March 2020 it was official: the
world was facing a global pandemic and lives, businesses, dreams, and
expectations were turned on their heads in a heartbeat. Covid
19/lockdowns/border closures/ quarantine hotels and many other new terms bits
of language became part of everyday conversation. The plans people had in place
for all the parts of their lives were in disarray and no industry was more
affected than that of tourism and hospitality. My small business Julie Reece
Tours was in the midst of planning and payments for the 2020 Connecting
Spirits Community Tour originally due to depart September…then April 2021…then
November 2021 until we finally stopped placing futile dates on our plans. Businesses folded in the travel industry and
‘Jobkeeper’ kept the rest on survival mode. Many fine operators with years and
years of experience in the industry found work in new areas of the floundering
economy with the faint hope of one day returning to the field they loved and
were good at.
However now in March 2021 with
the Covid vaccine rolling out across the globe and economic markers showing
gradual signs of improvement, I think I can see that light beaming at the end
of the tunnel that has plagued us for a year. Most of the clients who paid
deposits for the CS tour, are still keen and have not cashed in their Emirates
flights. All the hotels I booked have kept my deposits in the system and new
dates and yet another draft itinerary has been prepared. This time I feel
positive and keen to get back to my laptop, plotting and planning another
Connecting Spirits Community tour with a reasonably sound chance of it happening!
So, we start again…April 2022…the
CS group will depart for the (vaccinated) U.K, France, and Belgium to continue
the commemorative journey that is at the heart of the CS project. Five possibly
six days in the UK (3 nights in the Salisbury Plains, 2 in Canterbury and 1 in
London) five days on the Somme based in Amiens and finally a full week in our
beloved Ypres, Belgium including an Anzac Day service at Buttes New British
Cemetery in Polygon Woods. If the local public Dawn Service is not running next
year, then our group will have our own intimate event with some of our
treasured Belgian friends in attendance.
Unlike previous tours, requests
for payments will NOT be made until all the requirements for safe overseas
travel are in place and the Federal Government has lifted the ban on
international departures for tourism. However, watch this space and the
Facebook page for updates as I will bring these as and when they occur. It is
to be hoped that this time next year the backpacks will be waiting and new
travel accessories ready to use. I cannot
wait and this time we have an excellent chance of DEPARTURE!!! Stay safe and
stay positive my friends…we will return!!
Some of our 2019 memories from the Connecting Spirits Community Tour
(Photo credit Julie Reece)
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