I’ve been fortunate to have had some press/ media coverage of my travel advisory business. Have a look.


On Location: “Huge opportunities”: Growing Virtuoso Canada brings talent, strategy to Vegas Aug 21 2023

https://news.paxeditions.com/news/buzz/location-huge-opportunities-growing-virtuoso-canada-brings-talent-strategy-vegas

“What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas”

For Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner of Lush Life Travel (an affiliate of Vision/Direct Travel), it was her eleventh time attending Virtuoso Travel Week in person and 13th conference in total (she attended two virtually during the pandemic).

“The whole week is wonderful, but my favourite part is Saturday’s ‘Globetrotting,’ which involves visiting supplier partners in elaborately-designed booths, organized by pavilion for adventure, cruise, wellness, family and celebration, and ultraluxe travel,” Gallant-Halloran said.

Sheila Gallant-Halloran (left) meets with Ron Lonsdale, Canadian director of strategic partnerships at Collette. (Supplied) Sheila Gallant-Halloran (left) meets with Ron Lonsdale, Canadian director of strategic partnerships at Collette. (Supplied)

And the Toronto-based travel pro got her steps in – between Monday and Thursday last week, Gallant-Halloran attended 26 six-minute “speed dating” meetings each day, 10 ten-minute matched appointments, as well as additional meetings with suppliers in booths at the “Cruise Café” and “Preferred Partner Lounge.”

That doesn’t even include each day’s luncheons, dinners, cocktails and afterparties.

She said the event both acknowledges sales accomplishments (last year, Gallant-Halloran was honoured for being a top Wellness advisor) and helps advisors make important connections.

This year, Gallant-Halloran met with top executives from AmaWaterways and Uniworld, the latter of whom she is working with to build a women’s-themed cruise that will also cater to solo female travellers.

From left: Michelle Palma, EVP, sales, North America, Uniworld; Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner, Lush Life Travel; Ellen Bettridge, president & CEO, Uniworld. (Supplied) From left: Michelle Palma, EVP, sales, North America, Uniworld; Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner, Lush Life Travel; Ellen Bettridge, president & CEO, Uniworld. (Supplied)

“Virtuoso Travel Week is where serious work intersects with fun while building relationships,” Gallant-Halloran told PAX. “What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.”

Meanwhile, Virtuoso’s growing team in Canada, with its monthly sales updates and business development channels, is a “huge bonus to us,” Gallant-Halloran said.


LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Apr 25 2023 https://www.travelweek.ca/news/looking-back-from-actuary-to-agency-owner-sheila-gallant-halloran-went-from-roi-to-return-on-life

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Sheila Gallant-Halloran

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

TORONTO — Sheila Gallant-Halloran didn’t join the travel industry until 2006, but her travel memories could fill several lifetimes – and she’s not stopping any time soon.

She also has incredible recall. Asked for her favourite moments in this industry, as part of Travelweek’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Gallant-Halloran was able to offer an almost year-by-year retelling of her own major landmark moments, from once-in-a-lifetime trips, to career decisions that got her where she is today: an award-winning independent travel advisor and owner of Lush Life Travel, an affiliate of Vision, a Direct Travel company.

Gallant-Halloran tells Travelweek: “I wasn’t in the industry in the heyday of commissions on air, and junkets and fams. Of course, the upside is that I came to travel with 20+ years in financial services, so that risk management background helped ground me in the travel industry in a different way.”

She adds: “I used to be an actuary, and worked on ‘return on investment’ – but as a travel advisor, I truly did get into ‘return on life’ for my clients.”

While 2006 seems like recent history, there have been big changes if you know where to look. When the Ottawa-based Gallant-Halloran was still working in financial services, as a corporate traveller she used to fly the Ottawa-Toronto corridor 2 – 3 times a week. “I flew into Billy Bishop before its current incarnation. My memories are of a very bare-bones terminal, with maybe a spot to buy coffee if you were lucky.” Now, of course, passengers flying in and out of YTZ enjoy a full-service lounge and plenty of perks and services.

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Winning ‘Top Travel Counsellor’ in Canada from Travel Counsellors, in 2009 in Manchester

Here are Gallant-Halloran’s travel memories, both before her industry career, and after: “These memories stand out.”

1987 or 1988: “Flying the Ottawa -Toronto corridor regularly on Wardair. Regular service included a steward(ess) hanging your coat for you, and serving you champagne and orange juice for breakfast before taxi.”

1988: “Going to New York City for the first time on a business trip, and enjoying the crazy hustle of the city. I remember St. Patrick’s Cathedral taking my breath away.”

2001: “Getting on a plane again in October after 9/11 and being absolutely terrified.”

2006: “Joining MouseEars Vacations as a Disney specialist.”

2008: “Joining Travel Counsellors in Canada as an independent travel counsellor. Also, sailing on the Diamond Princess to Alaska with my family, mom, and cousins – and enjoying the views of the beautiful Glacier Bay from my balcony suite with my family.”

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Snorkelling on Great Barrier Reef, 2017

2009: “Winning ‘Top Travel Counsellor’ in Canada from Travel Counsellors, and flying to Manchester, England to get the award. Also, annual trips to Disney with my family.”

2010: “Joining Vision Travel as an independent travel advisor, and being a part of helping build the new @home division.”

2012: “Staying at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach as a Virtuoso luxury travel advisor, and overhearing (to my dismay) my youngest daughter (then 6 years old) order the Bentley to come pick us up for dinner (and they sent it).”

2012: “Visiting the Galapagos on a fam with Adventures by Disney, and walking where Darwin walked, and coming up close and personal with the blue footed boobies.”

