Life in the time of COVID-19 with Tauck’s Serisha Ramdhani

This week, we caught up with Serisha Ramdhani, supervisor of Tauck’s Australian customer service centre, to find out how she’s been faring since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

What are you reading?

A book on strategy. However, I would much rather be reading Diana Gabaldon’s latest book in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

What are you watching?

Virgin River, season three on Netflix.

What are you listening to?

A bit of Ed Sheeran especially, when I am daydreaming about Barcelona. I have also been listening to some soft country playlists with Tim McGraw.

What are you cooking?

South Africa on a plate – some amazing winter dishes, cooked on an open fire in my cast iron pots. Lamb curry, rainbow-grilled veggies and home-baked bread.

How are you staying fit both physically and mentally?

Beach walks, yoga, backyard netball and soccer with the kids. The laughter that comes with playing with my children helps me release the mental strain.

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

Our beloved travel leaders, professionals and advisors speaking up about the realities and impact on our industry. Our industry will never have those golden years back, but it will be rebuilt with a new camaraderie. The commitment from everyone to have our collective voices heard is phenomenal.

What have you learned about yourself amid the crisis?

I am tenacious and definitely Tauck tough! Like everyone, I had to dig deep to process the changes and impacts on my personal and professional life.

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

The past 18 months was a complete nightmare and the curve balls keep coming. Acknowledge that this was not your doing and anchor yourself with something that makes you happy.

Where is your favourite domestic travel destination?

I have had to cancel plans to see tropical North Queensland twice. Queensland has so much to offer and with a young family – it ticks all the boxes.

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

It is hard to pick one memory. I have found myself reliving the sunrises. Moments like a morning game drive as you venture out in search of an elusive leopard. You forget the hunt as the skies lighten to beautiful shades of pink and the birds herald in a new dawn.

Another memory is a morning meditation class on board the Aqua Mekong. As the sun rays gently warmed me, I felt so humbled and privileged to have seen Cambodia with Aqua. It was exceptional.

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

The US, including a visit to Tauck headquarters in Connecticut and hopefully a Tauck tour – ‘Yellowstone & the Tetons: American Safari’.

I would love to visit South Africa to see my family, my beloved home country, and I cannot miss out on an opportunity to do another African safari.