At Wallop, we tend to hire explorers. Wanderers. Adventurers. As a company, we’re all about travel, and the team members we attract typically are too.
So having our wings clipped these last two years has been tough. Unwilling to stay too static, many of us have rediscovered what’s in Vancouver’s backyard—and oh, what a backyard it is!—but we’re still looking forward to venturing further afield.
Though much remains uncertain, we remain optimistic that 2022 is going to be our year. With vaccinations—and boosters—in our arms, we’re holding out hope that this will be the year we dust off our passports and finally get to properly explore the places we’ve been dreaming about.
So we asked our team: when the world is wide-open again, what’s the first trip you hope to take?
The resounding answer: Japan.
The 2020 (in 2021) Olympics must have really made an impression, because five of 13 said Japan was at the top of their list.
Why Japan? Here’s what some of the team had to say:
“It’s so different from anywhere I have ever been before.”
“I’ve yet to go to Asia! and I hear it’s a great place to travel/backpack solo.”
“It’s always been on my list—the history, culture, food, landscape, everything!”
So! Team trip to Japan?
Our Digital Strategy Manager Gemma is hoping to drive the Adriatic Coast, from Italy all the way around and down to Albania (whose Riviera is an up-and-coming destination).
Along the way, she plans to explore Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, all of which “have so much to offer from incredible beaches, to quaint villages and breathtaking hiking trails. In spite of that, these places don’t seem to be travel hotspots (yet!).”
Our brave Director of Sales, Linda, is dreaming about Bhutan. “I want to see the Tiger’s Nest and land on one of the most dangerous runways in the world,” she says. The landing at Bhutan’s Paro Airport is so treacherous that only a handful of pilots is authorized to do it.
For another Walloper, Peru is calling. “I had a trip to Peru already planned pre-pandemic but had to cancel it once COVID happened.” Cancelled travel plans are something many of our team members—and travelers in general—can relate to.
And some team members just want to go home. Genia is looking forward to going back to Saint Petersburg. “I miss home!”
Our Managing Director Andreanna is also missing her once-home of Maastricht in the Netherlands. “I lived there for years and have such fond memories,” she says.
“It was the first time that I really lived on my own. I had to figure out how to get set up in a new country in a language I wasn’t totally familiar with. I spent almost five years there and loved every minute of it. I was supposed to go back in Spring 2020, but that was unfortunately not possible.”
And, always looking to explore new frontiers, Andreanna is also looking forward to a road trip in Slovenia and Croatia—another plan put on hold by the pandemic.
For more places we’re planning to explore in 2022, check out our Wallop’s Instagram here.