This issue’s cover story, “The New Family Travel” looks at some of the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the family travel market, along with what we can all expect going forward. Whether clients are concerned about safety, their own economic situation or the experience they will have once they go on a trip, advisors are going to have to do more counseling to serve their customers.
Although there is no doubt that the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the world as we know it — and it has caused extreme pain for so many people — there are a few silver linings we can point to. One thing that it has done is force families to spend more time together.
When you look at the events of the past few weeks — in particular, the senseless violence against the Black community that led to mass protests — it’s more important than ever for parents to have the opportunity to share their values with their children. The best way for everyone — parents and kids alike — to process the dramatic events we are seeing today is to discuss them with loved ones.
It’s especially important given that so many of these issues are crucial to the kind of world we want to build for our children.
Traveling together is a way to extend and deepen family bonding, and the memories made during vacations are some of the strongest we make in our lifetime. Plus, images in the media can make children fearful of the world they live in. But traveling around our country, and meeting good and decent people everywhere, can restore faith in the future. And that’s something parents need right now, as well.
Advisors can help make this rejuvenation of hope a reality. What could be more valuable in 2020?
