Chris Cave is CEO of FlightHub Group.
Travel is a lot greater than the straightforward act of getting in a automobile or on a aircraft.
We know this as a result of, whereas we every cultivated an appreciation for Zoom over the previous three years, our hearts yearned for in-person connection: elevating a glass across the dinner desk with these we love, cheering jubilantly on a large garden at niece or nephew’s commencement, and even reaching out to simply accept a margarita being handed to us with a smile on a sandy seaside.
Travel gives us novelty, authenticity, and connection like nothing else does. And the info present that Americans are wanting to really feel these items once more.
The US Travel Association experiences that, as of mid-January, demand for air journey exceeded 2019 ranges for the primary time and are actually 3 p.c above 2019 ranges. It’s clear that for a lot of Americans, journey represents not solely journey but in addition freedom and empowerment – notably within the aftermath of a world disaster that severely restricted each of these issues.
Travel as a key to particular person and societal wellness
I consider journey is a key contributor to each particular person and societal wellness. It gives us freedom and journey, sure. But it additionally gives us the chance to expertise different cultures, break down our personal inside boundaries, and open our eyes past the bubbles of our respective houses. I’m heartened by the latest surge in demand for journey as a result of it signifies that these values are held by so many.
By connecting folks throughout borders, journey permits us to acknowledge ourselves in one another and develop into extra open-minded, important thinkers. We’re capable of watch the information by means of a unique lens and have higher empathy for these we’ve by no means met.
Travel is each a safety measure and a panacea that permits us to faucet into our shared humanity.
The journey business’s function is greater than we expect
The journey business’s function – and accountability – thus turns into one that’s a lot bigger than the straightforward availability of aircraft tickets or resort rooms. When we acknowledge the basic human wants which might be met by journey, we should additionally acknowledge that making journey accessible and reasonably priced for as many individuals as doable is our collective mandate. We should intention to strike a stability between working in a for-profit surroundings whereas guaranteeing that the merchandise we provide replicate values of fairness and accessibility.
From a 30,000-foot view, we additionally know that the journey business can play a singular function in assuaging and addressing international battle. At our firm, there was no higher instance of this than our latest partnerships with 4Ukraine and GlobalMedic. Last May, we launched the Ukraine Aid Program, pledging to supply free flights to Eastern Europe for GlobalMedic’s fast response groups whereas additionally bringing Ukrainian refugees to security in North America.
A 12 months later, now we have sponsored $120 CAD in flights and have supported greater than 220 Ukrainian folks to search out security in Canada, the place our headquarters are based mostly. This pivotal partnership allowed us to lean into our providing – cheap flights – whereas leaning on GlobalMedic’s catastrophe response competencies and 4Ukraine’s capability to vet vacationers and guarantee that they had a secure and sustainable place to remain upon arrival. We take into account this partnership to be an excellent success, and it continues at the moment.
Thus, the journey business’s function is twofold in societal and cultural wellness: We have the flexibility to help within the prevention of worldwide battle by permitting folks to expertise cultures far totally different from their very own, and we are able to additionally present help in occasions of battle, whether or not that’s by means of transporting folks and provides to the frontlines or creating alternatives for others to flee battle.
Tapping into higher human consciousness
We know that journey serves a spectrum of wants, desires and desires which might be all uniquely human. From a niche 12 months backpacking by means of Europe to a joyful reunion with household after three years of Zoom birthdays, to the aid and compassion discovered on a flight out of battle and hazard. Each of those permits us to faucet into our higher human consciousness.
So – what appears easy, isn’t. Just a few clicks on an internet site. A aircraft ticket bought. A deep breath. The anticipation of one thing new, one thing adventurous, one thing secure.
This is what connects us. And for this reason we exist.
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