Thursday, 19 March 2020

WE LOOK FORWARD.

 

When we first started We The Wild four years ago, we did it with child-like awe and inspiration. We sat around a bonfire, shared stories, discussed our plan, and realised we had something great.

 

Our passion was to travel. To put experiences first. To laugh with each other over an intriguing menu at some fascinating local restaurant off the beaten path. From exploring city lights to climbing in the dead of night, sunlight to stars bright, sand beneath our feet, or mountains all around – this is who we are and we built this to share it with you.

 

Every night we spent exploring was an adventure. Sometimes we would lay to rest at a fancy hotel, other times in a shared hostel, in a tent under the stars, or simply in the back of a car. We did not stop and we smile thinking of each of you who chose to join us along the way.

 

Towards the end of every year, our crew would get together and share a beer – or two – discussing the trouble we found ourselves in and what our story would be for the following year. There are endless names you could use to define it – a theme, tagline, hashtag, subtext, or my favourite – rally cry. You’ve all seen them – Start Something, Let’s Go Everywhere, Do Not Go Gentle, Trip Like We Do, and this year’s “Be Curious.”

 

It was meant to inspire you. To get you thinking of that special somewhere in your mind. You all have one. A magical destination. And whether or not you’ve been there before, it is our passion to join you in getting there.  Of every invention that the minds of humans ever devised, the airplane has always been my favourite. As a species, we had the ability to walk, but the wheel made it faster. We had the ability to speak, but the telephone and internet made it better. But we never could fly.

 

Now, we’re sitting in front of a fascinating crossroads, facing something unprecedented in modern society.  Something that we, as early as one month ago, did not anticipate how much our world would be different today. The passion that we had to cast you out among the unknown has shifted to become a passion to get you home.

 

We’ve stopped booking new travel and events and our sole focus is bringing you home. Over the past week we’ve made incredible strides to do so. Our team has been working seemingly endless days, we’ve hired a team of travel-industry experienced contractors to help, we’ve suspended charging any fees, and we have been navigating the sometimes-frustrating challenges and issues that pop-up and change almost hourly. But as stressful as that is, we know those of you who are away from home – and family, friends, and loved ones – are the ones most vulnerable.  It literally keeps us going to hear the stories, the thanks, the voices of all of you who we have gotten home and will continue to work as hard as we can to get the rest of you back.

 

It’s time we all come together and help where we can. If one hour of work on our end can save six hours of work, stress, and anxiety on yours – we’ve got your back. Do the same for others. No matter if this crisis lasts eight weeks or eight months, we will get through this, together. And when that time comes, we can be curious again. But in the meantime, we look forward.

 

With love,

Manny, Trina, Kevin and the rest of the We The Wild crew.

 

 

MEMBERS CURRENTLY TRAVELLING AND IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE RETURNING HOME

• Login to ePortal to manage your reservations.  In many cases, we're making changes on your behalf and updating your itinerary there.
• Check wethewild.com/alerts for the latest updates and information regarding what may impact your travel during the crisis.
• SMS text message or WhatsApp message us at +1 888 748 7060
• Ring +1 747 777 9453 x6 from outside the U.S. and Canada (+1 888 748 7060 x6 from inside U.S. and Canada)
• E-mail covid19 at wethewild dot com

We are operating extended hours 8.00am - 2.00am ET / 5.00am - 11.00pm PT / 12.00pm - 6.00am UTC daily.

We are working hard to get all of you home, but just like all organisations large and small, we might have some trouble answering straightaway.