Let’s face it, Coronavirus is making a huge impact on our guests’ future plans. Travel in the post-pandemic world will be quite different from what we have been used to.

Our immediate concern is how people will react about taking overseas trips in the coming months, considering that our season begins in November.

Now this is already affecting the European summer tourist activity and nobody knows if lifting the current health measures will not bring another wave.

Nobody really knows anything for sure, and we really just have to be patient and wait to see what will unfold, adapting our plans on a day-to-day basis.

Right now, Chile and Argentina have strict border closures, since March 13th, and in Chile the steep hikes in infection began just two weeks ago. Even though figures are not so dramatic as in other countries, we can’t helpfully compare these numbers as they are not equally measured in the different countries. In Chile, the most affected areas that are in total quarantine are Santiago and the surroundings, in the north, Antofagasta and Iquique and some towns in the south, such as Concepción, Temuco and Punta Arenas. In the Lake District, today, we are told we have 814 total cases, and 13 deaths.

Here at Opentravel we are working from home in the same way as we do every end of season. That means that we are preparing our next November-March season but taking into account many different scenarios. In the meantime, we are sending you the new program presentation that Pepa did with such dedication and professionalism, adding the best guests’ photos of our last seasons. We are expecting this super new brochure presentation will be a powerful selling tool that will help you to really tempt your clients! Soon we will send you links to our new bank photos so you can use them too.

Each program has the following structure:

Why we love this trip? – Focusing on the highlights of the riding programs.
Itinerary in brief – A quick overview of the program itself.
Itinerary in detail – A detailed description of the program, the route, accommodation and what is included on each day.
Map – a Map of the route
What to Know and What to bring – This is important and crucial information that should be read before clients arrive in Chile. It shows technical information about the ride (route, weather, maximum weight), information about the accommodation and its amenities (layout, battery charging, internet connection, etc.), what to pack for this trip and more… This information has been updated so we suggest reading it carefully.

At the same time, we are incredibly sad for us, but also really excited for Pepa as she has decided to move on and take up an exhilarating new challenge in her life to continue her professional career with Tompkins conservation.org.

Opentravel is losing one of the best creative, positive and professional collaborators that we have ever had. But life is moving as we know and we have to be flexible and adaptable, and we know this new experience will be rewarding and exercise her enormous talents.

So, I will be in sole charge for the next months, monitoring the situation closely and taking some creative, proactive decisions about what the future holds for all of us.

For the moment the rest of the Opentravel team is safe and active in Bandurrias Island and La Colina Farm. The horses began sleeping in the barn since May the 5th, and they are being fed and in robust health. Everybody in the valley is in good health and nothing is really affecting them, as usually at this time of the year there are no visits or any touristic activities. So, life continues pretty much as usual and all is good.

I hope all of you stay healthy and safe and we will be keeping in touch, informing you about all our news in the next newsletter.

All my best wishes!

Catherine Berard