It is fall 2021. We are headed for the third year of the Global Covid-19 pandemic.  I heard a friend comment recently that her father, who was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War in the seventies, told her that these have been the most stressful and difficult years of his life.  This impressed me.

We have all lived through our very own pandemic experiences.  A lot depended on how old and/or healthy you are, what country, state, or city you live in, what industry you work or worked in, how much money you have saved, the health of your relationships with your family and friends, and most recently, your access to vaccines. 

Some have suffered more than others.  Some have lost their loved ones.  Some have developed mental illnesses.  Some suffer from “long Covid.”  Some have seen their lifework destroyed within a matter of days (many in tourism).  Some have seen their children suffer from a lack of socializing and just being kids.  There is no doubt that the last years have affected us all in one way or another. 

Recently, we received an inquiry from a journalist asking whether we offer “burnout packages”.  The stress of lockdowns, never-ending zoom meetings, and multi-purposing our homes as offices and classrooms has inspired a lot of us to get out and away.  Many of us have developed a strong longing to be in nature and disconnect from online meetings and chats. 

At the Cayuga Collection Hotels and Lodges in Costa Rica and Panama, we were fortunate to reopen our hotels in mid-2020 mostly to the local market. We’ve had the privilege of observing the “healing effect” that vacations yield to our guests. Since about November 2020, we have been receiving many international guests as well.  It helped us overcome our own trauma of having been shut down for months and the harsh reality of all the employees we let go.  It motivated us to provide the best experiences ever to our guests and make sure that they could recharge their batteries and find joy in life again. 

Recently, I was able to go on vacation to my home country. I felt comfortable doing this as I am fully vaccinated by now.   I experienced firsthand how important it is, especially after such a profound crisis, to disconnect, get away, and breathe again. 

Times are still uncertain.  There are still some inconveniences to travel, but it is possible and totally worth the effort.  We asked our guest service staff to please thank every single one of our guests that checks into our hotels for making the effort to visit us.  We promise them, upon arriving, that we will do our best to exceed their expectations. 

We believe that now is a great time to travel.  You still get very few crowds (this will most likely be very different in 2022).   Promotions are available for the next several months. At the Cayuga Collection, we continue with our Zero Risk – Zero Hassle Reservations policies.  And if you are fully vaccinated, you should feel safe.

And it is time to cross borders again and travel internationally.  Not only for our own mental health, but for the mental health of this planet. 

And if you are concerned about your CO2 Emissions, we can help you compensate for this. Just write to us and we help you compensate for your flights and ground transfers. We just recently planted 500 native tropical trees to continue to contribute to fighting climate change.  We just ask you to really make your travel count and experience, learn, connect and relax.