helping ensure their family’s viability, and that’s huge right now, particularly as many of us watch our earned commissions vanish (a GIANT thanks goes out to the suppliers who are going above and beyond right now, including guaranteeing commissions). We don't get paid until our guests travel...so when you cancel, all the work we've done leading up to your trip is for naught and no payday comes. Verbally thanking us might seem like a nice thing to do, but verbal thank you's don't pay our bills. These are dark times for us all, and I’m personally feeling the pressure. (To my clients, I appreciate everyone’s patience, as I know there have been long hold times, and I’m doing my best to get to everyone.)

Please don’t stop traveling after we’re all able to once again! We need to see life around the globe to better appreciate our own place in this giant world of ours, and better relate to the other inhabitants. Like so many other crises before, this too WILL pass, but the economic impact will be devastating for so many across this land and around the world if people don't start traveling once again.

Turn to your local travel professionals for assistance when you're ready to travel again. I understand you think you know what you’re doing, you found a better rate, it’s easier online, etc., etc., I’ve heard it all. Travel agents need your support. They not only need your business now, but they want it. So please do think about your local travel agent when you’re asking your Facebook friends to support small and local businesses. Expedia, Costco, Orbitz, VRBO, etc, will do just fine. But your small, local travel agency - well, they need your support. So when you post “support small business”, please do just that. I treat every trip as if it were for my own family, and care about your travel plans. The big boxes and online sites treat you merely like any other transaction - you're just a number to them. With the recent events we are all facing right now, those big box stores & online sites (i.e. Expedia, Orbitz, Costco, et al) - well they won't be there to help you through this rough patch. I am here, 24/7 if need be, to help you work through cancellations, rebookings, etc.

If you are booked for something in the next few weeks - I'm closely monitoring and working on your travel plans to re-accommodate, change, or transfer to another time as works best for you. But if you are booked for something later this summer or fall and are considering canceling - PLEASE - hold off, have some patience, and let's get through this rough patch together. This too will pass. The worst may be coming shortly, but with so many measures being put in place to slow the spread, it will not last for long. Don't throw in the towel out of fear. Be strong, and let us get beyond it and then make a measured decision at a more appropriate time.

#TravelisGood #StoptheHype #TravelAgentsNeedYou #FactsNotFear #MeasuredPatience #ThisTooWillPass