Dreaming of a vacation after coronavirus? Deals abound, but when will it be safe to travel?
Anyone following stay at home orders may find their minds drifting away.
To a beach. A resort. A casino. A cruise.
Somewhere, anywhere, but home.
But there’s a question nobody can answer: When will it be safe to travel again?
The thought of a vacation is tantalizing, especially when a recent look on airline websites — despite a growth in novel coronavirus cases — shows these prices: $603 for a round trip flight from DFW to Honolulu around July 4; $246 for a round trip flight to New York in late July; $231 for a round trip flight to Las Vegas in early August.
You can book any trip you’d like, but vacations aren’t really safe until things return to normal and businesses and schools reopen. The State Department needs to rescind its Level 4 do not travel advisory and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization need to give the OK for travel.
Some say travel could happen this summer. Others predict it could be fall or later.
“The truth is, none of us knows when we will be able to fly and to where,” said Tiffany Figueiredo, a luxury travel adviser with SmartFlyer and owner of Fort Worth-based Fig Travel Co. “Certainly, people have time on their hands now and travel is a topic of conversations between couples and families and friends, especially as summer approaches.
“This pause is a good time to dream and plan.”
A survey last month by Luggage Hero shows that some travelers are optimistic.
The survey, conducted in March, showed that 57% of those scheduled to travel in May or later plan to stick to their vacation plans as long as there are no quarantines in areas they plan to visit. Nearly 30% of travelers, though, say they’ll avoid big cities or public transportation in an attempt to make their trip safer.
At the same time, 7% already canceled trips planned for May to September.
The key to planning future vacations is to be ready whenever stay-at-home orders locally and across the country are lifted.
“Once we are able to travel again, there will be a flood of people ready to book their vacations because of pent-up demand,” said Toni Brunson, a DFW-based land and cruise specialist at Cruise Planners. “We’re hoping to be able to travel before summer ends, but the COVID-19 situation is fluid, so it is difficult to know at this point.”
Just be cautious, do your homework, read the details and realize that some flights may be cut and some hotels may not reopen after the pandemic subsides.
Here are some suggestions to help travelers.
Use a travel agent/adviser: Many people who booked trips that had to be canceled or delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic have spent hours trying to get refunds or credits.
“I’ve heard some nightmare stories in recent weeks about people booking non-refundable hotels and tours on booking engines and then being stuck on hold for hours and hours with no resolution,” Figueiredo said.
She and Brunson, for instance, have an easier time rebooking or canceling trips for clients and getting refunds when they can. “This saves many hours for clients and our services do not cost them anything,” Brunson said.
Look for deals. Brunson said people ready to travel once coronavirus is under control can book now. “There are some great promotions out there,” she said. Among them: A Royal Caribbean BOGO60, where travelers get 60% off the second guest’s price and final payments aren’t due until 60 days before the cruise departs. That payment normally is due 90 days before departure. She also said travelers who booked cruises that were canceled generally have received a full refund, or 125% to 150% of what was paid as a credit that can be used through next year. Some of those credits can be used through 2022.
Get travel insurance. If you do buy a policy, and there’s a reason you need to delay your trip, that may give you more “peace of mind,” Brunson said. “My clients who bought travel insurance had more options and better protection than those who didn’t.”
Read the fine print. But read the policy carefully to see all the conditions. Many policies now state that trips can’t be canceled for any reason. And insurance companies are not selling policies that cover COVID-19. “Everyone needs to understand that we are in unchartered territory,” Figueiredo said. “Airline policies and procedures are changing daily and until we have a grasp on the length and breadth of COVID-19, we must be flexible and manage our expectations.”
