Bonjour from Béziers, France!
Well. I'm not sure it's THE news we've all been waiting for, but it's certainly part of it...Gordon shares some clips from his inspection of the Canal du Midi in advance of next year's program, and celebrates the recent big update from the Canadian government regarding travel.the Canadian government has lifted the blanket travel advisory against all non-essential travel and now has advisories on a country-by-country basis, which is an extremely welcome update for all of us keen to get out an explore.
A few weeks back I wrote a letter to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau regarding this very subject, and while I'm delighted to see the change, it nonetheless comes with many more questions, such as 'will you be getting me a bottle of white or red?' and 'which hat should I wear for my parade?'
(Just kidding of course; I'd be quite surprised to learn it even made it to his desk...but we can celebrate the outcome regardless :))
More seriously, there are still many unanswered questions such as how insurance companies will respond and how long it will take them to come up with appropriate packages for travellers. One can only imagine how much work is on their desks in the weeks ahead!
Airlines and flight routes will also require some time to adjust to this new reality, so while it's exciting news, it's a little bit like getting invited to a good friend's wedding...there's a party coming, but you still have to wait to for it.
In between now and those details getting sorted however there's time to plan those trips and perhaps to reflect on the value of maintaining positive intentions. I can't say for sure but it seems our thoughts influence reality in some capacity or another, and I like to think that by keeping our dreams alive, we give them the energy to eventually take form.
In that vein of thought I can say with more conviction than ever that good things are indeed on the way, and the tingle of adventure is starting to flow. I've reached the end of my little mission down the Canal du Midi, and overall I'm very pleased with the experience. The houseboat has been a blast, the landscapes incredible, the food exquisite; I think it's going to a ton of fun when we do it this time next year.
Next I'm off to Madeira for a further inspection in preparation for our February LiveAway, followed by a stop in Porto en route to London for World Travel Market, and then on to Cyprus to inspect things in advance of that LiveAway program as well.
We've got several webinars in the coming weeks, including one for our Jan 2023 Crossing the Andes program and an update regarding the aforementioned Madeira LiveAway - do join us for those if you are so inclined.
Cheers!
Gordon Dreger
Founder, Wheel & Anchor
Gordon Dreger is the founder of Wheel & Anchor and has been in the travel industry for over 30 years. Travel is a self-expression for him, and there is nothing he likes more than talking about travel and sharing all of the joys of it with others.
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