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Galapagos Islands, 2012

2013: “Taking my first trip on the Rocky Mountaineer, and being astonished by the beauty that is Western Canada. I remember walking on the Athabasca Glacier and being wowed. Also, hosting my first luxury cruise with Seabourn to the Caribbean as a Virtuoso host, and being fêted with the wining and dining, and escorting my Virtuoso passengers on a customized shore excursion – and celebrating my 50th birthday with their champagne and caviar beach BBQ.”

2014: “Taking my family on a Tauck river cruise on the Danube, and watching my kids learn and be excited about sailing with other kids on a family cruise product throughout Europe – and having my youngest try escargot for the first time.”

2015: “Taking my mom on an Oceania cruise – just mom and adult daughter spending alone time together, and visiting wonderful spots like Spice Island Beach Resort.”

2016: “Returning to Disney on annual trips again, but now having to ride the roller coasters with my family – my youngest was no longer my excuse to sit them out. Also, visiting Fogo Island Inn with my family and my mom, and being so proud to see this five-star wonderful hotel in my home province. And teaching my eldest daughter to jig a cod.”

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Riding roller coasters at Walt Disney World

2017: “Going to Australia on a fam to Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, and pulling over in a van one night, and being overwhelmed with emotion as we saw the stars from a different perspective and snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef and pinching myself I was there. Also, taking my eldest daughter to India, and being overwhelmed with the magical chaos that is India – the noise, smells, and people stay with you as does the beauty of the Taj Mahal and the various forts and temples, and riding in the back of a rickshaw in Delhi plus riding an elephant in Jaipur.”

2018: “Taking my husband and youngest daughter to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest on a river cruise, and being blown away by the stillness of the experience. We had a marvelous time, no TVs or cellphones, all the wildlife and birds and nature was amazing and jumping in the Amazon for a swim, and later catching piranhas in the water that we later ate for dinner.”

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Alaska cruise onboard Diamond Princess, 2008

2019: “Visiting Machu Picchu with G Adventures, and just being awed by the wonder of the spot – I called all my family around the world to tell them where I was and show them pictures. Also, taking a group on the Rocky Mountaineer, and having older ladies picked up by limousine to take them from the airport – they were so excited for their first limo ride, and of course, the train ride was even better. Also, taking a group of 75 people on a Uniworld river cruise as we ‘Dashed Through the Danube’, partnering with a ladies’ fashion store, Shepherd’s Fashions in Ottawa. We combined fashion and fun, with shopping through Europe. Amazing.”

2020: “Experiencing the devastation of the pandemic on the travel industry, cancelling and cancelling again a huge book of business, and seeing that play out again and again for the better part of two years with lockdowns. The one upside was the full embrace of professional fees.”

2021: “Getting on a plane again to go to Newfoundland once it finally re-opened, so I could visit family again, and being absolutely overjoyed to get on a plane again. Even the smell of airplane coffee was a welcome sensory experience.”

2022: “Incorporating my boutique company, Lush Life Travel, as an affiliate of Vision, a Direct Travel company. Winning a 2022 Virtuoso Luminaries, Legends, and Leaders Awards category – WELLNESS award in Las Vegas at the Bellagio – my first in-person Virtuoso Travel Week since 2019. Doing a river cruise with AmaWaterways on the Rhine, cruising through the beautiful Rhine Gorge, and taking in the Christmas markets again that had been closed for a couple of years. And taking a group to my home province of Newfoundland, and watching ‘Come From Away’ in Gander, at the stadium with all the main players and mayors and participants in the house. Completely emotional, and made me so proud to be from Newfoundland.”

LOOKING BACK: From actuary to agency owner, Sheila Gallant-Halloran went from ROI to ‘return on life’

Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland, 2016



Booking tips and more as Italy’s popularity soars to new heights

Italy bucket list  Jun 29 2023

Another Ontario-based travel advisor, Lush Life Travel owner Sheila Gallant-Halloran, sends a lot of clients to Italy. She shared her tips with Travelweek.

“Costs are much higher than pre-pandemic, with normal four stars pricing at five star levels; and five star hotels really at a premium,” she says. “There is little availability. Some of my clients – solo ladies especially – have opted for organized and escorted touring on motorcoaches. Others might do an Italy-intensive cruise,” such as Azamara, or maybe Uniworld’s Venice Lagoon cruise, she says.

Gallant-Halloran adds that she’s been “steering more clients towards customized trips [in Italy] with private tour guides, which is the only way to do it this summer. Even still, some of my normal ‘go to’ DMC partners were so busy with demand outstripping their resource supply/ ability to work on the trips that they weren’t even accepting Italy enquiries for the past quarter plus – or they [stipulated] a very high minimum spend.”

She sums it up: “Italy is still Italy – it’s beautiful. But if you go, pack your patience because the lines will be long. And if you haven’t already hired a private guide, and still have the opportunity to find one, do it.”


Discovery Calls

Fast, efficient, successful: Discovery Calls 101

 

 


Canadian Vision travel advisor nominated for prestigious Virtuoso award

Joelle Goldman, vice-president, host services for Direct Travel/Vision Travel is pleased to announce that independent travel advisor Sheila Gallant-Halloran of Lush Life Travel (an affiliate of Vision)has been nominated for a prestigious 2022 Virtuoso Luminaries, Legends, and Leaders Award.

Nominated in the Wellness category, Gallant-Halloran says she is very appreciative for the nomination and pleased that wellness is growing in recognition as a tangible category in travel.

