One of the biggest challenges when going through a global crisis is to maintain a work and life balance. With the recent Covid-19 travel advisors have been forced to quarantine at home, where the lines between work and family are more blurred. What can travel agents do to deal with family and work duties at the same time? 

Before starting a new life under quarantine or other special situation, there are few things you can start thinking to make easier your life taking into account the importance of work-life balance for travel agents:

Make a plan

Let the fewer things possible to improvisation. It’s really important to have a list of tasks and responsibilities necessary to take care of children and/or home. If you have a couple, try to define a daily routine, share shifts and, very important, write it out. Talk to your kids’ teachers about accessing learning materials remotely.

Set up an adequate separated workspace

Create an ergonomic corner for you to get focused working hours. Avoid using your kitchen table or other family spaces for work stuff.

Start making the new situation natural

For both family and colleagues: even with the most precise plan, things can’t be totally under control. If you have kids, let your colleagues know that they could show up during a conference call. In the case of a pandemic or any other critical situation, try to talk openly about it with your kids to mitigate anxiety and uncertainty.  

Our checklist of recommendations for travel agents who want to achieve work-life balance 

1. Start every journey with a clear focus and objectives. Prioritize your time, make a to-do list and go for it. Be realistic with the time you are going to spend and the effort you are capable of. 
    
2. Embrace technology to have perfect communication with your customers or co-workers. Use other scheduling apps to monitor your activities and to have a track of your daily time, such as Calendly or Setmore; and connect it to your email. 
    
3. Be (and stay) flexible. Even when you have built a perfect plan with backups, family duties can make things change regularly, especially when taking kids into account. Reschedule and reprioritize your day and inform everyone about it.
    
4. Take breaks. Under these circumstances, the last thing you want is to get burned out. Spend a few minutes with your kids, have a snack, check the news… Consider them tiny rewards to keep you stimulated. 
    
5. Over Communicate with your clients and colleagues. Never let them in the dark waiting for answers or solutions. Use your Facebook page, website, and your email signature to inform them about your work hours, days-off or changes could make you unavailable. If necessary, share an emergency phone number.
    
6. Keep your kids entertained and mentally stimulated with all books, games, and every single available resource. There are thousands of free apps such as Measure That Animal or Bedtime Math that can make your life much easier. 
    
7. Virtual baby sitter. When educational Media is not enough, your last option but not the worst is to reach out to babysitters, teachers or relatives and set up online playdates with them. 
    
8. Work smarter. Not harder. Sometimes, the most efficient option is offering packages with itineraries which are easy to create, so you don’t need to spend piecing together all details of the package. 
    
9. Review your day every day. Have you accomplished your daily objectives? Spend your last work minutes to analyze your day and to understand the reasons for the unfinished tasks. Be realistic and use these learnings for the next day to-do-list. 
    
10. Leave Work at Work. Once you have finished, it’s time to nurture your family and relationships and to spend quality time with them (or just with yourself). Try to avoid going back to your workplace when the kids are asleep, you need to disconnect and to be fresh every day. 

During a global crisis, It seems impossible to separate the job from family and leisure time. Your family needs you more than ever and so do your work. There is not a magic solution to get a balance and be effective on both sides, but it’s worth having a plan involving allies, resources and, the most important thing, honesty with your family and your colleagues.