Posted: 03/31/20 | March 21st, 2020

On a breezy fall morning, I was walking home from my university’s humanities department after trying to get out of my Spanish language requirement to no avail. On the way, I ran into one of my roommates. He mentioned he had heard that a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

By the time I got home and turned on the TV, both towers were on fire and it was clear this was much more than a small plane gone off course.

In the days and weeks following September 11th, the world changed. Even to my young self, I could feel in my bones that nothing would ever be the same again. There was a pre-9/11 world and we were now forever in a post-9/11 world.

While the later 2008 financial crisis changed the economy and our views on money, 9/11 seemed to change who we fundamentally were as people. It created a shift in thinking and our sense of self. It changed how we Americans viewed the world. There was a “lost innocence.”

As the Coronavirus has rapidly unfolded in the last month, I feel that way again, except this time on a global scale. There was a pre-Coronavirus world and now we will forever be in a post-Coronavirus world.

From how we work, travel, view government, money, and conduct our day-to-day lives, everything is going to be different. And the longer the crisis lasts, the more different it will be. I can’t say just how yet (I’m a bad futurist) but, in my gut, I know change is coming.

But let’s talk about something I do know a bit about: the travel industry.

How is this going to change travel?

The travel industry relies on human movement to function. And, with countrywide lockdowns and most major airlines ceasing operations, no one is moving right now.

Overnight, an industry that employs 10% of the world has come to a near-complete stop.

This is worse than a recession. Because, even in a recession, some people still traveling.

Now no one is moving. The industry is in stasis.

And no one knows how long this is going to last.

Hubei province, the site of the outbreak in China, was in lockdown for over two months. Singapore has increased restrictions on foreigners and Hong Kong, reeling from a recent spike in infections, has relocked down the city.

And I think that the slow pace of such measures in many countries means most of the world will be in lockdown until May if not early June. Too many people are behind the curve and it will take longer to keep the virus under control than most people think.

So what does this mean for the industry I’ve spent the last twelve years in?

As a whole, I think we’re looking at a drastically smaller travel industry for the foreseeable future. WTTC states that they expect 75 million job loses (at a rate of up to 1 million jobs lost per day).

And it will take years for the industry – and the jobs – to return to pre-Coronavirus levels.

For starters, I don’t think many magazines and online publications will make it through. The 2008 financial crisis shuttered the doors of a lot of publications and those around today live off advertising, brand deals, and events. Ad rates are plummeting as traffic plummets and most brand deals are on hold for now.

With publications furloughing employees, giving pay cuts, and seeing lost revenue that will never come back, if this goes on longer, I think you’ll see around 25% of publications go under. I know four that closed last week. More will come. And those that survive will be smaller and be able to hire few writers.

Additionally, a lot of creators, YouTubers, freelance writers, and bloggers rely on brand partnerships for revenue. The freelance writing market is not a land of riches and, with the majority of writers and online content creators living on thin margins and paycheck to paycheck, the prospect of months of zero income is going to drive people out of the industry. I know a few already looking for the exit. I think 30-40% of people might end up leaving if the industry remains frozen to June.

Moreover, I think many hostels, travel start-ups, and small tour operators will go under too. Most small businesses operate with the tiniest of margins and don’t have a lot of liquidity. They keep enough cash on hand to get by without income for just a few weeks. A sustained shock to their business like this, even with government assistance, is going to bankrupt them. They have too much overhead and costs to sustain them. Many will fold and, when you travel again, you will see fewer hostels, food and walking tour companies, and small tour operators.

I expect it to take years for the travel industry to recover. People will slowly start booking travel again but, like the 2008 crisis, it is going to leave many unemployed. When you don’t have a job, travel is not a priority. It is luxury people will put off.

I think as the world opens up around the end of May/early June (provided there’s no second spike in infections), people will begin to start booking travel again for later in the summer. Business travel will pick up first but I think most of the tourism you’ll see initially will be local. People will travel around their region before they start taking big international trips again.

First, because it’s cheaper. This pandemic is going to cause a huge recession and massive job losses. Since travel is a luxury, big international trips won’t be on the agenda. Second, people will be wary of the risk of another potential outbreak. They will be concerned about picking up the virus as well as being stuck if something happens. Until everyone is 100% sure they are fine, people will be cautious.

And the cruise industry? Well, ships are floating petri dishes and, no matter how good the deals, most people won’t want to get on a ship for the foreseeable future. I believe this will permanently shrink the cruise industry. Images of cruise ships unable to dock in countries will scar our psyche for years to come.

Additionally, I think countries are going to be wary about fully opening up until they know they won’t be importing the virus and there’s some treatment or vaccine. No one wants to open their borders and have a second wave of infections that overloads their healthcare system. I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to see more temperature checks in airports and if countries start asking for proof you are COVID-19 negative.