I had been working in the luxury adventure and experiential sector for some years and realized that more and more of my clients – many of whom are older women – are looking for a wellness component or even focus to their travels,” said Gallant-Halloran, who is based in Ottawa. “The pandemic has resulted in more clients realizing that they want to take care of themselves, she adds, and many tell her they are looking to be more conscious about physical activity, diet, and learning about wellness during their vacations.

Gallant-Halloran has been generous in sharing her learnings with her colleagues, and so far has hosted three webinars for Virtuoso advisors and one for suppliers.

And as part of her marketing to her own clientele, she has hosted over 80 “Travel Tuesday” Zoom events.

The award winners will be announced in Las Vegas later this month at the annual Virtuoso Travel Week.

https://news.paxeditions.com/news/agency/canadian-vision-travel-advisor-nominated-prestigious-virtuoso-award


How top travel advisors make the most of their specialties Aug 17 2022

https://www.travelweek.ca/blog/how-top-travel-advisors-make-the-most-of-their-specialties/

SHEILA GALLANT-HALLORAN

Another hugely successful Vision advisor is Ottawa-based Sheila Gallant-Halloran.

While she very much enjoyed her original niches of soft adventure and cruise, she noticed a growing interest in health and wellness.

“I have a lot of solo, older lady clients and this group is definitely interested in looking to ‘reclaim’ their lives post-pandemic. Healthy living and self-care are resonating with people more than ever.”

Clients rarely contact her to say “I’m interested in wellness travel!” but as Sheila says, it just bubbles up in the conversation. And “wellness” can mean anything from a  half-day spa visit as part of a longer trip, to a vacation in a very health-focused resort such as BodyHoliday Saint Lucia.

For example, what started out as a large river cruise group focused on shopping and fashion evolved into one focusing on how to live your best life.

Wellness has been a focus in over 80 of Sheila’s ‘Travel Tuesdays’ Zoom calls with her clients. She has also conducted mentoring sessions – two for her Virtuoso colleagues and one for Virtuoso suppliers. Her willingness to share and educate are so impressive she that this year she won the 2022 Virtuoso Luminaries, Legends, and Leaders Award.

 

 


Vision’s Sheila Gallant-Halloran wins prestigious Virtuoso award in wellness – 08-14-2022  6:09 pm

A Canadian Vision travel advisor scooped up a prestigious award at this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week, which is happening in Las Vegas until Aug. 19.

Sheila Gallant-Halloran of Lush Life Travel (an affiliate of Vision) won the Virtuoso Travel Wellness Community Award for Luminaries, Legends and Leaders.

The award was presented on Saturday (Aug. 13) at a “Community Globetrotting” lunch reception.

In a statement to PAX, Gallant-Halloran said she was “thrilled and honoured” to receive the recognition, which was supported by her supplier partners.

“I’ve been working in luxury adventure, cruise, and experiential travel sector for some years, and realized that more and more of my clients – many of whom are older women – were looking for a wellness component or focus to their travels,” Gallant-Halloran said.

“’Wellness travel’ really is about healthy living and self-care. After the past two-and-a-half years of pandemic stresses, isolation and being cut off from the world, we are all ready to reclaim our power and put our lives more in balance.”

Gallant-Halloran previously noted how she was very appreciative that wellness is growing in recognition as a tangible category in travel.

She thanked Virtuoso, the wellness community, her supplier partners who nominated and voted for her, Vision Travel Solutions Vacation and Cruise, Direct Travel Vacations, her clients (“who continue to travel and inspire me to learn new ways of exploring the world”), and her fellow Vision colleagues Stephanie, Natasha, and Andrew.

“I look forward to helping more clients on their wellness journey through travel,” Gallant-Halloran said.

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https://news.paxeditions.com/news/people/visions-sheila-gallant-halloran-wins-prestigious-virtuoso-award-wellness


 

Optimism for Travel Industry Running High  – Date: Jul 22 2022

Last week, I was proud to be a repeat guest on the podcast “Thanks for Asking”, hosted by Helen Nodland of Virtuoso Travel.

And this week I was interviewed by Travelweek, Canada’s leading travel trade publication, about optimism for the travel industry.

GETTING CLIENTS TRAVELLING AGAIN

Asked about the biggest impediments to getting clients travelling right now, agents cite reasons ranging from perceptions about travel restrictions, to nervousness about airports, airplanes and the like, to lack of awareness about how relatively open travel has become.

Sheila Gallant-Halloran with Lush Life Travel in Ottawa says she’s fortunate to have many clients already travelling – or about to. “I have a client’s family finally headed to Kenya today for a bucket list trip that was cancelled twice before because of the pandemic; and have had multiple client couples and families do the Rocky Mountaineer, take Alaska cruises, go to Hawaii and Costa Rica; visit Newfoundland, Vancouver, California, and Florida; head off to Italy, France, Greece, Portugal, Monaco, and Ireland; and take different European river cruises and small ship ocean cruises. Several more river cruises and an Iceland cruise coming up. And even some world cruises.”

Gallant-Halloran adds: “I think most of my clients are aware they can travel now – at least I’ve been preaching that in my weekly newsletter throughout the pandemic, and have certainly shared with clients every time there’s been a lessening of rules and regulations impacting Canadians’ travelling.

For those clients still hesitating, or not yet ready to travel – “and yes, I have whole swaths still in this camp” – Gallant-Halloran says it’s a combination of factors, including fear, and hesitancy after two years at home, insurance worries, continually changing entry, exit, and vaccination rules, and of course airport delays and congestion worldwide.

“There are things I can’t really help with though – like the inordinate delays to get passports, and the lineups they will encounter everywhere. But I am very upfront with my clients about these complications, and while I can guide them and give advice and recommendations, I have to let their stress level guide them,” she says.

