By Izah Morales-Dy
There is more to astrology than just horoscopes. And little did I know that I will be able to use it in our line of business as a travel company.
When I received a request from a client to create an incentive trip program to Sagada from Jan 12-15, 2020, I checked my astro subscription, where Jan 11,12,13 were listed as dangerous periods.
I told the client about my apprehension about their trip dates and asked whether they can still adjust it.
The guests were firm to push through with the dates even if I gave a warning that those are dangerous periods according to Filipino Astrologer’s astro- calendar. Some of them just laughed it off saying it’s not true.
I was already having second thoughts whether I will still handle the trip or not given what I know of the dates. But because I cannot just leave them hanging in the air, I consulted Filipino Astrologer Resti Santiago about it. He suggested leaving at 11 pm (Jupiter Hour) of Jan 12 instead of the original schedule of 8:30 pm due to the influence of the malefic planet, Saturn.
I followed and drafted the trip itinerary avoiding Mars and Saturn hours for activities.
January 12, 2020, came. The Taal Volcano suddenly erupted past lunch time. It started spewing ashes in the Calabarzon region, where most of the guests reside.
At 5:45 pm (Jupiter Hour), our driver contacted me asking how we are. I knew that he was having apprehensions too in pushing with the trip. I called up the client and discussed the situation presenting dangers in the road as motorists report zero visibility on the road due to the continuous ashfall. During that time, she was also not keen on pushing with the trip anymore.
The client already announced the postponement of the trip to the guests. One of them still wanted to push through despite the situation. Fortunately, the majority of the guests voted to stay in their homes.
This gave me a sigh of relief. For the first time, I was happy that a trip that I planned got cancelled. More often than not, a cancelled trip is a blessing in disguise.
Now, I have the chance to suggest new trip dates that have an open star in the calendar.
Multimedia Journalist turned entrepreneur, Izah Morales-Dy, creates her travel passion as a way to live life to the fullest. Through her company, Explore Eight Travel, she helps people reach their dream destinations.