A shirt with a logo eliminates travel stress

We were tired. My husband and I flew to Mexico for several hours, stood in the long customs line, and finally got hold of our bags. All we wanted was to get to the resort and start our long awaited 40th birthday/10th anniversary trip.

But first we had to contact our transport company. And that’s when the trouble started.

As soon as our bags went through immigration we went out to a small concert. Although the line of brightly colored men is general, the polos stand outside the immigration area. “Amsterdam?” We mentioned the name of our transport company and asked. One of the guys waved us over to a friendly young lady at the desk, who called our driver “Miguel” (not our driver) and told us he’d be there in 15 minutes. She then spent the next several minutes asking us about our travel plans and trying to sell us vacation packages. My wife and I, exhausted though it was, realized that we had made zero progress towards our destination. We said thank you and excused ourselves. Attempt number one to lift failed.

In the next room there was another row of brightly colored polo shirts. With zero desire to sit in another sales line, we tried to make a beeline to get out, but were met with an insulting “Amstar?” We asked him. just in case. One of the men heard us and gave us a hand. “Those aren’t real people,” he said, pointing to the front room. “These are real people.” This time a friendly thirty something guy brought us to another counter. He at least had the courtesy to tell us the exact number of the station we were looking for outside… before spending a few more minutes trying to sell us more rides. At that point, my intro “Spidey” vibe was shaking, and the voice in my head said, “Look for the Amstar logo.” I looked him up and down for any sign; Alas, the logo on the left chest is half covered by the jacket. Still, it wasn’t right. And this was not our salvation. Attempt number two to lift failed.

Finally we made it outside. We moved around in different groups and walked across the sidewalk. And there they were: Amstar men decked out in blue floral shirts with the Amstar logo on the left chest. All our worries melted away – we met the right people. Our vacation was starting.

How about an RT for our new uniforms? Look for them at all #Amsterdam Arrivals from December 1st! pic.twitter.com/2E0xVC3bIx

— Amsterdam DMC (@amstardmc) November 20, 2014

So many people want to reduce the amount of work they do in promotion. “It’s just rubbish” “Why waste your money?” etc. But think about the simple power of the brand shirt and how it definitely brought me and my wife – and millions of other travelers – in stressful situations abroad.

That visual comfort came into play many times during our travels in Mexico. Uniformed hotel staff, tour guide logo caps and shirts, vans emblazoned with the tour company’s name – branding was our constant guiding star. Without it, we would be stranded and literally lost.

This is just one example of how our industry can make a difference in many meaningful ways – ways that most people don’t fully realize. It is not an exaggeration to say that I offer knowledge, joy, comfort and hope. And when the final destination is a poolside chair with a drink in hand, they offer happiness, which is appropriate.