THE PANDEMIC AND THE TOUR OPERATOR

Four months ago was a completely different world for us at Getaway Adventures. The tour season was over, but would be back in a few short months. As with every winter, we prepared for the spring ahead. Little did we know illness, fear, and uncertainty would leave nothing where there was once the knowledge that great weather and great wine would bring people back.

As a business reliant on tourism, how do you cope with a pandemic? We have yet to find that answer.

Most of our tours are intimate. Two to four people, mostly outdoors, never venturing into crowded spaces. Cleanliness and sanitation are a part of what tasting rooms do best. We offer sick leave if our guides aren’t feeling 100%. All our food is prepared in a professional kitchens. Our guests and guides are provided with sanitizing wipes. All equipment is cleaned after every tour.

In speaking with our guests (or those that would have been but needed to cancel their vacations), we are not the concern, but the industries we rely upon are. Air travel, bus stations, hotels with hundreds of guests; these are their concerns — and we sympathize.

When in the middle of any crisis, it’s hard to remember that this is only temporary. Can we in Sonoma County recover from this? Yes we can. We made it through the travel bans after 9-11. We weathered the financial crisis of 2008. We rose from the ashes of the 2017 wildfires. And we will make it through COVID-19. We will be here when you are ready to travel again, and we will show you the best wine country has to offer; traveling by the speed of bike… one mile at a time.