To see the full article I was quoted in, and details on the the survey, https://www.travelweek.ca/news/travelweeks-agent-survey-2022-optimism-for-travel-industry-running-high/

 

 

 


Six Reasons You Should Use Travel Advisors Apr 24, 2022

“Why wouldn’t you partner with someone who’s an expert in all the details? It’s better to borrow expertise than to build it yourself.”

-Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Lush Life Travel

 

The evolving role of travel advisors

In March, we hosted a webinar with three certified travel advisors from the US and Canada to talk about some of the shifts in travel and how their role has changed. After the webinar, 85 per cent of participants said they would use a travel advisor going forward.

Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner of Lush Life Travel in Ontario, helps mature and solo travelers live their lush life and calls herself a ‘happiness actuary’, specializing in river cruises and bucket list adventures.

“We were thrown into the middle of the biggest chaos we had ever seen,” Gallant Halloran remembers. “People in travel have been through all kinds of chaos, between SARS and Ebola and terrorist attacks. We thought we had seen every kind of iteration of the problem and knew how to respond. But this became something else, huge. Something else very quickly.”

In a world where advisors are typically compensated at the end of travel, the travel world was thrown upside down. A booking that was originally expected to take 10 hours expanded into 40 hours or more.

“We were working hours and hours to protect our clients, get them home, try to save the industry,” recalls Gallant-Halloran. “It was put on our shoulders to rebook, get clients refunded, advocate for them, all with little or no revenue, all with little or no government support. It has been a tremendous two years.

Six reasons you should consider hiring a certified travel advisor

1. They do more than just book travel

For some, the terminology of ‘travel agent’ evokes antiquated images of the 1970s, with Chargex cards and call centres. As travel has become more complicated, so too has the role of the person advising us about travel.

“I think when you start out in this business, you automatically call yourself a travel agent,” says Gallant-Halloran. “As time goes by, and you end up with a lot more experience, you graduate to a travel consultant, and then you graduate to a travel advisor. I specialize in all kinds of travel, so I call myself a travel specialist. The only thing that I do say is really connected to the word agent, are people who book only airline tickets. But at the end of the day, I think it’s the label that you’d like to call yourself, that you feel most comfortable in.” …

“’Agent’ to me is very much a transactional role, if you’re looking for me to complete a booking or make a booking,” Gallant-Halloran says.” I work with my clients to advise them, much as a financial advisor would advise them between a certain stock portfolio or high growth portfolio, whatever they’re looking for.”

She continues: “I help my clients figure out what’s important to them and making decisions about their trip. A travel advisor’s job is really to help you make the decisions. People focus on all the bits and pieces that go into a decision where, when and how. But the travel advisor really comes in and says, well, I know all the details, and I can help you figure out which company is the right one or which segment or which order how you want to go. And it’s really that advisory role that’s important. I’m not just here because I’m better at Google.”

“I do an awful lot of work for the client both before, during and after a trip. For the services I provide the client, the commission I got from the supplier was no longer sufficient to cover that,” says Gallant-Halloran. “I’m not providing a favor to clients by working with them. I’m giving them a service. I’m assisting them and making their decision. I’m helping them by sharing all my expertise and all of my connections. And I do charge a fee. The fees I charge are going to differ depending on the scope and the man hours of the work that I’m doing for the client.”

2. They have access to information you don’t

While we’re all suffering from information overload, step into the shoes of a travel agent, who receives hundreds of alerts every day from travel and tourism organizations from around the world, and relationships with on-the-ground travel suppliers around the world, which can also result in deals and discounts the general public may not be aware of.

“I get alerts throughout the day –  the latest update on what’s happening in Italy, this is what’s happening in Costa Rica, this is what’s happening in Hawaii,” says Gallant-Halloran. “If a travel advisor sat at their desk and worked on a file and turned off their email for an hour or two, they’d come back to easily 100 emails. Ten might be from clients and the rest are alerts and information. We have to stay on top of that and keep abreast of that because we have to be constantly aware of what’s changing. The world has changed so many times with COVID. Entry requirements, exit requirements, testing requirements.”

3. They can guide you through uncertainty

The uncertain situations in Ukraine and other parts of the world can cause a great deal of anxiety about travel.  Because they have access to more information and connect through professional organizations, travel advisors have a broader perspective and usually know things before the media and general public.

“Certainly Baltic Cruises have been cancelled right now, and a lot of cruise lines are canceling,” said Lush Life’s Gallant-Halloran. “We don’t want to put our clients at risk, we don’t want to put us at risk, we’re going to take all due precautions, we’re not going to put people in a situation where we can’t control it.”

She continues: “But none of us have a crystal ball in terms of what’s happening. If I have someone who is really uncomfortable, and their final payment is close, I might speak to the partner and see if we can push out the cruise final payment, or if they’re really uncomfortable, see if we can move it to an alternate date.”

4. They can offer alternative options for travel

5. They can help you unravel travel insurance

“In Canada, we have very strict rules and regulations about who we can sell insurance to,” says Gallant-Halloran. “I’m in Ontario, I can’t sell to people in Newfoundland or Alberta, which is kind of ludicrous. But there we have it.”

“When I first started, I had a client who wanted to take his wife who just had their third baby on a very special trip to London. They were going to O2 to see a concert. And I said, OK, Jim, you really should buy insurance. He’s said, nope, I got the grandparents lined up, the kids are all set, the wife has to be celebrated for this third baby, there’s no way in hell I’m not going on this trip. The concert was to go to O2, to see Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson died. The trip got canceled.”

