Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
Every morning, we wake up with fresh news about all the new ways our world has become a scarier place to be in. While it is important that we don’t underestimate Covid-19 and its rapid spread, we understand it’s incredibly easy to become overwhelmed by the barrage of doomsday scenarios and overstated issues we are exposed to. It can be a bit much, even for the most optimistic of us.
And it’s affecting all of us. Not just in the way we are all anxious and on-edge, but even in the way it has changed our day to day behaviours– it’s a whole new world of washing, wiping, sanitising and distance. It already feels like it’s everywhere, and yet there are some people who think the situation may intensify even further. But at this point in time, nobody knows for sure. So we watch and we wait. And we hope, searching earnestly for the first rays of light at the end of the tunnel, eagerly awaiting the signs that the Coronavirus is subsiding.
While we, being a travel operator, are in no position to expertly speculate when or how this situation will conclude, we do know that we need to find a balance amidst the whirlwind we live in. A balance to counteract the amount of hyperbole we encounter, and a need to focus on facts. More importantly, we need to focus on caring– caring for each other, and caring for our world. While it’s easy to understand where some extreme reactions may be coming from, it’s important to remember to temper our responses to be reasonable and restrained.
The travel and events industry has been decimated by anxiety-driven clicks and shares, from people who are showing a genuine care for others around them by ensuring they have all current information. However, this kind of care is leading us to live our life through a state of fear, anxiety and what ifs.
Caring, by its very definition, is providing what is necessary for upholding the health, safety, welfare, and protection of a person. When we spread news that only serves to worry our loved ones, it goes against the very nature of caring.
In the same way that we care for you– our Adventure Abroad community– by always ensuring that your safety comes first, we must always remember that to care for our loved ones we must contribute to their well-being.
That said, what should caring instead of scaring look like? It’s making sure our loved ones are well-informed by trusted, neutrally toned sources so as not to cause undue panic; it’s listening to your friends when they are expressing anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic and helping allay their fear; it’s helping educate others so that their understanding overpowers their fear.
I created Adventure Abroad to inspire people to think about the big picture. To show people what can be achieved through events and adventure travel with a little imagination and encouragement for people to get outside of their comfort zones. It is my hope that by inspiring others through our brand, we help make the world a better place. By remembering to care, instead of scare our loved ones, we each can be proponents of a better change, impervious to the difficulties that life throws at us.
This is our opportunity to create a change for good in our communities and empower others to do the same. I am excited for our future and to see what innovative tactics our generation can come up with. After all, as a society, our greatest times of innovation was during the Great Depression; they’d pivot business and continue to innovate for change. All of a sudden, ridiculous ideas became reality and those unwilling to change got left behind.
Governments and stimulus packages are not what will get us through hardship, but rather our innovation and creativity that will lead the way. Through it all, we need to be here caring for each other. This is what will ultimately empower humanity as a whole, and inspire a change for the better.
We care.
Stay safe, stay healthy, be well.
Tom Founder of Adventure Abroad
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