While you will probably see a lot of travel deals as companies try to cover their costs and stay afloat, I think the whole “hop on the plane and travel” thing is going to be a lot harder until we reach a point where we have a treatment regime and vaccine for this virus.

But, maybe, the silver lining (and I always try to look for one) is that this will lead to more sustainable tourism as countries try to reduce crowds in hopes of keeping the virus in check.

Maybe this is the end of overtourism.

Whatever happens, travel is going to be a very different and smaller industry in the post-Coronavirus world.

P.S. – To keep this website community-focused and community-supported, we’ve launched a Patreon! While you can still access this website for free, Patreon members get access to private content and articles, monthly Q&As, bonus Instagram videos, free books, postcards, entry to our events, and more! Click here to learn more and became part of the club!

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Hi, friends, it’s another week of being at home and we are all having to adjust to our new normal. I hope you are well and staying safe. We are doing the best we can and my parents are at home and not going out at all. We must keep them in and safe. We don’t know when this will all end, but I hope and pray that it doesn’t last as long as feared. 

In the meantime, I’ll continue to share here on the blog and hopefully inspire you and this is the time to get things done around the house. Enjoy this inspiration from me and my friends. I’m sharing my sister’s guest room makeover from a few years ago. It still looks pretty!

The post Style Showcase 23 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

I’m sorry that I’ve been absent recently… it was this darn cold.  It was a bad one.  Not THE virus, but a virus and it tried to take me way down (no temp, no cough).

I took 6000mg of Vitamin C daily, plus quart after quart of warm, fresh lemon water.   I don’t know if it helped, but my version of this cold was not as strong as Hubby’s version, so I did feel good about that part.

However, I had about as much energy as a sloth – if that.

Today was the first day that I felt like going outside.  And, luckily for me, it has stopped raining – probably for the rest of the Spring and Summer,  until November.   Everything is very green.  Spring is springing and there are bees and hummingbirds everywhere.

The eerie part is the lack of cars.  No one is driving.  It is like Christmas morning or how Easter Sunday and Thanksgiving used to be.  Everyone is inside.

But, today was my time to go out, so I grabbed Dalton and did my best to groom him.  I didn’t realize that I was out of mane/tail detangler… can’t run down to the store so… we made due.

HERE WE GO

Dalton felt more comfortable looking towards the house instead of towards the wide open spaces.

When he did turn around, he made sure to look left…

And look right… he saw a horse way far away up on a hill. He started to run towards her, but then realized there were fences… so he came back. (I really want to fence in the front field.  Right now, the deer and rabbits use it, which is great, but they don’t eat all the grass down on the hill, which we need.)  You can maybe understand the pitch of our hill when you see how Dalton is standing, as well as the distance and angle of our driveway next to the main road.

He did not like being left alone in front of the house, so I didn’t leave him alone.

He was much more comfortable behind the house, were all the paddocks are set up. Here he is, making his way over to talk to Finn and Wrigley.  As you can see, he still has his winter coat, but I got a lot of it out today.  Mo has been taking hunks out of Dalton.  He has marks all over his sides.  This makes sense because they spar all the time.  I think Mo is jealous of Dalton being in with him and Missy Miss.

Yup, here he is, right in front of Finn and Wrigley – showing off.  I started to get tired, so I put him away and went in.  All in all, Dalton had two hours of grass and love.

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Here’s a fun Chinoiserie style Easter egg craft that I hope will inspire you today! Decoupage faux Easter eggs with blue and white napkins for a beautiful effect that will last for years. I was inspired to do this project by my friend, Yvonne, at StoneGable who blogged about it and I’ve seen many other bloggers do a similar decoupage project as well. We will all still be celebrating Easter this year, it just might look different than it normally does. I think these eggs are a fun way to celebrate the season.

Years ago, I got into decoupage but haven’t done anything in many years so it was fun to get crafty again. These will be fun to pull out year after year and the blue and white colors go so well in our home. Let’s get to crafting these Easter beauties!

The post How to Decoupage Easter Eggs appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

I hope you all continue to enjoy these inspirational Home Style Saturday posts with my friends. We want to add a little sunshine and creativity to these hard days we are all living at the moment. Hang in there, this too shall pass! 

The post Home Style Saturday 184 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has urged riders not to “add to the burden” of the emergency services and stay out of the saddle amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The update today (27 March) goes further than earlier advice by the BEF on Tuesday (24 March) which advised riders to avoid “all organised equine activity”. The federation has also advised to avoid hacking out.

The BEF statement said the government had not issued any restrictions on riding – but the federation urged everyone to “carefully consider the risks and what is ‘essential’ – and not ride”.