“You can get annual plans in Canada,” says Gallant-Halloran. “And we do typically have dollar amount limits or time stay limits. With annual plans, you have to be very careful with two is that they often have a per trip limit. So, your advisor would talk to you about that. And then you have to get into the situation where you’re buying top ups.”  …

6. They see shifts in the market first

Travel agents are on the front lines of shifts in travel, like long stays, slow travel and smaller group tours.  Here are four others to consider:

Bigger bucket trips: “I’m seeing people book bigger trips,” says Gallant-Halloran. “We’ve been home for two, three years, we’ve been alone, my solo travelers especially, they want to take the big trip the bucket list trip, you haven’t spent your travel budget for two years, so you have a bit more money to spend on travel as well.

“One of my clients was 70 at the beginning of the pandemic, she lost her husband just before she had planned to travel from 70 to 80. She was going to take whatever trips she could, while she still was in good health, didn’t have to worry about walking issues, those kinds of things. Now she has to go back and look at her list. She said: ’ I’m going to take the biggest trip first, the longest trip, the one that’s going to be the most if I use the phrase, if I died tomorrow, which one would I be really upset that I didn’t take that one first.”


Podcast with Helen Nodland


Canada’s PCR test policy at border “actively being looked at,” says Dr. Tam

11-05-2021  10:28 amPax Global Media

Canada’s PCR test policy at border “actively being looked at,” says Dr. Tam
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. (file photo)

Pax Global Media

Canada’s pre-arrival PCR testing policy is “actively being looked at,” Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is saying, according to a report in the Canadian Press.

Canada first introduced a COVID-19 test requirement for air travellers at the height of the pandemic in January. The government then extended the rule to land travellers the following month.

The rule requires all travellers entering Canada to show proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of their departing flight or arrival at the land border.

The travel industry has been ramping up its efforts in protesting this requirement, which advocates say is a major barrier to restarting the sector. 

Last month, the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), travel advisor Lorraine Simpson, and the Canadian Snowbird Association, in association with Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, held a press conference, calling on the federal government to remove unnecessary barriers and expenses related to travel – pre-arrival PCR testing in particular.

READ MORE“I, personally, am seeing cancellation after cancellation”: Calls grow for feds to end PCR testing at border

Ever-changing rules at the border combined with COVID-19 testing requirements are causing “uncertainty and confusion” in the marketplace, said Wendy Paradis, president of ACTA, noting that a PCR test can cost upwards of $200 per person.

READ MORECBSA reminds travellers of the rules ahead of U.S.’s Nov. 8 reopening

That adds up in travel costs, especially for families travelling with children.

At a second press conference held this week, the Roundtable, again, called on the feds to remove its pre-arrival PCR test policy as it disproportionately impacts average Canadian families.

“The PCR test is a major barrier for middle-class families hoping to travel across the border,” said Sheila Gallant-Halloran, owner of Lush Life Travel, on Thursday (Nov. 4). “The result is that families simply aren’t travelling. The cost and inconvenience is too high, and until the federal government takes action to reduce the obstacles to travel, small Canadian tourism businesses like mine will not be able to recover fully.

David Schwartz, a father of two who lives in Ottawa, ON, said travel is just not possible for his family right now.

He said his family hoped to be with his in-laws in Texas to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this winter, but molecular tests for all of them would add $800 to $1,000 to the cost of the trip.

Paradis says ACTA and the Roundtable’s “ask” of the federal government is to make decisions around travel restrictions and burdensome barriers “based on science and data.”

She referenced the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, a science-based report, released last May, that states that pre-arrival testing is not necessary for fully vaccinated travellers.

“We ask them to go back to their own expert panel of doctors and scientists and follow their advice,” Paradis said last month.

On Friday, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) reminded Canadians of its testing requirements for vaccinated travellers entering Canada in advance of the border with the United States reopening on Monday (Nov. 8). 

At midnight, non-essential traffic will resume moving in both directions at the Canada-U.S. land border for the first time since March 2020. 


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Nov.4.21 Travel Pulse

https://ca.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/businesses-families-call-on-feds-to-drop-pcr-test.html

Businesses, Families Call On Feds To Drop PCR Test

IMPACTING TRAVEL  AIR CANADA  BRUCE PARKINSON  NOVEMBER 04, 2021

 

Multigenerational travel
PHOTO: Multigenerational travel (photo courtesy monkeybusinessimages/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

 


Nov.4.21 – CityTV News Montreal

Calls to end PCR test for Canadian travellers
As the number of fully vaccinated Canadians inches higher, families, business leaders and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are calling on Ottawa to end mandatory PCR tests for returning Canadian travellers. Nigel Newlove reports.

Nov.4.21 – CTV News Ottawa

Video clip from CTV News Ottawa

Travellers Question Need for PCR Test

Play Clip Here: Travellers Question Need for PCR Test – CTV News Ottawa Nov.4.21


Nov.4.21- Travelweek.ca

Travel agent’s voice of reason as Roundtable outlines PCR cost impact on family travel

Travel agent’s voice of reason as Roundtable outlines PCR cost impact on family travel

Travel agent’s voice of reason as Roundtable outlines PCR cost impact on family travel

Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Vision Travel, Ottawa

Date: Nov 4 2021

OTTAWA — The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable today called on the federal government to remove the pre-departure PCR test and amend what it calls the discriminatory child policy for travelling minors.

Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, together with an Ottawa-area family as well as Sheila Gallant-Halloran with Vision Travel, outlined at a media briefing how the mandatory pre-departure PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers is proving prohibitively expensive to Canadian families.

