Travel Concepts and Covid-19

In just a few (long) weeks we have seen the world turned upside down. Most important of all, of course, is the health and safety of you and your families - we hope that you are all taking every available precaution to ensure this. Travel Concepts’ office is closed for the time being and our consultants are all working from home - you can reach them easily by email or following the prompts when you phone the office. Our team is working hard to handle your delayed or cancelled trip as expeditiously as possible. This is not an easy task, as most of your trips are complex and involve many moving parts. Each component will have a different cancellation or change policy and some continue to change and evolve. We have to research, check for updates, and action - all at the right time. It’s been a balancing act trying to ensure that we are able to recover as much of your travel investment as we can. Once this is done, the insurance claims loom. We will be here to help with those as well. If ever there was a time to have travel insurance, this is it! As the urgency of cancelling and juggling travel plans begins to slow we have time to reflect on relationships that have been built on trust and friendship over the years. Travel Concepts celebrated it’s 20th anniversary in 2019, but many of you have been booking with your consultant for over 40 years. Consider that for a moment - beginning as young travelers flying from Seattle to London on Pan Am for $49, to being young parents hitting the beach with their kids, to treating their parents to cruises, to enjoying multi-generational trips as grandparents yourselves - we’ve been there with you all the way. We’ve lived through the failure of several airlines as well as SARS, MERS, 9/11, the recession of 2008, and now the Covid pandemic of 2020. We’ve always gotten through - together. One thing that we can be certain about is that the travel business will bounce back. It may look different, but it will bounce back. People are people - resilient, inquisitive and open minded. Technology allows us to research travel in depths we’ve not seen before - be sure to take some time to read the links in the newsletter and do a little armchair traveling. Our travel partners around the globe are providing us with rich, thought provoking articles and images that will allow your mind to wander and your heart to soar. Now, let’s have some fun. Here are some shots of the team circling the globe. They may look a little different than they do in work attire, but rest assured they are working - gathering experience that they’ll pass on to you when planning your next trip. It’s a bit of a trip down history lane - enjoy the read, and keep in touch. You mean the world to us.

Happy retirement Arlene! December saw us bid farewell to Arlene Kirby whose well deserved retirement will include travel, tennis, gardening and family. Hard as it was to see her go, we celebrate her decision and will always be thankful for her passion, expertise and teamwork. Arlene’s clients are being looked after by Hanne and Cindy - be sure to reach out when you are ready to explore again.

OFFICE UPDATE

103-3151 Woodbine Drive, North Vancouver, BC. V7R 2S4 Tel: 604-926-8511

Travel Consultant Travel Update

Recent travels have included a marathon in -42 degrees in Dawson City, swimming with yellow sharks in Tahiti, cruising in the Broughtons and driving through the Mojave desert, but these days no place is sweeter than home. As the flurry of activity begins to wane and we return to manageable work hours Cindy looks forward to time in the garden, time on the trails and time to ‘just be’. Thank you, Zoom, for helping us all get together, if only virtually!

Cindy Horton

Ellie’s life in semi-retirement includes time spent on her boat in the summer and at her home in Scottsdale, AZ, during the winter. She is, however, still an ardent traveller and recently spent 2 glorious weeks in South Africa visiting Cape Town and 4 game preserves with Abercrombie & Kent — a truly memorable experience! Other recent trips include a cruise on the Mississippi River and another from Singapore to Mumbai on Crystal Serenity. The photo below was taken on a shore excursion in Myanmar where Ellie and Byron flew to see the 2200 famed pagodas near Bagan.

Ellie Hender

David’s 25 years at Travel Concepts has allowed him to work with some amazing clients and help them experience some incredible journeys. He’s booked travel adventures including the ice domes in Norway, cruises in Europe, family trips in Mexico, and he has crossed Australia by train himself. He’s done it all! David and his wife Linda also have a fair bit of travel under their belt with recent trips to Hawaii, Palm Springs and river cruising in France just to name a few. Where will David go to next?

David Powell

When Hanne isn’t working from home she is at her school bus, busy renovating it into a tiny home. Yes - a school bus! What a perfect time to downsize and live and work off-grid.

Hanne Sorensen

When work and passion intersect - Voila! Garden Tours! For more than 30 years Julia and tour guests from across Canada have been grateful for the wonderful people they meet and the gardens they experience. Last May Julia visited the wonderful gardens of Bryan’s Ground, home and gardens of Simon Dorrell and David Wheeler, also the publishers of the garden journal Hortus. They spent the afternoon with the group and at the end of the day it was hard to say who enjoyed it more - the group or them.

Julia Guest

How things have changed for all of us. Julie is enjoying her quiet surroundings of the Okanagan. Her house build is coming along and she is about 2 months away from moving in. The light of her life is her daily FaceTime calls with her new grandson Quinn. Missing a real life cuddle but hopefully that will come soon.

Julie Unruh Julie Unruh

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Travel Consultant Travel Update

Going for walks with her dog, Penny, in any of the stunning and peaceful trails on the North Shore is so calming and helpful. It is also lovely to walk her in the neighbourhood and see all the many homes with hearts in their front windows. Everyone is so respectful, thoughtful and caring and it makes me proud to live in Canada.

Liz Irving

Though travel plans may have temporarily changed, you can be assured that the service and commitment remain consistent and your best interests are looked after. Trips may be closer to home for the meantime and we are fortunate to have such beautiful options in our backyard. We're in this together and will be when we're through! Stay healthy and safe.

