“Be patient & flexible”: Read the Facebook post that travel agents everywhere are sharing

“Travel is back...and I mean back with a vengeance!” reads the opening line of a viral post that Canadian travel advisors, recently, have started sharing on their Facebook pages.

As Canada, starting today (July 5), begins to loosen its border and quarantine rules for fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents, much of the discussion, in trade circles, has focused on how busy things are getting after nearly 16 months of stalled business. 

It has been well documented that the pent-up demand for travel is real, and while the current situation is far from perfect, travel advisors are slowly and surely getting back to business.

It’s an exciting time and many in the trade may find themselves answering the phone, or responding to emails, more frequently, responding to questions from fully-vaccinated clients who are eligible, eager and ready to travel.

There are a lot of changes to account for when it comes to booking travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and sometimes it takes a viral post on Facebook to truly get the message across.

READ MORE: “Expect delays”: Airports advise of changes to arrival experience as Canada’s travel rules ease

Here’s the message that Canadians advisors have been sharing on their social media pages to help prepare their clients for the skies ahead and set realistic expectations around travelling during the pandemic. 

PAX was unable to verify the original author of this post by press time, so if you know the original source, please let us know at newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com! (Also note that the emojis in the original post have been omitted).

A travel agent friend of mine (TAG FRIEND) posted this and I thought I would share! It is bang on...

Travel is back.... and I mean back with a vengeance. Travel demand is extremely high...crazy high, and we are working as fast as we can to keep up with the demand. But, in the midst of the demand for clients to take a vacation, there are daily issues. So, I feel the need to give you a little guidance:

1) If you don't have your passport or you need to renew your passport and you plan on traveling any time in the near future, take care of it ASAP. Passport processing is taking as much as 18 weeks standard processing and can easily take 12 weeks expedited. This won't get any better for a long time!! AND, if your passport expires within 6 months, many countries still will not allow entry. 

2) Plan now for 2022! For every person who has said, "There are probably some great travel deals for right now, huh?' I wish I had a dollar to put in my own vacation fund. I could fly to an an island for a long time!  Remember when you were looking for toilet paper in 2020?

When the demand is this high, there is no need for resorts, hotels, airlines, or tour companies to offer a deal. Pricing is reflecting the fact that demand is outpacing supply for many destinations. You've probably noticed this if you've simply looked for a place to reserve at a local lake rental.  

3) When you do travel, you are going to need to be patient and flexible! Be prepared for things that are not normal, with staffing shortages, new protocols, LOTS of flight changes and delays, and long lines. People are going and they are going HARD! Even if you booked your vacation a long time ago, TONS of people jumped on the bandwagon with you within the past few months and it shows!

4) Be patient with me too, or your travel agent (by the by, you should not be traveling without one, now more than ever). I will help you navigate this craziness, because I promise you, so much is going to come up that you don't know! Again, be patient with me, as I am adapting to ever-changing details, too. The influx of demand, the tour operators still being short staffed, as well as a thousand new details that must be taken care of before you can even travel. Our job is so much more complicated than ever before.....I love it, but travel is a little bit of a beast right now. 

This is the time that all of us have been waiting for. Let's set out to discover this beautiful planet and all it has to offer while appreciating everything so much more than we did before. I absolutely look forward to navigating with you as we move forward. 

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