Travel agent’s voice of reason as Roundtable outlines PCR cost impact on family travel

Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

The cost of those tests, combined the fact that unvaccinated minors are unable to attend school, daycare or camp for two weeks following their return, is making for a one-two punch and hindering the recovery of family travel.

It’s time for the rules to keep up with developments in science that will keep families safe while travelling, and allow them to travel, she said.

In pre-pandemic times, family travel accounted for more than 35% of international travel from Canada, said Gallant-Halloran, adding that doesn’t even include travel to the U.S.

The hurdles of the PCR testing costs, and the fact that unvaccinated minors travelling with vaccinated parents face two weeks away from schools and daycares, “is a fundamental problem for the sector,” she said.

Coming into this (hopefully) last phase of the pandemic, Gallant-Halloran says she assumed travel “would already be up and running. It is not. And this is most particularly true for families.”

She adds: “Families like certainty when they travel. They like booking certainty, and cost certainty. And they like to know what they can expect when they arrive at their destination and when they depart. The travel industry is back in a position where we can provide this certainty to our customers. However our federal government is making this difficult. And whether it’s the cost-prohibitive pre-departure PCR tests to return home, or the discriminatory child policy prohibiting grandchildren from visiting down south, or just the unclear messaging, many families are choosing to stay home.”

Gallant-Halloran also spoke about the industry as a whole. “As you can imagine, the past 18 months has been a particular challenge for the travel and tourism industry. It has not been easy, from the agent or advisor, from the hotel to the airline. Everyone has been deeply affected. That said, as an industry we are very strong. We have been focused on rebuilding our industry to come back and fill the demand of a population that’s ready to get back on the road.”

ADDING TO THE ABSURDITY

Beatty noted travel is becoming increasingly difficult to reach for the average Canadian family. “The burdensome cost of a molecular test can add over $200 Canadian per person. For a family of four this adds an additional $800 for a trip, a fee that has proven cost-prohibitive to many Canadian families,” he said.

“To add to this absurdity, the government of Canada’s website states explicitly that if your trip will be less than 72 hours, you’re still required to produce proof of a negative test. But you can take the test in Canada before you leave for your trip. How does this make any sense?”

“Travel is becoming available increasingly only to business travellers and wealthier families,” said Beatty.

Father of two David Schwartz was also at the media briefing, and he outlined the challenges of travelling as a family these days. For a family of four, the PCR tests add between $800 to $1,000 to the cost of a trip. “That’s a significant cost and it’s giving us pause,” he said. Over the course of the pandemic, family milestones have been missed, and now the family is looking to reconnect with loved ones. “My grandmother celebrated her 100th and 101st birthday throughout this pandemic and none of us were able to be with her,” said Schwartz. “We’re asking the government today to please change the rules … so we can get back to a normal life.”

Today’s Roundtable briefing and message to the federal government follows up on a briefing last month outlining how PCR test costs, hassle and confusion are also impacting senior travellers.

 


VIDEO – November 4th Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable Press Conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHea91ULx3M

Press Release

Canada’s Travel Rules Punitive for Middle-Class Families

• Mandatory pre-departure PCR testing for fully vaccinated Canadian travellers is proving prohibitively expensive for Canadian families
• Travel & Tourism Roundtable calls on the federal government to remove the pre-departure PCR test and amend the discriminatory child policy for travelling minors

November 4, 2021, OTTAWA – Together with the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable (“The Roundtable”), speaking on behalf of families and the business community across Canada are calling on the federal government to remove unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel, such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, that disproportionately impact average Canadian families. Further, the Roundtable is calling on the government to amend the discriminatory child policy for travelling minors.
For the average Canadian family, travel is becoming increasingly difficult. The burdensome cost of a PCR test can add over CAD 200 per person or an additional $800 for a family of four for a round trip cross-border flight. This fee is proving cost-prohibitive to many Canadian families. Unvaccinated minors travelling with their fully vaccinated parents are also unable to attend school, daycare and camp for two weeks after travel, potentially adding the cost of two additional weeks of private childcare, adding to the disincentive to travel. Until a vaccine for minors under 12 is approved, children should return to school using testing, not quarantine.
These policies were intended to be temporary and run counter to the recommendations made by the federal government’s COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel Report (“The Expert Panel”) in May of this year.
Many countries have recognized that easing restrictions for unvaccinated children is low risk, and they, therefore, exempt unvaccinated children travelling with fully vaccinated adults from any quarantine. For example:
• In France, the measures applicable to vaccinated adults also apply to any minors accompanying them, regardless of vaccination.
• In the United Kingdom, rules for fully vaccinated people also apply to travellers under 18 who reside in the UK or one of the listed countries with approved vaccination programs.
France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom also recognize that requiring pre-departure and arrival tests for vaccinated travellers is redundant and have exempted fully vaccinated travellers from pre-departure testing requirements.
Although many had travel bookings lined up over the November-December period, the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations, with Canadian families looking to either cancel or delay long-awaited winter trips and family visits.

The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science have changed; so too should the response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the travel and tourism industry to re-open.

Quotes

“Canadian families deserve to be treated equally when travelling. In France and the United Kingdom, children can travel with their fully vaccinated parents, making travel to see family and friends more accessible to the middle class. Many other countries have implemented science-based policies, including the exemption of fully vaccinated travellers from testing requirements. Canada should follow suit.”
– Perrin Beatty
President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

“The pandemic took a real toll on our family. We have been looking forward to bringing our children to visit family members across the border. We’ve done our part. My wife and I got vaccinated. But it is almost impossible for us to do this. The cost of the PCR test adds almost an additional $1000 to our trip, and then our kids can’t go to school for two weeks, resulting in additional childcare costs. We need the government to change the rules so we can see our loved ones again.”

