Coronavirus has devasted our travel industry with Travel Agencies such as Helloworld Pakenham looking for imminent solutions to get things back up and running as soon as possible. Stringent restrictions for overseas travel and border closures affecting interstate travel have many that work in tourism searching for solutions to move forward and stay afloat.
Exclusive Interview – Arianna Albertazzi Director of Helloworld Pakenham.
“As many of you know, the last 6 months have not been easy for us (or any of you, for that matter). It has been an emotional rollercoaster with lots of tears, stress, and anxiety while continuing to cancel holidays and process refunds. Unfortunately, things will continue to be difficult for the travel industry until domestic and international borders re-open however, we decided a few weeks ago that we were going to stop this from dragging us down. We decided that we were going to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, stop being sad, and stop whingeing over things that we can’t control.
What we have learnt during this time in lockdown, is that we CAN control our attitude. So, we did just that! As a team, we have participated in various at home or online activities to help us have a positive mindset. We have taken up daily exercise, yoga, meditation, Positive mindset courses and some of us are currently doing a resilience challenge which includes having a cold shower every day! Believe it or not, we have been doing this daily. Shows how strong and resilient we are!!! (My personal best is currently 41 seconds in the shower. Amanda’ is 34 seconds…laugh). You should give it a try it if you like to torture yourself…. lol. (It’s exceptionally good for your nervous system!) We also decided we would start being pro-active and do something that would lift our spirits and get us excited.
With many of you having had to cancel your overseas holidays for 2020, others already having plans to travel overseas in 2021 yet still not sure at this stage when International borders will re-open, we decided to put together some amazing package ideas within Victoria giving you a taste of what it would be like to travel overseas! We’ve called them “Victoria’s Overseas Experiences”.
We will be organising some group departures for some of these itineraries as soon as we feel safe to do so, aiming for travel in early 2021. At this stage, we are after an expression of interest to see if any of you would like to join one of the groups. Knowing numbers will allow us to negotiate better prices and work out how many groups to organise and where they need to depart from.
We can also book these packages for you as an independent trip and/ or as a private group with your friends and family.”
This week we invite you to look at A Taste of France. Missed out on your France holiday this year or is France on your bucket list?
Have a look at this wonderful suggested itinerary where you can have a Taste of France right here in Victoria!
Spend two nights at the lovely Lyall Hotel in South Yarra. This 5-star, boutique hotel offers guests a little piece of Paris with its quaintness, elegance, and sophistication.
The following two nights are spent at the beautiful Chateau Yering in the Yarra Valley and of course, a winery tour, wine tasting, and lunch at the famous Domaine Chandon is not to be missed! Less than an hour from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is a whole life experience away, offering quality local food and wine, breathtaking scenery, romantic hideaways, and indulgent adventures.
Suggested package includes:
2 nights at the Lyall Hotel and Spa in South Yarra
Including daily breakfast
Lunch at Le Parisienne Pate’s South Yarra
French Odyssey Cooking Class with Wine
Dinner at Bistro Thierry
2 nights at Chateau Yering – Yarra Valley
Includes breakfast and dinner daily
1 x High Tea
Winery Tour including lunch at Domaine Chandon
Optional Activities:
Balloon Ride in the Yarra Valley
Additional nights available on request
If you would like a quote for any of these, please let us know! Any feedback would also be greatly appreciated.
Words by Arianna Albertazzi Director of Helloworld Pakenham.
Ari and team at Helloworld Travel Pakenham.
Email pakenham@helloworld.com.au
Phone: 03 59400611
