Many folks are opting to stay home for the time being: away from planes, trains, and automobiles. Sure, it means less traffic (aka unintentionally a bit less pollution) but it doesn’t mean it’s completely out of the realm of possibility to bring part of the travel experience to them.

Making lemonade (or perhaps a lemon drop martini)

You know when you buy a really cool gift for one of the kids…your kid, the neighbor’s kid, or any kid for that matter…and they immediately lose interest in the gift and put all of their focus on the cheap cardboard box that it came it?

They will take that box and make a fort. Or a bed for their baby doll, or a home for their turtle. Maybe a rocket ship to take a trip to the virtual moon (aka living room).

The point is this – they take something from ordinary to extraordinary, even if just in their own mind. That’s the key to keeping our dreams alive. It’s about utilizing what we have readily available and using our imagination to create something wonderfully unexpected. Making something out of nothing…or, in those instances, out of a piece of cardboard.

Meet them where they are: a virtual escape

During times when discretionary travel is fairly non-existent, the desire to escape is still there – actually, it’s probably stronger than it has ever been.

There is still a way to bring a portion of the travel experience to the people.

Here we find ourselves circling back around to the virtual experience again. If you still haven’t considered it yet…it’s time.

Some ideas:

• an image view reel with stunning 3D destination photos
• custom video brochure with a video message about your people, your product, and/or your services
• a qr code on a card that takes you to live webcam footage of a famous destination (Italy Grand Canal shown below – go ahead, try it), a zoo animal habitat, or a simple beachfront. For example, consider making a donation to a panda exhibit at a trusted wildlife sanctuary on behalf of the company, and sending a link to the exhibit to your team so they can see the animals first hand.
• themed food gift box loaded with treats from different parts of the world. If you’re feelin’ super gifty and have the budget, make it a “destination of the month” thing: Cajun flavors from Louisiana one month followed by ratatouille and chocolate soufflé from France the next. Pssst…this is a favorite concept for our team.

With options like these delivered to their home or office door, the possibilities are {virtually} endless.

Never underestimate the power of promo to take us boldly into the future of engagement.