Planning Safe Travel: Meet Sandy Lidka

Meet Sandy Lidka, owner of Further Afield Travel and Tours. Sandy’s enthusiasm for travel spills over into the planning of travel for individual clients and small groups. She has worked in the industry for 25+ years in sales, marketing and designing custom, once-in-a-lifetime trips for individuals and groups. In 2014, Further Afield Travel and Tours was founded on the commitment of providing individual clients unique and personal travel experiences tailored to their preferences.

Sandy has won ‘Best Travel Agent’, and the agency has won ‘Best Travel Agency’ voted by Oakville’s Reader’s Choice Awards. She takes pride in her business and her greatest compliment has been the testimonials from her clients and the repeat and referral business. The Bronte BIA got a chance to interview Sandy and talk about how Further Afield has navigated the pandemic.

What services are available now?

Through the pandemic, Further Afield has been on top of how to deal with a post-COVID world and new ways of travelling. Sandy is excited to let clients know that they are booking travel for those who are eager to travel when things open up. She and her staff want their clients to have confidence to travel and peace of mind. They are there for you from the planning, during your stay, and post-travel as well. “Our professional staff is knowledgeable and up-to-date on the current government travel restrictions,” says Sandy.  Bookings are already happening for the winter and a lot of clients are planning ahead for travel next year as well.

Sandy says, “Due to government regulations, we are working remotely. We have set up a ‘curbside brochure’ pick-up area where people can browse and take brochures without needing to come into the office. We are meeting with our clients through Zoom appointments and through phone and email.” 

Clients’ safety is a priority both in the office and on their holidays. The office is ready to open the doors when the government regulations ease. It has plexi-glass sneeze guards in place so clients and staff are protected. Mask are mandatory in addition to social distancing, hand sanitizing etc. When they can open the doors, Sandy will encourage appointments and limit the number of clients at any given time.

What do you love about Bronte?

“Bronte is a hidden gem with a variety of unique small businesses which add character to the village,” says Sandy. “The owners are very friendly and inviting. I see so many people come drive down to Bronte and experience the beauty of the area.”

What would make Bronte even better?

“Having more boutique shops would be great to make the area more unique,” says Sandy. “Some music on the streets to make it livelier. Bronte has a lot of events like Canada Day and Art in the Park, so more of that when it is feasible to do so would be great. We don’t want to be overcrowding the area, we don’t want [Bronte] to be like Toronto, we want to keep the area intimate, and small and boutique.”