I'm Considered 'High Risk' - Here's Why I Traveled Internationally During the Pandemic and Will Again

This article is written by James Berglie, President of Be All Inclusive.

The "story" has become so long and involved that I tend to jokingly breeze right over it with most people now: Most people I meet on a regular basis wouldn't have a clue about my rather extensive medical history. It's not something I advertise, and it just doesn't come up. At least not until we just so happen to be hanging out at the pool or beach and it never fails, the question is always asked: "So, what happened with all your scars?"

"Oh, these... well, I was swimming right here in this same spot last year when a shark attacked me." — This method is my favorite to use when I'm asked by a child. For the adults though, it's usually some version of "eh, I was just dealt a crappy hand in life on the medical side of things and I've got a rare loose connective tissue disorder that in short, means I get to have surgery on something every few years. So these are from a couple hernias, these are from a couple collapsed lungs that required surgery to repair, and these are from a couple heart surgeries."

For those with a medical background, we usually dive a bit deeper into the specifics, and it becomes the topic of conversation for a good 30 minutes as I've got no problem sharing with those who are interested. But the reaction is always the same from people: "Wow, I had no idea, you seem so normal." — Thanks... I guess... I think you unintentionally just called me abnormal?

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Well, as much as I like to consider myself "normal," there's been no bigger smack-in-the-face-back-to-reality for me that I am not "normal" when it comes to returning to travel in 2020. I realized I had to tread lightly in returning to travel and really needed to know it would be safe to do so. But, at the same time, travel IS my job. Travel is how we put food on our table and pay for our home. I can't opt-out of returning to travel myself if I want to try to save the business I worked years to build, in the industry I'm passionate about. And I'm only going to send my clients places I wouldn't hesitate to travel to myself.

But, this is about more than just saving my business. Over the years, my "travel family" in Mexico, and every other country we serve in the Caribbean, has become just that, FAMILY. Many friends have been furloughed or laid off entirely. Many of them are struggling to put food on their tables and pay their rent. And while yes, I realize many in the US are suffering the same, it's a bit different for these countries. Absolutely NONE of them have been lucky enough to be able to join government-backed programs like unemployment, or payroll protection programs to help get them through these difficult times. These countries don't have programs like that.

So while everyone in the U.S. was getting an extra $600 per week for not working (almost double the average global salary by the way), my friends were left with zero income and zero assistance from their governments. They fully rely on tourism for everything, and they need us back so they can live.

My heart breaks for them, and I can't sit back and hope things get better for them. I need to take an active role in their recovery.

Over the years, these same people have repeatedly taken care of my guests, making me look like a rock star and allowing me to have a successful career in the business that I love. They are the very reason for my success. So I owe it to them to do everything I can to bring back their livelihood.

So off I went to Mexico.

You can read a more complete account of my experience here. To sum it all up, overall, I was just taken back by how the tourism industry in this destination seems to be doing far more to make guests safe than ANY place I've seen in the U.S. Without a doubt, I felt safer in Mexico than I do running errands in my own hometown in the States.

It doesn't surprise me though. When you fully rely on tourism, you will do absolutely anything and everything to help bring it back. There is no other option than to adopt new protocols and do everything possible to make guests feel safe while protecting themselves as well.

So yes, even as a "high risk" person, I've traveled post quarantine, and from the protocols I saw in place, I won't hesitate to do so again. Because it's my business, of course, but also for reasons much more than that. It's so easy for those of us in the U.S. to forget just how lucky we are. In contrast, the people of Mexico and the Caribbean in locations that fully rely on tourism have been completely devastated, far more than we can imagine, with zero help from their government to rely on.

For me, these same people have also been responsible for making me look like a superstar — the bellmen, the waiters and waitresses, the concierges, butlers, maids, entertainment teams and everyone that works in back of house — by taking the best care of our guests. These people have been responsible for giving me everything I've wanted in life and a career I love. So I owe it to them to do everything I can to bring their livelihood back to them, and that begins with leading the way to a safe return to travel.

Additionally, other than promoting and selling travel to help these communities regain their livelihood, another way I choose to help in the recovery of the tourism industry is to give regularly to charitable causes that help support these communities. The Lomas Foundation is an organization that helps with academic grants, internships, improvement of school infrastructure, health services, animal welfare and community development in the Riviera Maya area.

If you can spare a donation of any amount, it will go a long way to help support these communities. I encourage you to support charities like the Lomas Foundation, and when you are ready, get out there and see the world again.