For the most part, I have been able to answer positively. Despite the extreme challenges the pandemic has thrown at us travel folk, my natural optimism has held firm, and the incredible resilience and spirit consistently on show from my Holidaysplease HQ and homeworking colleagues has lifted me every time a little wobble has chanced its arm.
Plus, instead of a daily commute, early-morning dog walks as light wakes and shines upon the lovely countryside have been a real joy of lockdown days.
I have strolled through springtime with its explosion of new life, through hazy summer fields kissed by dew and red skies illuminating autumnal gold-leafed trees.
But now the cold, dark, wet morning walks along muddy canal towpaths in wellies that have sprung a leak have arrived – and I’m more than ready to swap them for commuting and busy days back at Holidaysplease HQ with the team all fired up for peaks and the year ahead.
So, ask me how I’m doing right now, and I may not answer honestly. If I were to be honest, I wouldn’t be alone in admitting to a dip in mood. A recent Ipsos Mori study reported six in 10 Britons are finding it harder to stay positive during this third national lockdown, and only 7% of the population are finding it easier to be optimistic about the future.
One of the explanations for so many more people feeling this way now can be found on a spectrum that psychologists call “reward-seeking behaviour”.
Put simply, we are at the wrong end of the spectrum currently, where quick-fix rewards like a morning dog walk on a beautiful day are elusive in mid-winter, and the long-term reward of a return to better times has been eroded by promises that have fallen short and a realisation that we still have a fair way to go riding the corona-coaster.
And here, travel friends, lies our chance to shine. We all know holidays are a reward that people treasure more than most, so let’s take it upon ourselves to lift the spirits of the nation with a ray of travel sunshine.
We are a fun industry full of fun people. We can bring fun into people’s lives even in these darkest of times.
While a booking or two along the way would be nice, our motivation should be altruistic rather than salesy.
Our short-term reward comes from having a purpose, which will naturally lift us via the simple action of spreading positivity, joy and hope.
Long-term, those customers we have chatted with, written to, or who have been cheered by a social media post will remember us when their time to travel arrives, and our individual and industry future prospects will be boosted as a result.
And when it all feels just a little overwhelming, take a deep breath and be guided by “light” (see poem, below).
Poetic Inspiration
“How do you do it?” said night.
“How do you wake and shine?”
“I keep it simple,” said light.
“One day at a time.”
Lemn Sissay MBE @lemnsissay
Richard Dixon is director of Holidaysplease