“The emergency and health services are working at full capacity to combat the virus and as a community we shouldn’t add to that burden,” said the statement.

“If you choose to ride, we strongly suggest avoiding activity with heightened risk and keeping to your own property.”

The statement added the pandemic is “constantly changing and evolving” with advice and help from the government daily.

Other updates included the government’s promise to help the self-employed with 95% of people who make their living from self-employment due to benefit, as reported by H&H yesterday (26 March).

Article continued below…

Researchers to assess impact of coronavirus on horse owners

We want to say ‘this is what people are concerned about’

Coronavirus: Defra acts to quash rumours of vet medicines shortage

A Defra spokesman said coronavirus ‘has not caused any issues with the supply of veterinary medicines’ and the government has

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The British Equine Veterinary Association and the British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association this week issued guidance on the level of service the veterinary and farrier profession should be offering.

On Wednesday (23 March) BEVA recommended all routine work should stop – but maintaining a 24-hour emergency service while farriers can continue to provide “essential services” under current government movement restrictions.

The BEF added the federation will continue to provide updates as the situation is ever changing, with new information and updates coming through.

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This HGTV Smart Home was a fun tour back in 2014 and still has gorgeous decor for today, hope you enjoy it all again! I’m sharing some of my fave Feature Friday from years’ past. 

HGTV has done it again and they are giving away another beautiful home, but this time it’s the brand new HGTV Smart home, a stunning Tudor style home located in the heart of Nashville, TN. What makes a smart Home? Technology at its best makes this the smartest home ever featured on HGTV. I had the privilege to be invited to tour this fabulous home last week in Nashville, along with some other bloggers and we had so much fun checking out all the really cool features in the Smart Home. Features that give homeowners control over climate, security, TV’s, and more. There were more televisions in the smart home than I’ve ever seen in a house, most of them tucked away and unobtrusive.

The post Feature Friday: The HGTV Smart Home in Nashville, TN appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

Campaign group Clean Endurance said the ruling ‘sets a landmark precedent for endurance’, while the rider denied his riding was abusive to his horse…

A rider who repeatedly jabbed his horse in the mouth with a harsh bit and “no regard for the horse’s mouth or welfare” has been suspended from competition and advised to pass exams in horsemanship.

The FEI Tribunal found UAE endurance rider Rashed Hamoud Humaid Al Junaibi’s actions in a ride in Abu Dhabi last February were “totally out of line with all general principles of horsemanship”.

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Endurance rider who whipped and kicked horse banned for abuse *H&H Plus*

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‘No improvement’ seen at first Middle Eastern FEI endurance ride of 2020 *H&H Plus*

Ban for rider who whipped horse until it collapsed with exhaustion and a broken leg

The rider said he used his reins to try to ’encourage’ his horse

Huge majority of endurance vets confronted after eliminating lame horses, study shows *H&H Plus*

$100,000 fines for stables involved in endurance horse-beating incidents

Five stables have been fined and their trainers have also been suspended

Self-employed people in the equestrian industry will benefit from a range of measures announced by the chancellor today (26 March) in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rishi Sunak today set out the protection to be offered, which he said will benefit 95% of people who make the majority of their living from self-employment.

These people will be eligible for a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly income, calculated over the past three years, up to £2,500 per month. This will run for three months initially, and be extended if necessary.

It is hoped this will be available by the start of June. HMRC will contact eligible people, who will have to fill in an online form to allow the money to be paid into their bank accounts.

“You have not been forgotten,” Mr Sunak said. “We will not leave you behind.”

Self-employed people can also apply for the business interruption loan, while self-assessment payments due in July can be deferred until next January. Self-employed people will also be able to access universal credit in full. Anyone who missed the January self-assessment deadline has four weeks from today to submit a tax return.

Lucy Katan, executive director of the British Grooms Association (BGA) and Equestrian Employers Association (EEA), has warned that those who are employed in yards, not in accordance with the law, could lose out.

She explained that, as has been found in previous BGA and EEA research, a large number of grooms in the industry are in false self-employment; they are told by employers they are self-employed when legally, this is not the case.

Such people may not be eligible for the measures outlined today.

“The employment status of grooms is critical in determining what government support is available at this challenging time,” she told H&H.

Continues below…

New guidance on caring for horses during coronavirus lockdown

Equestrian bodies have attempted to answer riders’ questions surrounding riding and caring for horses under the tighter restrictions

Coronavirus: all routine equine vet work should stop, industry advises

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“If one has been told by an employer that they are ‘self-employed’, yet have not registered themselves as such with HMRC, sadly that individual will not be eligible for this self-employed package, nor government support for the employed ie furlough.

