ATD Xperience

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Happy Monday!
Early this year, I made a decision that changed the course of my company, Xperience Travel.
I partnered with AT&D Travels and we are now AT&D Xperience. Instantly, I knew that I couldn't have merged at a better time, with a better company, or with a better group of people. A shared vision and excitement over wanting to promote Xperiences, especially in the Philippines, that resonates on a personal level seems to be the common thread that made this decision a no brainer.
Case in point.
This February 2020, a group of volunteers from Minnesota came to the Philippines for a Medical Mission in Samar. AT&D Xperience assisted in some 50+ volunteer's post mission holiday arrangements, and one of them was Jeanne's.
Jeanne is a solo traveler and yesterday, we took her on our signature "Baluarte: The Beginnings of a City" tour of Intramuros. In tours like these, you'd think we tell the story. Well, not always.
Jeanne is well travelled and had a bag of questions ready for this tour. Her father was in the Philippines during the WWII and she was on a mission to trace, be familiar with and make sense of the stories she heard in her childhood.
Walking the walls of Intramuros with her yesterday made me appreciate close encounter with our guests even more.
She is a 70-year old with the curious eye of a 7-year old. She has the energy of a teenager. She has a heart for people as only a person who would travel 29-hours to a foreign country to assist in lending clear sight to those who do not have money to buy prescription glasses (she was assigned in the optha team) can have.
You don't meet people like Jeanne everyday. Through the work that we do, we can.
What makes me glow with pride is how the team seamlessly made Jeanne's time in the Philippines so special.
Hillary made sure she was assisted all 10 days of her post mission travel.
Our tour master Neil's itinerary and ability to answer her questions helped her weave together the historical facts and the anecdotes she heard from her father.
Harold, my business partner's thoughtful conversations with her made her say that indeed, AT&D Xperience has gone the extra mile for her trip.
We all want to do meaningful work. We all want to work with people who share our passion. We all want to have random encounters that leaves an impression. I am happy to have all these three now and for years to come.
Guess what? This did not happen by accident.
❗ If you think you have a passion for something, START. Don't overthink where it will lead you. Just keep working on it.
❗Keep exposing yourself to the right people. You will soon find the ones that will walk the same direction as you.
❗Open yourself to others, be curious, give genuine interest in the stories they have about people, places and experiences and you will find out how we are all more alike than different.
May we all find our way to our best lives, buddies! There are no accidents. 🐢

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