Family time in Toronto
My traditional trip to Toronto in August, to celebrate my mother’s birthday (she turned 94 this year), attend the Rogers Cup (Masters 1000 tennis tournament) and take in the CanFitPro Convention and Expo was different this year: the live events were cancelled, and I was under quarantine the entire 14 days (staying at my mom’s house).
My siblings came to visit, including my oldest brother, who flew his own plane from Vancouver (took two days).
Other than playing frisbee in the back yard and going for walks in the adjacent park with my mother, I played tennis a few times (4 courts are directly behind my mom’s house), and only ventured out to get my mom a danish at Tim Horton’s (a short jog away) and visited the nearby Good Life Club (5 minute walk) to see how they were dealing with Covid-19 protocols. The club required online reservations for workouts, was open for one hour at a time, followed by a 30 minute closure for cleaning…part of the new world of working out.
Business trips in Europe
There was one five day business trip I made to the Netherlands and Oslo, Norway: I held meetings at the headquarters of my client Virtuagym (partly live, partly per Zoom) in Amsterdam.
On this trip I also rented a car to visit my friend Rob Trousselot in Baarn, staying overnight at a castle and getting up to speed with a former club operator (Kees Broetje) over ribs, scampis and beer. Rob supports 125 PT Studios in the BeNeLux countries with content and advice on becoming more successful. He also has been a driving force behind Virtuagym’s software innovations for many years.
There were three webinars I participated in, including one to be aired during the FIBO digital event in early October (organised by Fit Tech Society).
In Oslo I attended the start meeting for Hitio 5.0, which will set the parameters for their future dynamic growth internationally. With 62 franchises in four countries, this fitness-boxing-martial arts concept is very exciting and I am looking forward to supporting their efforts in the coming months.
A visit to the headquarters of one of the leading education providers in the Netherlands (EFAA) was enlightening. John van Heel is also the licensee of my client NASM (online PT and nutrition courses).
Staying healthy while travelling
Travelling at this time requires wearing a mask at airports, on planes, on public transit and in some countries, inside public businesses, stores, etc. Switzerland re-introduced mandatory masks in buildings in late August as the number of reported cased started to increase.
Plane travel is actually quite nice in this phase: most flights are less than one third full, there is no waiting at security, and people accept wearing of masks, so it feels safe.
I am keeping active through walks along the Eulach river next to my house, playing tennis and working out (either in my local club or while on the road in hotels or on my own. This helps keep my weight stable and my mind balanced.
September: no travel planned other than a short trip to Munich to celebrate the birthdays of my two grown children. But that can always change with me :).
Tll next time!
Hans
Super cool to read this and inspiring. Love what you are doing Hans!