What To Do About Your Travel Plans During the COVID-19 Epidemic
Planning travel for the rest of year can seem scary amongst the spread of COVID-19 aka Cornavirus. You may already have a trip planned for March, April, or May and are wondering if you should cancel? You may have been planning a trip in the Fall and have noticed that prices are much lower, should you book? This post will share tips to help answer all of those questions. Share with a friend who has travel plans.
Trips in March & April
The State Department’s health advisory has said not to travel outside of the United States. As of today, there is a Global Level 4 Health Advisory . This means US citizens should not travel internationally and international flights are being cancelled. There is no official word on how long this will last, but I would plan to reschedule your trips for March and April. Here’s some advice on what to do:
Cancel your trips directly with the airline and hotels that you booked. The phone lines are incredibly busy so try to cancel online if possible.
Only call if your trip is within 7 days. Be courteous to those who have immediate travel plans so that they can get their travel cancellations completed. DON’T WORRY. The airlines and hotels are continually adapting their policies so that you wont be penalized for rescheduling last minute. The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus was something that caught everyone by surprise, so companies will work with you on rebooking your travel plans for a later date.
Hold on to your record locater and confirmation number so that you have them when you go to rebook your trip.
Most places will give you a year but some places will extend it to further than that.
Websites like Expedia, say to expect to wait 30 Days before receiving a refund.
If you have a domestic trip scheduled see below.
Trips in May & Beyond
As mentioned above, we cannot be sure of when travel restrictions will be lifted. The important thing to do is remain calm, proactive, and not reactive. There is no need to cancel your travel plans for June and beyond yet (however, Bookit.com has said they are cancelling all international travel through June). Give the people who have immediate travel plans a chance to cancel first. The best thing you can do is to continue to check Travel. State. Gov for the most up to date information about future travel restrictions.
Hotels and airlines are loosing tons of business at the moment. This means that you most likely are getting travel alerts about cheap hotels and flights for future months. Should you book in hopes of the COVID-19 virus being contained? Here are some things to consider:
CNBC says to resist the urge to buy. This is because things are changing every day due to the spread of the virus. It is too hard to predict what the travel restrictions will be over the next 4 months or more.
If you can resist, make sure you read the airline and hotel’s refund policies. See if they will offer you travel vouchers for future trips and the conditions surrounding those vouchers.
Purchase travel insurance. Be sure to read the agreement thoroughly to make sure you can cancel in case of the spread of the virus.
Popular travel website, Kayak, will be adding a filter to help search for flights with free cancellation policies. Use it to make sure you make refundable travel plans.
Domestic Trips
Travel domestically at your own risk. If you must travel for work, click here for tips on staying healthy while traveling. According to the CDC, here are some things to consider before traveling domestically.
Is COVID-19 spreading to an area that you plan to travel to?
Is COVID-19 spreading where you live when you return from travel?
Will you or your companions be in close contact with others during the trip?
Are you or your companions likely to get severe illness if you contract COVID—19
Can you take time off from work or school, in case you are told to stay home for 14 days for self-monitoring or if you get sick with COVID-19?
Do you live with someone has a serious, chronic medical condition or who is older?