With Planet Earth in lockdown, our industry at a standstill and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine at home, or grounded, this is our blog for you – it’s a way to share stories within our community, to form solidarity and foster a sense of belonging.
Short essays on what we are each doing, how we are getting through this darkest hour in travel, how are we handling withdrawal symptoms from travel, what we intend to do with this down time, a word we want to focus on, a wish we have or simply, an important topic you want to share with your travel friends at this time.
Mieke De Schepper, EVP Online Travel and MD Asia Pacific, Amadeus
Grounded in Singapore: Focused on three things
I am focusing on balancing the three most important things to me right now – my family, my Amadeus colleagues and customers, my physical and mental health. My goal every day is to make sure I am giving all these areas the time they deserve.
- Family: Spending quality time with kids (and husband). Playing board games, planning our alternative Easter holiday in Singapore and just appreciating being together. I am also checking in more often with my elderly parents in the Netherlands, our weekly Facetime calls have become almost daily.
- Colleagues and customers: Large parts of my days are focused on sharing information, checking-in with people and listening to their concerns, needs, challenges. Video is always best if possible. Messaging groups are great to keep having some fun as a team.
- Physical and Mental Health: Some of my top tips to get my balance right – eating home-cooked food, daily workouts and getting enough sleep.
That passion thing: Positivity
Be Positive. A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. This quote by Winston Churchill has always been a guiding principle to me, and it is very appropriate at this moment.
While these are not easy times for us on a personal and professional level and our first focus is on getting through this together, it can also be a good time to think of what opportunities will come out of this crisis.
Note: We will be running this blog for as long as we need to, to get us through this. If you wish to contribute, please send your essays to Siew Hoon. Send images too, it’s your story.
• Featured image credit (colourful historic houses by the Singapore River): thyegn/Getty Images