Greetings from Thailand!
Well, had everything gone according to plan, right now we were supposed to be in the middle of our first LiveAway program on the island just across from my current location here on Koh Phangan.
It certainly wasn't the only plan to be compromised, but cancelling it was one of the most difficult decisions we had to make - it was one of the most anticipated trips by our members, and one I was particularly enthused about, as I was keen to share with you why I call this area home when I'm not on the move.
Given the present situation here, however, I do believe it was indeed the right decision. The cases continue to rise, the quarantine 'sandbox' program is by all accounts a bit of a mess, and there are a continuous series of open-close, on-off curfews that would have made the whole experience a far cry from what it should be.
That said, I'll be damned if we're not going to enjoy the sand and sunshine here eventually, and to that end we're nearly finished putting the finishing touches on next year's LiveAway program here.
In some ways, it will actually be even better than this year, as immediately following it we're going to do another LiveAway on another spectacular tropical island - this time in Bali, Indonesia. We were asking ourselves how we could improve a trip that never happened, and the best way seemed to be to maximize the long flight over here and avoid even more snow and cold next year.
In fact, should you be keen on taking it a step further, our Bali LiveAway will be followed immediately by our New Zealand LiveAway, giving you the opportunity to spend all of next winter on the equator / in the southern hemisphere.
I'm certainly not writing off travel in the remainder of this year - this is just putting out an intention and opportunity for us to make up for the past few miserable winters with something truly awesome. These LiveAways will be followed by a few European ones again, including Malta, Madeira, and several others, so stay tuned for info on those coming soon.
It's definitely a challenge planning trips in these times for both you and I, but that doesn't mean we should stop doing it! I think it's easy to say you believe things always work out when things are going your way; the real test of faith comes when they aren't. We won't be in this situation forever and thus we'd better have some good times ready to go when the time is upon us.
Be well, be positive, and let's continue to be patient - they won't get us down just yet.
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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