Debbie Gambling

Pam and Don were on Azamara Quest’s Circle Japan cruise last September. This cruise should be on everyone’s bucket list. Being on a small ship they got to visit ports that the bigger ships can’t get into, in fact, some places didn’t even have cruise facilities! In one town the ship docked at a lumber yard which was interesting. Once this is all over Pam and Don would love to go back and explore even more of the country.

Pamela Rose

Jenny Karmali - Journeys With Heart

Ever heard of armchair travel? This new phenomenon allows you to learn about exotic lands and historic sites without leaving your house - perfect for Covid –19! What better time to add to your bucket list and research your next big adventure. Natural Habitat Adventures hosts a daily webinar at 12pm PST. Over 150 guides from around the world discuss topics like reports from the field, conservation updates, fascinating wildlife insights and nature photography tutorials. Check out their website for details. https://www.nathab.com/traveler-resources/webinars/ If you are missing some rich, art history in your self isolation why not virtually tour some of the world’s best museum’s? Visit Time Out’s website for a full list of available museum tours. https://www.timeout.com/travel/virtual-museum-tours Make your next movie marathon a travel related one. Find inspiration for your bucket list trip to Egypt and Jordan in an Indiana Jones flick or fall in love with Kenya after watching Out of Africa. CN Traveler has a list of 50 best travel films. https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-01-07/50-best-travel-films-of-the-past-50-years Here are a few other website’s to check out for armchair/virtual travel: Peru: https://www.butterfield.com/blog/2018/09/14/a-new-side-of-peru-arequipa-the-colca-canyon/ Sicily: https://www.butterfield.com/blog/2018/11/09/bespoke-stories-sicily/ Virtual landmark tour: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/mar/30/10-best-virtual-tour-worlds-most-famous-landmarks Galapagos Islands https://www.expeditions.com/daily-expedition-reports/192116 GeoX Gorilla Trek https://www.geoex.com/blog/into-the-congo/?

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Armchair Travel

In October, Chef John Bishop hosted a remarkable journey to Croatia. The group travelled from north to south and from east to west, from the shores of the Adriatic in Dalmatia to the valleys of Slavonia and explored the diversity of Croatian cuisine and discovered its wonderful specialities. Even though John Bishop has now retired and his venerable restaurant is no more, John will continue to host incredible tours with Journeys With Heart.

Notes from our fearless Women With Wings Leaders

Ruth Payne While our plans are on pause it’s the perfect time to reflect on our travel adventures - precious friendships made, sights and stories shared, enlightening cultural experiences, and people and countries that have captured our hearts. I’ve been blessed to have travelled with so many of you to Bali, Santa Fe, Chicago and Mexico in the past few years and I appreciate the wonderful times we have had together. Right now as I stay home there is finally time to organize my photos of these tours and relive the beautiful memories. I’m also finding inspiration in travel programs and travel books to keep me connected with my passion for discovery and with an eye to the countries I have not yet explored. I’m sending you all a hug from the wonderful women who have assisted me on our tours – Rocio Madrazo in Mexico, Suzan Badgley on the Bali tour, and Mary Harrington from our Santa Fe tours. They are well and looking forward to travelling with us in the future. Until our next travel adventures let’s all take pleasure in rediscovering our neighbourhoods on our solo walks, puttering in the garden, developing some new creative passions, staying connected with friends and family via video chats, and watching out for the elderly.

Collen Wood and Estela Dosil Women With Wings gave Colleen and I the opportunity to host a trip to northern Argentina in 2017—my first with Travel Concepts and Colleen’s fourth. We both had been to this area and wanted to share their culture, landscape and unique cuisine with other intrepid travellers. And what an unforgettable adventure it was! I was able to share my knowledge and passion for my native home, one which both Colleen and I love. Travel Concepts developed these trips to allow easier access to remote areas, and small groups make it easier to get to know the local people. Sharing these experiences build lasting friendships as well. Some of our best memories are the enthusiasm and curiosity of our companions and the amount of laughter we shared—both during and after the trip. As I write this, we would have been in Santiago de Chile waiting for the arrival of our group to start our trip from Chile to Argentina. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, the trip was cancelled. But once everything is safe again Women With Wings will get us all travelling again. A toast to future trips and to everyone and their families keeping safe and healthy!

Jennifer Hewlett Thank you WWW for putting together a trip of a lifetime to the Yukon recently. There were nothing but miles of smiles and wide open spaces on the dogsled trails as the ladies bundled up in Arctic gear and stood up to the call of the wild! Yes – MUSCH we did! There were bouts of laughter and great hollers of hysteria both from the driver and the passenger on the huskies on the trails! Incredible Kodak moments to last a lifetime. I am looking forward to heading back to the Borealis Ranch next year as this is a must do trip! Fasten your seat belts and get ready to go to the Yukon – your dogsled is waiting!! As one of the leaders of the WWW team - I am proud to be part of a travel company that has set the gold standard for small group travel for women. WWW has you covered from the minute a trip destination is discussed, the incredible research behind the scenes is completed, the attention to detail and the team on the ground when you arrive - all combine to make sure that your final itinerary is perfectly seamless. It has been just an Incredible privilege to have had the opportunity to travel the globe and make new friendships through Women With Wings. The ladies and the laughter keep me coming back to lead year after year! BRAVO

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