Everything You Need to Know About the Coronavirus and Travel
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the coronavirus has been the top story on the news across the country. It’s been spreading over the past few months, with cases reported everywhere from Italy to Iran. Even though it seems to be slowing down in Asia where it originated, it’s creeping across Europe and the US, leaving thousands of people rightfully concerned. I have several trips planned that yet to be affected. However, I have been monitoring the situation pretty closely just in case, especially since my destination wedding is just a few months away!
I’m also feeling really tempted to say virus be damned and start taking advantage of travel deals since every airline is slashing prices due to low demand! If you aren’t sure about what the coronavirus means for any upcoming trips, keep reading for some of my tips. Remember to do more in depth research especially about the locations you have in mind. Safety should always come first and I am definitely not a world health expert!
Travel Precautions for Coronavirus
If you have decided to keep your scheduled travel plans, be a little extra cautious to protect your health. In addition to regularly washing your hands, avoid touching your face, mouth and eyes! If you are on a plane, sanitize all surfaces, especially before you eat. If you happen to be seated next to someone that is showing cold/flu-like symptoms, discretely ask the flight attendant to move you to a different seat.
Changing a Trip Due to Coronavirus
If you had a trip planned to somewhere that has a large population affected with the coronavirus or is on lockdown, you may want to rethink your plans. Even if you were looking forward to it for months, it’s not worth it to compromise your health. Plus, most places that are severely affected won’t even be much fun to visit right now! Most airlines are being extremely flexible about cancellations, so it may not cost you anything to postpone your trip. Delta and United are both waiving cancellation/change fees, so you can easily push your trip to another time of year, or even choose a new destination. Hotels may be more or less flexible depending on the chain or booking site you used. If you are unclear on what you can do, contact customer service to review your options.
I also just learned that airlines will often refund you the difference in fare if the price of your flight drops after booking. It will be an airline credit not cash refund, but I definitely got back a few hundred dollars after the price of my flight to France fell! If you have booked a trip and plan to keep it, check the current base price. If it’s less than what you paid, call that airline’s customer service and ask what they can do.
How to Take Advantage of Cheap Travel Due to Coronavirus
If you aren’t scared of the virus now is THE BEST time to book travel! Flights to some of the world’s most desirable locations are at record lows. And considering how easily you can cancel or change a ticket these days, booking a trip is pretty much risk free. Just pick dates a few months down the road in case the coronavirus situation continues to worsen. But I’ve definitely got my eye on some destinations for December/January! You should always purchase travel insurance anyway, but if you don’t make that a habit start doing so now. Also look for hotels that have free cancellation and don’t require pre-payment in case you need to cancel later. Booking.com is my go to site for hotel reservations precisely for that reason!
Safe travels everyone! And check out my post on the top destinations of 2020 if you need a little more travel inspo!
