Spring Forward

Spring Forward!

Did you remember to put your clocks ahead last night? If not, you might have been surprised this morning (or this afternoon) when you saw the time on your i-phone didn’t match the regular clocks in your home. I still have quite a old-style clocks to adjust.

There’s something about the clocks going ahead that really makes you feel like spring is around the corner. (And yes, I’m choosing to ignore the 7 foot mountain of snow outside my office window.)  While I wonder how my colleagues and friends in Yukon and Arizona welcome spring without the artificial clock reminder, I like DST – at least in the spring (don’t talk to me about the fall back – I’m not as enamoured). I do know that not everyone participates in DST, and there are lots of studies about the negative ramifications on health and driving mishaps (see wellness article below – we all miss that extra hour of sleep. Be careful!)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_by_country  I do But I do enjoy the spring forward.

I really love the feeling of days being brighter, longer days; and have it coordinate with the return of chirping birds, and soon (please) we’ll see buds on the trees. It really does put the proverbial “spring” in my step. It makes the heart feel lighter.

Not realizing the calendar date, we’d invited my nephew, niece, and our brand new little grand niece, over for brunch today. I’m late getting my Sunday newsletter to your inbox, but the smiles and coos of a 6 month old baby girl were too wonderful a distraction. The spring forward was pretty fitting. New life. Promise. Renaissance.

I was reminded that yesterday, March 11th, we passed the 3 year mark of CoVid being declared a pandemic.  https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-health-marks-third-anniversary-of-covid-19-pandemic-declaration  And what a brutal 3 years it’s been – missing family, gatherings, and, of course, travel!  Even on this date in 2022, my home province of Newfoundland was still in it’s 2nd (or was it the 3rd?) lockdown, which prevented me from visiting my mom. And the Canadian government hadn’t lifted the general “do not travel” recommendation until sometime in April 2022.

So, we’re all due a renaissance. Rebirth. Grab our potential.

Canadians pretty much kept to home during the pandemic, while Americans, by and large, travelled more. Canadians are now catching up, and maybe even surpassing, our American counterparts for travel. We’re taking big bucket list trips, longer cruises – even world cruises, and upgrading the accommodations and style of travel. There’s nothing like having something taken away to make you realize how much you loved something. And that’s certainly true for travel.

Travel records and booking levels are being broken each day it seems.

Viking Saw Record-Breaking Sales In January. https://ca.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/viking-saw-record-breaking-sales-in-january.html

World cruise sales are through the roof with folks like Oceania and Regent as well. https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/oceania-world-cruise-sells-out-in-one-day and https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/luxury-cruise-line-regent-seven-090600062.html with companies announcing their longest ever cruises going up for sale, and selling out!

One company just announced a 3- year long cruise – want to take revenge on 1,095 days of CoVid by having 1,095 days to travel? https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/7283/ 

Folks like Disney are building bigger cruise ships https://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2023/02/mickey-goes-mega-disney-cruise-lines-new-global-dream-will-hold-8000-2 

More celebrities are travelling with their fans – Jennifer Lopez https://people.com/travel/jennifer-lopez-announces-exclusive-five-night-cruise-with-virgin-voyages-meant-to-empower-fans/  and Jann Arden https://www.travelweek.ca/news/scenic-announces-third-river-cruise-with-musician-jann-arden

But with all the honey must come a little vinegar.

We’re still seeing a lot of upheaval with airlines, including flight consolidations and schedule changes. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/travel/story/2023-summer-schedule-airlines-thousands-flights-changed-97513608 and even partner consolidations https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/ottawa-greenlights-westjet-s-takeover-of-sunwing-1.6308503 

Plane seizures a ‘significant blow’ to Flair as passenger frustrations grow https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/plane-seizures-a-significant-blow-to-flair-as-passenger-frustrations-grow/ar-AA18wYyQ

And rules and regs continue to change with entry and other requirements – e.g., Europe will start charging for entry in 2024 . https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/travel-news-europe-etias-2024 

It’s more important than ever to work with a travel advisor, who is keeping on top of all the changes, and is best placed to help you travel the world.

Let’s all spring forward! Travel!