I did not grow up thinking I would start an assisted travel business. My childhood dream was to become a nurse, which stemmed from the fact that my dad had a serious heart condition. At that time, I unconsciously committed to devote my life to helping others. After years in clinical nursing, I pursued a medical sales career which led to working for global medical products companies and requiring extensive corporate travel. It was during these busy travel years that I encountered seniors traveling alone, and I remember always feeling worried for them that they may not make their connecting flights due to their mobility or general health issues and, more significantly, because they were traveling alone. I know now what I could not have realized then: the pieces of the puzzle for my life’s purpose were coming together.
Fast forward to 2017, when I found my biological father and realized that this life-altering discovery would provide the final piece of my puzzle. While so happy to be given the chance to meet him, finding out he had dementia was heartbreaking. I would never know the full story of how I came to be, rather only see my reflection when I looked in his face. I was unaware of how I was about to shift the way I would help others—until I learned from his immediate family of the dreadful ordeal they experienced trying to get my father from Arizona to Minnesota for treatment after he had suffered a falling accident. While the complications surrounding his interstate travel—dementia, age, mobility, physical state, luggage, who would/could accompany him, and so on—were insurmountable to his family, it gave me an epiphany that would soon come to fruition as GOMO Travel.
Founded in 2019 on the belief that no obstacle should prevent a person from traveling, GOMO Travel provides compassionate, concierge-style, assisted travel services, both domestically and internationally, to people of all ages. Our experience has shown there are three main pillars in the delivery of assisted travel services—safety, comfort, and dignity.
Safety
Our #1 priority is our travelers’ safety and well-being. We utilize wheelchairs and walkers to help with mobility, stability, and prevent falls. Since COVID, precautions are taken to clean, disinfect, and sanitize common areas of contact to prevent germ spread and contamination. GOMO Companion Nurses are medically trained (not certified nursing assistants, CNAs) to provide the first line of assistance if an emergency occurs with our travelers. For travelers with dementia, GOMO has significant experience with care facility relocations, employing Companions who are certified dementia practitioners (CDPs).
Comfort
Oftentimes taking a trip can be grueling for our travelers, so we strive to make their trip as comfortable as possible. We promote mobility by making sure our travelers are not stationary for long periods of time. Frequent restroom breaks are also promoted with the full assistance of our Companions to meet our travelers’ needs. In addition, our travelers’ family members are comforted by constant communication, so they have the peace of mind that their loved one is safe and in good hands. All GOMO Companions are screened (strict background checks, references, and in-depth interviews).
Dignity
No one should feel embarrassed, ashamed, or marginalized just because they need assistance to travel. The joy, freedom, and passion that comes with taking a journey should be in reach for all travelers. GOMO travelers are treated with the utmost compassion, respect, and dignity. Our customized assisted travel and relocation solutions are designed with that in mind so that our travelers feel noticed, alive, and present. We respect their place in life and their natural right to travel and fulfill their life needs.
With travel predicted to increase throughout 2021 and into the post-pandemic future, GOMO Travel and our team of travel Companions help senior citizens, their families, and people of all ages take advantage of opportunities to travel freely and on their own terms. The name GOMO stems from the popular acronym FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)—we did not want seniors to sit home and miss out on the pleasures of life simply because they were afraid to travel. We want them to Go More…GOMO!
Kerri Johnson, RN, EMBA, founded GOMO Travel in Jacksonville, FL, in 2019 as a way of helping make travel possible for anyone who needs assistance by pairing them with certified travel companions. GOMO Travel Companions log thousands of miles per year helping travelers get to their destinations safely, comfortably, and with dignity. Johnson, a registered nurse of 31 years, has built GOMO Travel into an industry leader by developing customized assisted-travel solutions for their travelers. In 2021, Johnson moved the company to Cape Coral, FL, to concentrate on the Tampa–Naples corridor. GOMO Travel is a fully insured and bonded Florida limited liability company.
Contact GOMO Travel today at 904.395.7500 or kerri@gomotravel.com, and visit the website at: gomotravel.com.