JulyEdition

V.F.R.
By: Stu Cooper / Happy Adventures
Sharon and I have been in the travel business
for close to 35 years. And over that time, we
have learned that people travel for three reasons:
1. To solve a problem. I must be in (insert city) on (insert
date) for a meeting.
2. To get a feeling. I (we) want to see blue waters, or warm
sunny beaches, or go on that long-awaited vacation; and
3. VFR. To visit friends and relatives.
The most overlooked and taken for granted reason to travel, and
by far the busiest one, is visiting friends and
relatives.
That’s why Thanksgiving
weekend and all the other
major holidays are the most
active and crowded travel times of
the year. We all want to visit with family
and be there for the important (read happy) family occasions.
From a travel perspective, I can tell you that travel for all reasons
- especially visiting friends and relatives is just about back to prepandemic
levels. Forget what you’re reading or hearing about inflation,
high gas prices or the general state of the economy, people are spending
their hard-earned dollars to travel.
Don’t misunderstand me. Inflation and gas prices are a big issue,
but people are traveling and from this economic point of view, things
are good.
Case in point. Our son Jonathan got married last month to our new
daughter-in-law Rachel in New York where we live.
We had friends and family travel to New York for the wedding
from Tulsa, Las Vegas (that means publisher Dan and his Rana),
Minneapolis, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, and even Tel Aviv, Israel.
The overwhelming desire to share the event with friends and family.
Notwithstanding the economic news and the lingering effects of the
pandemic. I am very optimistic on the state of travel. We are getting on
with our lives and moving about the country.
And that’s a good thing. Travel safe.
38 July 2022