As people all over the world are self-isolating to safeguard against contact-contamination during the pandemic; and the major parts of the world are under partial or complete lockdown, one wonders what the people, who work in the travel industry might be doing.
Here?s a sneak peek of what Riviera Travel, a 35-year-old river cruise?s tour directors and tour managers are up to. For people associated with the Riviera Travel, who are accustomed to giving travellers a happy and engaging experience throughout the year with various trips and travels across land, ocean and sea, staying in one place does not come naturally.
But since the coronavirus-imposed lockdown has taken over the world, the people at Riviera decided to travel within, and open portals of creativity when life had come to a standstill.
Take Becky from North Yorkshire, for example. She is utilising this time to learn sign language, something which was recommended to her by a previous client, who is a sign language trainer and disability-awareness trainer himself.
Another employee is making PPE masks for local charity initiatives in Marseille, and making pasta right from the scratch, something she learnt while she was working on the Amalfi Coast.
The most heart-warming story is that of a father and his son, who are separated by miles but brought together by stories. Tour manager Thomas is in Andaluc?a while his eight-month old son is in Barcelona with his mother. Although his son might be far away from him, Thomas has carried with him, a toy lion, as a souvenir to all the countless destinations he has visited in the recent past, be it Italy, Qatar, UK, Spain, Nepal or Bhutan. While work has come to a hault right now, Thomas is using this time to write the stories of the toy lion; about his experiences in the different parts of the world, with illustrations; to create a photo book which he will send home.
Image credit:Riviera Travel