Times have changed, what inspires hasn't

We all have been cooped up over the past year, we love our families and supporting our local restaurants, but a change of view and weather would be great just about now.

Visitors to Expedia over the past few years have shown some remarkable trends, and while travel has been down during the past 12 months, Dreaming never waned. Since July Shopping for travel has been increasing, so people are looking and they are making plans to go.

When they go they are looking most often for places they can drive and have professional standards and cleaning. Going above and beyond to support health and safety with expanded housekeeping measures exceeding CDC recommendations and align with guidance from hospitality industry experts.

People are looking for destinations with professional, trained staff who follow comprehensive procedures, which I have found to be much better than at home or in my own community. The levels of sanitizing and extensive disinfecting at vacation properties as with the "Vacasa Premium Clean" program, and at resort chains like Grupo Xcaret protocols they call the "360° Xafety" model, are only two examples of how the industry is now responding.

Dreaming about experiences is so powerful and so much part of the human experience it is why we go, we see, and we explore. Dreaming is all about inspiration and if you want to get the most from your sales professionals or give your top performers a reason to stick around you are going to need powerful, tested tools that provide them this type of inspiration. You will need offerings to be in the forms your people expect and demand, all while providing options that are safe and professionally planned. Now is not the time for "do it yourself" projects and programs.

While each of us has spent many months safe in our own homes, cloistered, there is going to be a HUGE pent-up urge to travel, get out, and have the new experiences we have been dreaming about. Look most anywhere and experts are all predicting this to be unlike anything we have ever seen before.

Are you ready?