Life in the time of COVID-19 with Holland America Line’s Tony Archbold

This week, Travel Weekly caught up with Tony Archbold, Holland America Line’s senior director of sales and marketing for Australia and New Zealand, to find out how he’s been faring since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

What are you reading?

I’m actually listening more than reading (love Audible!). The last few books have been Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin and Tim Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage.

What are you watching?

Over COVID, my wife Kate and I have watched a mass of things. Currently, The Good Doctor, but all of The West Wing, Little Fires Everywhere, Mare of Easttown … shall I go on?

What are you listening to?

Usually, social commentary or anything that’s going to challenge the way I think and the way the world thinks. Tim Keller and John Anderson handle both these at present.

What are you cooking?

I’m fortunate to be married to an amazing cook, so my forays into the kitchen are usually only to eat or clean up. I love doing one of those and am pretty good at the other!

How are you staying fit both physically and mentally?

I was at the gym regularly until this lockdown. For me, mental fitness is about perspective, so I keep learning and challenging myself to be better.

What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the coronavirus hit?

The way people really want to care and, in most cases, will do when given the opportunity and the permission to do so.

What have you learned about yourself amid the crisis?

I’m surrounded by people who care and who are wanting to do good for others. I’ve learnt to appreciate more than ever how blessed I am!

What’s your advice for others in the industry on coping with the crisis?

Good advice should be personalised advice, so I’m hesitant to give it as a general statement. Be honest with yourself, but be even kinder when the answer is hard to hear.

Where is your favourite domestic travel destination?

There are so many! My wife and I love the north coast (Coffs) to recharge, Tassie to eat and NSW’s country towns to remind us of the simple/good things in life.

What is the one international travel memory keeping you going through this time?

Our last cruise was to Iceland via Norway (on HAL, of course), and that keeps us going. Our next one is the incentive, and it doesn’t matter where that is!

Where do you want to travel to once international travel restrictions ease up?

Most of the time, it doesn’t matter. Anywhere would be amazing right now! We were heading to Alaska in mid-2020, so there or…

… Seydisfjordur, Iceland!