What Are You Thankful for This Year?

Wow, can you believe that half of the month is already gone?? Holidays of all kinds are around the corner fast! In this month’s edition of the Travel Hi Five, I want to focus on what we are “thankful” for in this season of gratitude. I’ve talked about gratitude before and its importance in our lives and businesses. As a refresher, the Oxford Dictionary defines thankfulness as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”  If you’ve been paying attention to my musings in this column you also know that I like to make this actionable for you. Not just read it and do nothing but to be able to take something away and DO something with it. If you’re new to my column, welcome, get ready to do be an active participant. In the spirit of gratitude I hope to return a kindness by sharing with you five things I’m thankful for as a reflection on this last year in travel. I encourage you to think about your five and share it with someone, especially if it’s about them.

This list is not a ranking but rather a collection of thoughts in random order as they have come to mind. Which is the way I think you should write your list as well. Let it come to you. Those are likely the most genuine expressions of gratitude. Before I reveal my five, I do want to make mention of a milestone that has been reached — this month is the one-year anniversary for this column! My very first was back in November of 2021.

With that said, here are the FIVE things that I have gratitude for in this last year of travel:

1. I am so thankful for Jenna and the team at The Compass for both the digital version as well as the beautiful magazine they put out. Thanks for all your work. I’m thankful they have included me in this opportunity to share part of me this past year. Jenna works tirelessly behind the scenes on what seems like “herding cats” I am sure. From reminding me of my deadlines and being so kind if there is a month I can’t contribute. I know she does this for all the contributors while also putting out her own great content (I see you Jenna)!
2. I’m thankful that this industry is well on the road to recovery! It had been a long “pause”; as I just recently heard Vicki Freed at Royal Caribbean call it. We have a bit to go still but with numbers in many sectors reaching pre-pandemic heights or better it’s a good sign. 2023 is looking really good. Would you agree?
3. I’m thankful for my health and the energy that allows me to be fully engaged in this business we call travel. Have you ever been somewhere on a trip, admiring the view or soaking in the culture and stopped to think how blessed we are to live this life? No doubt we work hard for it but what it affords us the opportunity to do is nothing short of amazing. I just returned this past Sunday from an industry event onboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas out of Galveston, TX. While aboard I got to experience so many firsts, including my first solo cruise I’ve ever taken. It made me think about this very thing. Additionally, I got to be part of history with the largest cruise ship to ever sail out of Galveston in a brand-new state of the art terminal.  
4. I’m thankful that those who are part of entertainment teams, on land and at sea, are back to performing for full audiences. As someone who participates in the arts in my area, I know how good it is for the soul, for both performers and audience members alike. To be able to collectively laugh, be moved or even cry with joy at live performances is proven to be good for our mental health. On this recent cruise, I was able to see a full production of Mama Mia, several amazing music ensembles, country super star Kelsea Ballerini and a five man acapella group called Mo5aic perform. All in one 5-day cruise! I will never take that for granted.
5. Of course the last thing I will mention here, and most importantly, is that I am thankful for friends and family every day. These are the people who are my support and very often my travel companions on many fun adventures. Like many of you, we have come to value the experiences in our life rather than just the things.

I hope this did indeed inspire you to think about your own gratitude list. I also encourage you to think about this when it comes to business. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “live to work or work to live,” in travel especially we need to work to live. For those that own your own business also keep in mind that the very business you own should be the vehicle that lets you do just that, live life to its fullest. Here’s to Your Success!

Have a topic you think should be considered for future editions of Travel Hi Five? Get in touch with me at mmussey@travelleaders.com.