先日、残念ながら、オーナーのご主人で同僚のお父さん（娘さんもこの会社で働いてます）が亡くなられました。二人ともオンライン、Zoomミーティングでもいつも朗らかで、オーナーもスタッフの事を気にかけてご主人の問題など何も触れてなかったのでびっくり。同僚の彼女が書いたブログを読んでいて、改めて何故私がこの仕事をし、この仕事が楽しく生き甲斐に思うのか痛感させられました。
お父様の亡くなられる直前に疎遠だったご兄弟も病院に訪れ旅の思い出話にふけったそうです。旅行に出る時は日々の生活からの息抜きを目的にする場合が多いかと思います。そしてそんな楽しい時は一瞬に過ぎてしまいますが、思い出は一生残る物。そしていつまで心に安らぎをくれる物。一人旅であっても旅行先で出会う人の事は忘れないと思います。旅に出かけている時も、そして帰ってから、何年もたってからも旅は人と人を結びつけてくれます。そして、そんな思い出作りのお手伝いが出来る事、お客様の嬉しい声や笑顔がうれしくて、こんな世の中でも仕事が辞められないのだなと思いました。
お客様が旅もできなくてつまらない、でも旅行で知り合った人達と連絡を取り合って日々過ごされていると仰ってました。
今は旅はできないですが、このウイルスは永遠ではないです。夢を膨らませ、旅リストをどんどん増やして、また自由に動ける時が来たら人との繋がりを求め、思い出作りの旅をしましょう！
I’m going to try my best to NOT make this blog post sad, but unfortunately the ‘ah-ha’ ness of what I’m feeling right now is the result of a sad moment. My Dad passed away yesterday. Of course, it is very sad that he is no longer physically here with us but being in that hospital room with my mom and brothers during his final days was magic! Dad was not awake during his final days. The conversation simply took place around him talking about the memories we shared and the remember when’s. A little context needs to be provided to get the essence of just how special this moment was. My two brothers have been on the outs for years! The fact that they were coming together in a room was beyond special not only for my Dad, but for my mom and me. There was tension at first but then the memory flood gates were released. ALL of the memories shared were travel related! His surprise 60th birthday in Las Vegas, the ‘boys’ trip to Seattle to see the Seahawks play, The Grand Ole Opry, The desert in Saudi Arabia, The Family Cruise for Nana’s 80th, the canals in Venice… the list of memories was extensive.
Never ever have I felt so proud to have chosen a career in the travel industry. People think we sell deals, trips, get-a-ways but this is so far from the truth. We guide you through a process of picking the perfect place to make a memory based on your individual desires, interests, abilities, and timelines. Our jobs as travel managers are so so important. We enhance peoples lives!
Time is precious and memories are priceless. The memories people share during the final days are travel related. I witnessed it first-hand last week! When we say things like ‘wouldn’t it be nice if we all got together for a family reunion in the Bahamas – DO IT! As sometimes, in the words of Garth Brooks, what “if tomorrow never comes” – that opportunity is gone. I am so incredibly passionate about my career and I know that everyone in my office feels the same way. The beautiful thing about our office is we will send you to the right person. We work as a team. There are so many different niches within the travel industry. It would be impossible to specialize in all areas of travel. Personal Travel Management has specialists in all different kinds of travel. If an agent who specializes in cycling trips through Europe has a client that wants to book Disneyland, they will point you in the direction of our Disney specialist. We care about our clients and the memories they are making.
TRAVEL – BECAUSE YOU CAN! It’s our slogan at our office, It’s our tag line. Today it takes on a new meaning for me …. You may not be able to tomorrow. SEIZE THE DAY! TRAVEL – BECAUSE YOU CAN!
DARCI