– David Schwartz
Ottawa based Father of two

“The PCR test is a major barrier for middle-class families hoping to travel across the border. The result is that families simply aren’t travelling. The cost and inconvenience is too high, and until the federal government takes action to reduce the obstacles to travel, small Canadian tourism businesses like mean will not be able to recover fully.”

– Sheila Gallant-Halloran
Owner, Lush Life Travel

About the Canadian Tourism Roundtable

The Canadian Tourism Roundtable is a cross-Canadian coalition of leaders in the tourism and travel sector – including representatives from airports, airlines, hotels, and chambers of commerce across the country – committed to working together to restart the sector smoothly and safely. Travel and Tourism is a $102 billion sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country’s gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact: Randi Rahamim, [email protected]

 

==========

Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Owner Lush Life Travel

• Good morning, thank you for having me here this morning.

• My name is Sheila Gallant-Halloran, I am the Owner of Lush Life Travel, an affiliate of Vision Travel. I run a bucket list and adventure travel agency that helps families live a lush life through travel.

• As you can imagine the past 18 months have been a particular challenge for the travel and tourism industry.

• It has not been easy. From the agent or advisor to the operator, from the hotelier to the airline, everyone has been deeply affected. That said, as an industry we are strong – we have collectively been focused on rebuilding our industry to come back stronger and fill the demand of a population ready to get back on the road.

• We’ve spent buckets of time together at home for 18 months and now its time to do our bucket lists – travel and re-unite with family.

• However, as we enter this new phase of the pandemic, one characterized by mass-vaccination and low-case counts, I would have assumed that travel would already be up and running. It is not. And this is most particularly true for families.

• In pre-pandemic times, family travel accounted for about X percent of international Canadian travel – and that does not even include the United States. This market just simply has not returned. This is a fundamental problem for the sector both domestically and internationally.

• At the beginning of the pandemic this made sense, the science was clear. Today, the reason is less clear.

• However, I have a pretty good idea. Families like certainty when they travel. Families like booking certainty, cost certainty, and like to know what they can expect when they arrive at their destination and when they depart.

• The industry is back in a position where we can provide this certainty to our customers – however our federal government is making this difficult.

• Whether it be the cost-prohibitive pre-departure PCR test to return home, the discriminatory child policy prohibiting grandchildren from visiting down south, or just the unclear messaging – many families are just choosing to stay home.

• The results of these cost-prohibitive measures are reflected in booking rates. Although many had travel bookings lined up over the November-December period, the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations.

• I am seeing cancellation after cancellation. And to that end, we need the federal government to intervene.

• It’s time for the rules to keep up with developments in science that will keep families safe while allowing them to travel.

• The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science have changed; so too should the response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the travel and tourism industry to re-open. – THANK YOU

 


Traveling Alone, Together – October 21, 2021

I was interviewed as part of a story by CBC Radio‘s Jason Osler about why solo travelers are traveling in groups. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-90-columnists-from-cbc-radio/clip/15873608-traveling-alone-together


Travel Press picked up the article by Travel Courier on October 20, 2021. See https://www.travelpress.com/hows-it-going-really/#.YXVpxZ7MK70

Sheila Gallant-Halloran describes her job as a travel advisor as being “at least three times more complicated than it was before COVID.”

Why? The owner Lush Life Travel, an affiliate of Vision Travel, explains that among other things she now has to guide clients through constantly shifting requirements before proceeding with a single booking.

“It’s wild, but as a travel advisor, I have to check not only my clients’ passports, but also their vaccine records right now,” Gallant-Halloran tells Travel Courier. “I have to check and recheck entry requirements for countries with tools like Sherpa and IATA Timatic, and cross reference and check against each country’s specific rules. I also have to check not just that my clients are vaccinated, but also which vaccines they have. Many Canadians have AstraZeneca or a mixed dose regimen of vaccines… and the rules of entry can differ for countries or cruise lines as to whether those with AstraZeneca or a mixed dose are considered fully vaccinated.”

The Virtuoso travel advisor believes a universally accepted vaccine passport for travellers would go along way — but is realistic that it won’t come soon enough — and fully supports the industry shift towards vaccination requirements for travel.

For the full story, check out TRAVEL COURIER.



I was interviewed by Canadian travel Baxter Media about what it’s like to be a #travel advisor right now. https://travelcourier.ca/hows-it-going-really/  The workload to ensure all my travelling clients are able to enter, transit, test, prove their vax has been wild – but – we’re travelling again.

https://travelcourier.ca/hows-it-going-really/  by Ann Rupenstein – October 7, 2021

Sheila Gallant-Halloran describes her job as a travel advisor as being “at least three times more complicated than it was before COVID.”

Why? The owner Lush Life Travel, an affiliate of Vision Travel, explains that among other things she now has to guide clients through constantly shifting requirements before proceeding with a single booking.

“It’s wild, but as a travel advisor, I have to check not only my clients’ passports, but also their vaccine records right now,” Gallant-Halloran tells Travel Courier. “I have to check and recheck entry requirements for countries with tools like Sherpa and IATA Timatic, and cross reference and check against each country’s specific rules. I also have to check not just that my clients are vaccinated, but also which vaccines they have. Many Canadians have AstraZeneca or a mixed dose regimen of vaccines… and the rules of entry can differ for countries or cruise lines as to whether those with AstraZeneca or a mixed dose are considered fully vaccinated.”

