David J. Danto

 

Business travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

 

             

 

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org      Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD

 

NOT Traveling Blog, 4th Week Of December 2020

David Danto’s ongoing list of disjointed and occasionally random observations and thoughts as we wait-out the pandemic – mostly NOT traveling like we used to. 

 

 I’ve always believed that the story about optimists and pessimists and the glass of water was wrong.  It’s not important that the optimist sees the glass half full and the pessimist sees the glass half empty, the point is us cynics see a glass that was manufactured twice as large as it needed to be. 

Being that cynic practically all my life has put me in a good place throughout this pandemic.  As I’ve stated before, I’m still spraying everything that comes into my house with a fine mist of alcohol, I’m still wearing latex gloves when I shop, and I don’t believe that BS airline travel study about how something inherently unsafe is now somehow safe when a study the airlines paid-for which ignored reality says it is.  (Also as I said before, when the airline CEO / President and his family shows me video of them boarding and flying a standard commercial flight in coach, then I’ll believe it’s safe enough for me and my family.)

I mention all this because I did something this week that used to be a normal occurrence for me, but I haven’t done in so long that it felt very weird.  I booked a trip.

As many of my long time readers know I have traveled on business to Las Vegas very often.  When you stay in casinos a lot and gamble a tiny bit you get to know the people there and get yourself onto their mailing lists for “offers.”  The offers that have been coming in to my email have been extraordinary since the pandemic started. Free rooms, free resort credit, free gambling credit, etc. – showing the desperation of the casinos there and the overall depressed economy that much of the travel and tourism industry is experiencing.  Last week the offers became too good to pass up.  There were essentially no expiration dates on them.

Because of that I’ve booked a leisure trip for myself and my wife in August 2021.  Resort stay, air-travel, rental car, the whole works. 

It is a gamble in more ways than one.  I’m betting that by August most people (including us) will have received COVID19 vaccinations – and that they will be effective for a decent period of time.  I’m betting that the resort, the airline and the rental car company will survive until then.  I’m betting that I’ll survive until then, and that I can still afford to go by then.

Still, even with the big gamble, it felt good being able to mentally prepare for a trip again.  Both my wife and I had a moment of joy in this dumpster fire of a year thinking about being away together.  “Hawaii next” she said, and I agreed.  If we win this gamble in August we’ll definitely step-up next time and make a bigger bet.

  

 

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As always, please feel free to write to me with comments or items I should add to a future Not Traveling blog (or if you just need someone to write to.)  Stay safe, be well, hug those you’re sheltering with (but no one else) and do your best to stay positive.  We’re going to be in this for a while longer. 

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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The Explanation for my Not Traveling blogs:  In 2014 I was voted by USA Today readers as one of the top ten business travel bloggers in the USA.   Now mind you, I turned out to be number ten on the list of ten, but I did make it on (with my thanks to all those who voted.)   Now that we’re all stuck at home and not traveling, I had to think about what to do with my blogs.  I could stop writing them entirely – waiting till we all get through the current COVID19 pandemic / crisis.  I could wax nostalgic and/or complain about past trips.  Or, I could focus all of my efforts on my day job – growing the use of collaboration technologies – especially in light of how many people are now forced to use those tools for the first time.  In reflecting upon those choices, what I decided to do is compile an ongoing list of observations during the crisis.  Some of these may amuse, some may inform, some may sadden and others may help.  My goal will be for you to have seen something in a different light than you did before you stopped to read the blog.  I was going to apologize for how disjointed these thoughts may seem when put together, but then it dawned on me that feeling disjointed is our new normal – at least for a little while.