The past three weeks have been a blur. I vividly remember four Fridays ago, I was questioning my life choices when I agreed to take on a visa that was needed for travel the next day. That evening, I gave myself a quiet pat on the back for pulling it off by the skin of my teeth. “All in a day’s work,” I said, happily logging off.
Little did I know, that client along with hundreds of others would soon be stranded in foreign countries.
We all know that travel rarely goes according to plan. Storms, strikes, missed connections, visa delays – we have seen it all. And then came the pandemic, a period so extraordinary it seemed almost impossible to comprehend. Many of us survived it, thinking very little could shake us again.
And yet, here we are.
The past three weeks and counting, have been unlike anything I’ve experienced in a long time. Not just busy. Not just stressful. Relentless.
The phones ring constantly – morning, afternoon, evening and long into the night. Each ring carries something heavy: worried travellers, frightened families, frustrated passengers, people simply trying to find a way home. Their voices carry urgency, fear and sometimes anger. All understandable. And so the phone is answered. Again. And again. And again.
This period coincided with Ramadan for those observing – a time for patience, reflection and connection with our creator. It normally comes with early mornings and long nights and the fatigue sets in as each day passes. Days are stretched longer without food, water or coffee. The nights are shorter, filled with unfinished work and restless thoughts. Decisions feel heavier. Concentration slips. And still, the phone does not stop ringing.
Behind the scenes, there are challenges few see. Systems fail when we need them most – NDC platforms that can’t adequately manage a crisis like this, support desks that respond too slowly and simple functions like INVOL refunds that don’t work. Juggling multiple carriers’ policies and guidelines becomes an exercise in frustration and confusion. Promises of flights vanish, bookings circle back, re-accommodations unravel, and nothing feels resolved. Revenue stalls even as the work never stops.
Over time, the strain settles deeper. You replay conversations long after they end, wondering if there was more you could have done. Even when the phone finally stops for a moment, your mind doesn’t.
Some callers are patient, kind, understanding. They recognise that the person on the line is doing everything possible. But others forget we are more than travel professionals – we are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons. People with responsibilities, with lives beyond the office. All they see is their own urgency.
Moments like these make you realise how much we take for granted: the quiet rhythm of ordinary days, the predictability of travel, the small problems that once felt stressful but now seem almost trivial.
We’ve been here before. Maybe not like this, but we’ve known uncertainty, pressure, and what it means to keep going when everything around us feels like it’s falling apart. We survived COVID. And we will get through this too.
To every consultant navigating the same chaos, exhaustion, and invisible pressure: I see you. I feel you.
