Mother Nature Is In Charge – Covid-19

23rd March 2020

Be warned, this is not an e mail to tell you to wash your hands or that we have implemented a policy of hand sanitising (we already do this stuff on trips).

 Those of you who have travelled with us before will know we have no shortage of loo roll. We even put a square in your pre-departure pack!

Wow, that has been quite the week. Mother nature, like always wins again. I saw a post from a business colleague earlier in the week (thanks Marc) about how he was looking at a photo of Victoria Falls in all her glory that will still be there when Covid-19 has done her thing. Mother nature, just like most of us is extremely resilient.

Hold on. Covid-19 is going to be quite the ride!

 

We all know that ‘life’ may be shut down for a bit, but here is our advice to weather this storm.

  • Reach out to important people in your life. Get imaginative, speak on the phone, Skype or write them a letter. People LOVE getting letters.
  • Play with your kids. Embrace that extra time together and teach them new stuff. Sewing on buttons, knitting taught by another relative if you can’t, how to change a wheel on a car and other important life skills.
  • But we can’t emphasise this enough. SOCIAL DISTANCING FOLKS! Stay inside and away from others. This WILL end. And think of all the fun we can have then!

Making dishes fun. Almost. 

We won’t lie, this will hit the tourism sector hard. Something we are super passionate about. A few things to think about.

  • When you travel, you aren’t just paying us. You are paying hotels which will experience mass losses, porters, local guides, airlines. We are all SO globally interconnected.
  • Don’t cancel, but delay your trip.
  • Plan for an adventure in 2021! We look forward to sharing one of the world’s most amazing rivers, oceans and mountains with you soon!

Good times WILL return.

Above all, this situation will help us all to appreciate life, friends, staff and all of those special experiences we have shared with so many. Life gets hectic. We make it that way. But now life is telling us. Slow Down, respect nature and each other!

We understand this is a challenging time for those of you with vulnerable relatives, or you may even be yourself. Take advice from the medical and the science professionals and not from your Facebook feed or CNN. Phones, TV’s etc, all have OFF buttons. It’s ok to use them and a heap better for our mental health. Remember to ‘virtually’ surround yourself with positive people, but at the same time, be available for those that need help. But remember STAY AT HOME unless travel is essential.

As is happening in many places in the UK, people are dropping off notes to offer help to neighbours! Hell yeah! Pick up food for your neighbours, do what you can.

Paddling into the unknown

Embrace Nature. Be Kind. Stay Sane. Stay safe

We love you guys x

by Hamish McMaster

Hamish McMaster is the Water By Nature owner. He has spent the past 25 years exploring and playing on the world's great rivers. He still loves nothing more than getting out there and sharing adventures.


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