The Virtuoso travel advisor believes a universally accepted vaccine passport for travellers would go along way — but is realistic that it won’t come soon enough — and fully supports the industry shift towards vaccination requirements for travel.

“I am fully supportive about requiring travellers to be fully vaccinated to travel, and my clients are too, whether it’s a tour operator, an airline, a rail company, a river cruise company — everyone,” she says. “I honestly don’t think I’d recommend any unvaccinated passengers to travel internationally right now. Else, they’d run the risk of rules changing either before they go, or after they got to where they were and get stuck, or quarantined.”

Although bookings started to increase back in March and April as Canada’s vaccine rates started to climb, she says they’ve hit a plateau again since the news of the onset of the Delta variant and cases mounting in the US.

“I’m still cancelling and rebooking trips, which is exhausting. Sometimes, travel advisors, especially ITAs, can feel like we have a bit of PTSD. It was not fun to have some world cruises and polar trips cancel again recently,” she says. “But, I am seeing more of my clients start to book, and hearing from some clients I hadn’t booked in five plus years. Some are venturing to Europe now, either on river cruises, or I’m customizing FITs to visit one or two countries. Some are travelling across Canada with summer or fall bookings to Newfoundland, and the Rocky Mountaineer, as well as some Northern Lights trips in the spring.”

However, Gallant-Halloran notes that 85% of her current client bookings are spread out over 2022 and 2023.

“It used to be we were worried about over-tourism,” she says. “Now we have to worry about the impact of 18 months of under-tourism, and the devastation to the entire travel and tourism industry,” she says. “One in ten jobs worldwide are in the travel and tourism industry, and until travel and tourism recovers, there will be no economic stability. Every piece of our travel and tourism industry has been severely impacted. We need more government protections and funding for the travel and tourism sector in Canada (and not just all inbound initiatives). And we all have to all work together to rebuild, and ensure we do it sustainably. Re-generative travel will be key for all of us. We have to build a new normal together.”


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We made a list of the ones that can get all the hassle and stress associated with travel planning out of your hands.


25 Travelers on Why They Love Their Virtuoso Advisor

From peace of mind and insider knowledge to (so many) perks, travelers share why their relationship with a Virtuoso advisor has made their vacations better.

One of the most common misconceptions about travel advisors is that they’re just transactional agents – you tell them where you want to go, they book your flights, and off you go. And while they’re definitely logistics pros, there’s so much more that encompasses what it means to work with a travel advisor. From that first spark of an idea until long after a trip is finished, travel advisors are by your side. They’re collaborators, curators, and confidantes, doing everything from building custom itineraries to calling their hotelier friends in Paris to get you the suite with the very best view of the Eiffel Tower.

Here, 25 real travelers on what they value most about their relationship with their Virtuoso travel advisor.

You can be as involved with planning as you want to be.

“We give our advisor a list of places we want to get to. From there, she starts sending ideas, articles, and side trips we might not know about. She picks up on our interests and then fills in the blanks with her expertise.” – Anne Toal


https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/articles/why-i-travel-anne-toal

Why I Travel: Anne Toal

Paul Brisson and Anne Toal exploring the Amazon.

Paul Brisson and Anne Toal exploring the Amazon.

 

Natural wonders and great golf greens keep Anne Toal and Paul Brisson on the go.

After a canceled flight on their honeymoon in Greece 32 years ago, Anne Toal and Paul Brisson of Ontario, Canada, were stranded in Corfu and missed boarding their cruise in Athens. They scrambled to change plans and meet up with it in Crete. Their ship eventually came in, Anne explains, but it reinforced with these practical- minded travelers – they both spent their careers as actuaries – the need to avert misadventure by planning with an experienced and reputable travel advisor. Both now 61 and retired, they explore prodigiously, with nary a hiccup, thanks to Virtuoso advisor Sheila Gallant-Halloran.

Our philosophy in travel is to always go with a plan, but expect the unexpected. Have patience, take deep breaths, and leave your type A personality at home.

And take a map. Yes, we live in a world with GPS and Google. But you go off the beaten path, you get lost on a country road – you might lose service.

Nature is what interests us. Seeing different types of animals and birds and landscapes, but also the world’s great golf courses.

A safari favorite, Botswana.

Anne Toal

For wildlife, Botswana is definitely the place. The birds and the elephants, the leopards and the lions. Then again, the penguins in Antarctica are pretty amazing.

We played Pebble Beach on an absolutely perfect day. On a round at Tralee in Ireland, the wind was blowing so hard, we thought we’d blow off the cliffs. I was lucky enough to have a hole in one at Desert Willow in Palm Desert.

Generally, we give Sheila a list of places we want to get to. From there, she starts sending ideas, articles, side trips we might not know about. She picks up on our interests and then fills in the blanks with her expertise.

What we love about cruising with Lindblad Expeditions is its small groups. You’re on a ship with maybe 40 to 150 people rather than thousands, the guides are excellent, and, depending on the destination, there are opportunities to hike, kayak, snorkel, and learn photography tips from National Geographic experts. And it’s casual – Paul isn’t into wearing black tie for dinner.

Wherever we go, we bring home a little cat. We have a little green guy from Zambia made out of malachite, and a silvery-black one from China. In Portugal, we found one made of brown pottery.

We used to lug big, heavy binoculars. Now we take the Nikon Travelite. They’re powerful, waterproof, and fit in a jacket pocket.

Where next? There’s quite a list: MadagascarSouth America. We’d like to go to the Canadian Arctic and Norway. I’d return to Antarctica. We’ve done safaris in South Africa, but didn’t golf. Oh, and Australia is high on the list.