TRAVEL HAS ALWAYS been a luxury. Prior to COVID, you needed to have the disposable income to afford it or a career that required it. Many Americans had neither.
Saying “post” COVID feels premature but it is the closest language I can think of for this stage of the pandemic, and post-COVID travel is even more of a luxury. You still need to be able to afford it (and like everything else, it’s even more expensive) but you also need to be confident in your health, your vaccination status, the travel requirements of your origin and destination, and hope that everyone you encounter along the route is being as cautious as possible as well.
Flaubert said, “Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” I believe that. There is nothing like travel to show you your own insignificance in the grand scheme of things; it helps you become more generously-spirited and appreciative of your blessings. We could all do with a little more of that.
All this preamble is to say, that I was happy to be back in NYC for VEE. I had all the feels. I was thrilled to be back in the city I called home for so many years. It felt both familiar and new; exciting and a little scary. Javits all decked out and without masks felt like any VEE of the past … until you noticed the smaller footprint and fewer bodies milling about. I was so happy to be there … and I also wanted nothing more than to be back home in my little house with my dog.
I am all for the world of travel opening back up to more people. To people embracing the fact that life has to go on. And though it can sometimes feel like COVID is over … it isn’t. But we can learn to live with it while being considerate of our neighbors near and far.
Being considerate of our neighbors is a concept we explore a lot in this issue — ECPs who welcome and service travelers (p. 40), eyecare businesses partnering with their district nurses to improve children’s vision (p. 48), and a hyper-local social media platform that puts your business in front of those most likely to use it … your neighbors (p. 54)
Summer is coming… I encourage you to go travel! Be kind, be safe and be open to new experiences.
Best wishes for your business,
Five Smart Tips From This Issue
- School’s out … time to get ready for back-to-school! (Manager’s To-Do, page 24)
- Have you embraced this simple, underutilized and effective Instagram posting trick? It performs better compared with other types of content. (Monthly Project, page 24)
- You can’t talk about kids’ vision without talking about myopia. We’ve got the latest options for treatment. (Better Vision, page 34)
- Do you know how to eat an elephant? Hint: It’s the same way you tackle anything you’d like to achieve. (Tip Sheet, page 52)
- The almighty 5-Star Google review. They are easier to get than you think if you try these 10 tips. (Columns, page 58)