“We recommend applying for universal credit in this circumstance.”

Ms Katan added: “There will be a lot of people very concerned they’re going to miss out, and I just hope they all make it through this.”

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Posted: 03/26/20 | March 26th, 2020

As many of you know, I have the coronavirus. Well, had. I’ve recovered. Luckily, I had a mild case. It felt like a really bad cold. My fever lasted only a few days, and the cough lasted until about day twelve. (Today is day fourteen.)

Given how bad this virus can be — even for people my age (I’m almost forty) — I count myself very lucky. (If you want to read about my experience, I posted about it here and here.)

I hardly ever get sick so this was a scary experience for me. I was mostly worried by reports saying that between days eight and ten, patients could suddenly crash and end up in the ICU. I knew I was probably fine when the fever broke, but until day ten, I never really felt out of the woods.

Additionally, as someone who loves to wake up early, I found the lethargy that came with being sick demoralizing, which made the experience even worse. It weighed heavily on my mental state, which in turn made me feel physically worse.

Here I was, trapped inside, where I could theoretically at least work, read, and watch movies — and I spent the majority of the day sleeping! I just ended up scrolling social media, which is never a good thing even in the best of times, and that just made my anxiety and emotional state worse.

However, I’m on the mend but will be quarantined for the foreseeable future. No one is watching my door, but I plan to be a good human and stay inside. I hope to get retested but, with tests so limited, I doubt I will be able to. They say you can shed the virus for up to three weeks (no one really knows for sure) so I’ll just avoid people for the next three weeks to be on the safe side. I do not want to spread this.

While the days in quarantine have been slow, now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been able to resume work (writing and fixing up the website). When not working, I’ve started to finally catch up on my binge-worthy shows (Altered Carbon and The Man in High Castle are great!) and reading (so far just finishing some books I started already, but I’m looking into diving into a wide range of sci-fi, history, and travel books in the coming weeks).

I look forward to the day I can leave my house and go for a walk. I’d always taken for granted the ability to just go outside. Not anymore. Luckily, there are plenty of things to do at home, but I do yearn for the outdoors. I fully plan to take more advantage of the outside when this is all over. (I suspect we all will.)

I guess it is true what they say: you don’t really appreciate things until they are gone.

***

On another note, watching the travel industry grind to a halt while having employees has been really mentally tough. It keeps me up a lot at night. I’ve already started seeing friends of mine lose their jobs and I know a few companies about to head under. It’s been sad to see. Even in a recession, people still travel.

But now? No one is going anywhere. March has felt like the longest decade of my life and it’s only going to get worse. I have a whole post coming out on what I think will happen to the travel industry because of this but it’s going to be bad.

This site (usually) gets a lot of traffic and we do very well, most of that goes back into other business endeavors (our conference TravelCon, our charity FLYTE, new projects, and all the events we do) so we don’t have a huge cushion.

If this website were just me, it wouldn’t be a problem but, with four full-time employees, a lot of my day is spent worrying about how I can make payroll.

Hopefully, we’ll make it through and people will start traveling again in late May/early June. All our fallback plans assumed people would still travel. We never imagined there would be no travel in the world. As Monty Python said, no one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition.

But the team and I are on the same page and we’ll figure out a way through.

This year, we were turning toward events and community initiatives through our Nomadic Network program.

But, since we should all be inside now (let’s flatten the curve so we can end this as quickly as possible), we can’t do events. But there’s a lot we can do virtually:

First, I’m all over Instagram these days, posting lots of updates from home and doing some live Q&As. Follow me there for updates, posts, and streams!

Second, I started a service where you can text me about travel, life, and anything else and I’ll respond. For real! My number is +1 (617) 284-0863. See, here’s a pic of me with the number so you know it’s real:

Finally, as I’m passing time by writing new blog posts, I’d love to know if there are any topics you’d like me to write about. If so, leave them in the comments!

Let’s chat and pass the time. Now is when we need community the most. Let’s be here for each other during these trying times.

I hope you are FaceTiming the people that are important to you more often!

– Matt

P.S. – Some of you have asked if there’s anything you can do to help and we have some easy ways to do so:

• Use our Amazon link when you buy anything from the service
• Purchase one of our guides for your next trip
• Sign up for our business or writing course and learn a new skill
• Use our affiliate links when you book your summer/fall travels
• If you are getting a new card for points/miles, do it via our website! (There’s some good deals right now that probably won’t last too much longer as the banks cut back)

Additionally, we started a Patreon. While you can continue to use this site for free, if you want to get more out of your experience here, we’ve created a program where each month you can get exclusive content, live chats, Q&A sessions, free books, and a lot more!

The post An Update on Life with Coronavirus appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.