Hey, it's
Tracy Daniels!
BDM, Eastern Canada, QC, Ontario East, BC, Scenic & Emerald
This certainly has been a surreal time and there isn’t one person that hasn’t been affected. It is interesting to see how everyone copes differently.
My priority has been on my family and our mental health & wellness. Married to a Firefighter with his exposure in his work environment as well as three kids who are each unique, everyone has their days of ups and downs. I’ve made sure we all have our own “thing” that is our outlet to cope on those tougher days. My “thing” is listening to music — nothing like headphones on, ‘80s music cranked, dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld! The quote “dance like no one is watching,” certainly works wonders for me.
I’ve tried to look at this challenging time as an opportunity to take advantage of the “free” time my family has without the usual hectic schedule full of sports & activities. So, we’ve gone back to the basics; cooking lessons with the kids, getting the sewing machine out after collecting dust for 20 years & teaching my daughter to sew, making my Grandmother’s delicious relish recipe for the first time — lots of things we wouldn’t have done normally. We’ve had fun together, laughed a lot and learned great new skills as a result.
Of course, we also needed to leave the walls of our home, so we’ve spent time unplugging and enjoying our own beautiful province at some Ontario provincial parks and Lake Huron at my favourite place, Grand Bend — the area I grew up in. Great escapes with nature — hiking, biking, and paddling which has been a nice break and we feel like we have gone somewhere besides our kitchen!
Everyone really needs to take care of themselves and find their “thing” to get through this challenging time.
“Travel is such a rewarding experience in so many ways. We live in a big world with so many incredible places to visit and I love exploring a new place, and making those memories that last a lifetime. Plus, you always meet wonderful people along the way that enrich our lives, which makes the world feel a lot smaller.”
Tracy Daniels
Scenic & Emerald
What do you miss most about travelling?
Really everything, but to narrow it down, I would say discovering new places and meeting new people. Travel is such a rewarding experience in so many ways. We live in a big world with so many incredible places to visit and I love exploring a new place, and making those memories that last a lifetime. Plus, you always meet wonderful people along the way that enrich our lives, which makes the world feel a lot smaller.
Where’s the first place you want to go and why?
Every day I love looking and talking about all the amazing itineraries we offer so that constantly keeps me excited about travelling again. A Girls Trip to the South of France on a river cruise is high on my list. I lived in Villefranche-sur-Mer and love that area and the incredible wine regions throughout the south of France. Plus, a close friend moved there so it would be great to get our girlfriends together again & a river cruise is the perfect, most relaxing way to do this with all the inclusions.
Is there anything you want to share with travel agents?
As a travel agent in my past life, I do understand the enormous stress you have been under & want to thank you for the assistance you have provided our guests. There is no doubt the value of using a travel agent has been proven and will pay off in the months ahead. The Scenic Group is here to support your business.
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What’s something not a lot of people know about Scenic and/or Emerald?
We are a global company with 34 years experience in the travel industry with offices in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, Canada & the US. We have an innovative fleet of small ships both on the rivers and oceans with our river cruises and yacht cruises for both brands – a great product for all cruise guests.
There’s been a lot of talk about the industry coming out better on the other side of COVID-19. What are your hopes?
I think this pause in the travel industry has some benefits as it has forced both suppliers and travellers to think differently about the future.
For suppliers, it’s been a time to reset and find efficiencies and opportunities that will benefit our guests in the long run. This is certainly a unique time where we get to think outside the box, which I love and try new ideas. I do think we’ll see lots of improvements & innovative ideas impacting the guest experience as a result.
For travellers it’s made them appreciate the trips they have done in the past and realize how precious life is. Travel is a gift. People will want to take advantage of the opportunity they will have again to travel on the other side of this, and start crossing off some of the trips on their list they made and have been dreaming about during lockdown.
Do you have anything to add?
I feel privileged to be in a dynamic industry where we all share a passion for travel. We will get through this together and make the industry even stronger.
