This week, Samantha talks with Cecile Blot (pronounced “blow”), about the challenges of starting a travel company, weathering the hit that the pandemic gave to the travel industry, and getting out of your bubble when it comes to travel.  Cecile is a travel advisor and the owner of Boundless Travels, where she creates unique bespoke travel experiences.

She has never really had a traditional life and travel has been a part of her life since she was very young.  Since then, she’s had the travel bug, going to different destinations between jobs.  Her friends would ask her, “when is it going to end?”  The answer is, “never!”  She lived a very non-traditional lifestyle and ended up using that to her advantage. 

After years of consulting here and there after having moved to the Washington D.C. area, her mom asked her why she didn’t just become a travel agent.  So, the idea ruminated for a bit and she decided to do what she could to learn what it takes.  Of course, after realizing that nobody would take her on, she decided to start her own business.  This takes a lot of “building the plane and flying the plane at the same time.”  Since then, she was building and building her business and by the start of 2020 she had gotten so busy she almost couldn't keep up with it.  Then, the global pandemic happened.  

The word of 2020 became ‘pivot,’ but in the travel industry, that’s a lot harder to do, especially when the majority of people aren’t traveling.  Today, things are starting to pick back up, especially with vaccinations, but things are still different.

So, how can we use travel to heal during this crazy time?  According to Cecile, getting excited about something like a trip can be a great way to shift your mind away from the craziness and depression that has come from the pandemic.  Even just planning a trip and the anticipation of the trip can bring people so much joy.

How else can travel be healing?  Cecile encourages people to get out of their comfort zones.  Everybody is different, but for Cecile, “true” travel doesn’t include gated resorts where you travel to a different country and never leave the resort.  Everywhere you go, you can take your bubble with you, but sometimes you need to get out of the bubble.  This is the only way to really understand the kindness of people around the world and challenge your own biases toward certain places and certain people.  “Travel opens your heart and your mind.”

Getting out of your bubble is also the best way to get great stories.  Cecile recounts a story where she had just crossed into Laos and the only way to get to the place they were going was by river.  There were two options, the fast boat and the slow boat.  Of course, they wanted to take the fast boat because it would take way less time.  The story that Cecile tells about trip has to be heard to be believed.  The lesson is, “always take the slow boat.”  Looking back at that story is something that she will always remember.  She got out of her comfort zone and it didn’t turn out the way she thought it would but the memory will remain with her forever.  

Cecile explains, “You never want to do things more than when you can’t do them.”  She believes that the pandemic can be an opportunity for people to grow.  This could be something that can make travel better and the travel experience as a whole better.  Over-tourism has been a problem in some places, and this has been a very unique opportunity for certain places to reset and become what they were before tourism started to be a problem.

How can we get out of our bubbles?  Cecile suggests that you should have a professional plan your trip so that you are set up for success.  Be smart about it.  Also, if you’re just getting back out there after being cooped up for a while because of the pandemic, take baby steps to allow yourself to get re-acclimated to travel.  Start small and work your way back to the exotic trip you may have been planning before it all stopped.

To find out more about Cecile Blot or to talk to her about your next trip, you can find her at:

On Facebook - Boundless Travels

On Instagram - @boundlesstravels