An update from Viare Travel on the New Coronavirus in Brazil, postponing travel plans, and on finding things to be glad about right now.

We all had so many plans for this year. 

So many travelers arriving to Brazil in the coming weeks.

So many site visits in the following months.

So many booking requests we were so excited about!

We even had a beautiful newsletter and blog posts planned for you for this month, honoring Women’s History Month.

But alas, our travelers who were to arrive are stuck at home, and we’ve been busy working around this whole situation which has halted their plans. Our already remote team will continue to work from home. And many of the booking requests have stalled. And with all these changes, we’ve had to put our newsletter and posts on hold.

I write this on March 17, 2020, and many have asked us these past couple of weeks what things have been like here in Brazil. For our team, and our friends and family, things are relatively calm. We’re doing our best to stay home and practice social distancing, but realize that is not a feasible reality for many in our country, and since the virus is not widespread here, many people have not stopped going about their “normal” lives here in Brazil.

Our country does not have any travel restrictions yet on a federal level. But airlines are reducing their flight route offerings and giving flexible options for postponements and cancellations. National parks will be closed for the next week. 

And as for our clients who were due to travel in the next few weeks, we are encouraging all of them to postpone. Even if you don’t have an exact date for your trip, even if your country does not know when the lockdown will end.

When you cancel travel plans, everyone is affected. We worry most for the small, local providers we work with every day, who make travel in Brazil the special experience it is, for all our clients. Right now, they have no work, and no way of knowing if they will recover this year. Many do not have government labor benefits, because they are small business owners, or self employed tour guides, and drivers. And this is a stark reality for many in the travel industry around the world.

My parents named me after the book Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter (yes, my name was purposefully misspelt), and I believe our names truly do carry some sort of energy with us throughout our lives. If you’ve heard of or read the book, you know Pollyanna is a very optimistic girl who goes through some rough times. I won’t spoil the story for you, but recommend the read in these times of quarantine…

One of the most famous quotes in the book is,

“… there is something about everything that you can be glad about, if you keep hunting long enough to find it.”

In being true to my name, I hunted, and believe there is plenty to be glad about. Although our travels have been delayed, for those of us who are healthy now, let’s be glad.

And for those of us who are spending time at home we wouldn’t otherwise, how about we start dreaming of future travel plans?

In light of the current situation, we are reaching out to each and every one of our local providers, to arrange more flexible travel options for our clients:

For those who have already booked travel >  

If you have travel booked through June of 2020, we are postponing your trip at no extra charge (except for flight change prices, and blackout dates like Brazilian national holidays). You do not need new dates at this point, just a commitment to us that you will travel within the next year. I can’t stress enough that postponing is the best option for everyone – you’ll still get to visit Brazil, and our local partners (and we!) will stay in business! For those who are traveling after June, we’re playing it by ear. If there are further restrictions, don’t worry, I got you 😉

For those who have not booked travel yet but are still planning on visiting Brazil in 2020 or 2021 > 

If you plan to travel starting August 2020, we’re offering discounted deposits and full refunds on these deposits if you decide to cancel up to 60 days prior to your tour. Normally, we retain 20% of your deposit when you cancel, to cover fees and non-refundable deposits requested by our providers.

Think about it – planning for a trip whilst in quarantine, will make travel feel THAT much better. And how is that not something to be glad about? 

For those who have already traveled with us to Brazil > 

If you don’t plan on traveling with us anytime soon, here’s a great little pão de queijo recipe – to enjoy with coffee in the morning, and help you recall your delightful breakfasts in Brazil. 

I suppose Coronavirus/Covid-19 is teaching us all to learn to be a bit more flexible with our travel plans and expectations in the travel industry, especially in a country like Brazil, which has needed to change for quite some time, to make things easier for international travelers who visit us.

And so in this time of social distancing, I hope I have been able to reach each and every one of you who made it to the end of this letter, on a more positive note than you may have been getting from all these Covid-19 related messages.

I hope you are finding something to be glad about wherever you may be, and I hope you are able to stay healthy, safe, and calm (and of course, wash your hands, avoid crowds, etc. etc.).

If you would like to share this message with your friends and family, please share the link, or just the book recommendation, or the recipe!

Sending you a big virtual hug from Brazil,

– poly, and the entire Viare Travel team.