What to do if your travel plans are impacted by the coronavirus

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    Famous for all the wrong reasons, the novel coronavirus has unfortunately taken the world by storm. Originating in Wuhan, China, there are 300,000+ confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and growing. More than 95 countries have reported infected citizens, and there have been over 16,000 deaths.

    A large share of travelers who had planned their vacations abroad in the first part of 2020 are now canceling those trips due to fear of contracting COVID-19. You may be wondering if you should do the same (read our post on how to cancel a flight in the time of coronavirus).

    Coronaviruses are nothing new. They’re the reason for respiratory tract illnesses such as the common cold. You may have experienced a coronavirus if you’ve ever had a fever, cough, headache, or sore throat. It’s called “corona” because it resembles a crown under a microscope.

    However, COVID-19 is more serious than a simple cold. The virus is not believed to be as deadly as the 2003 SARS outbreak, but its impact has eclipsed that of the SARS contagion many times over — and the travel industry has been rattled. Popular squares are desolate, cruise ships quarantined, restaurants deserted, and factories have closed in areas where the coronavirus has been concentrated, such as Italy, South Korea, and (of course) China.

    Many airlines, hotels and trains have offered travelers free change fees if their plans had them traveling to certain affected locations. The 2020 Summer Olympics may be canceled. Gigantic sports events, including the NFL, NBA and NCAA March Madness have been either suspended or canceled. The Professional Golf Association has postponed its golf tournament in China by two months.

    The coronavirus isn’t going easy on the economy, either. Many states have declared a state of emergency with tight quarantine rules, such as the banning of public assemblies comprising 100+ attendees. Schools are canceled for weeks. Corporations scramble to find a way to enable their employees to work from home.

    For one month, the Department of Homeland Security has suspended “the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States.” This ban includes only those European countries that comprise the Schengen area (excluding Ireland).

    You might have guessed, the stock market hasn’t suffered this much since the 2008 financial crisis.

    With all that in mind, let’s take a look at this new coronavirus, and examine the precautions you should take if you have travel plans — including how to decide whether to go or stay.

    (Photo by DimaBerlin/Shutterstock)

    What is the new coronavirus (COVID-19)?

    COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new respiratory virus and varies dramatically in severity (similar to the flu). It can cause cold-like symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose, but it can also cause labored breathing and even pneumonia.

    Whether the new coronavirus prefers certain hosts is still unclear — thus far it appears to be an equal-opportunity offender. However, the majority of deaths have occurred with older adults who already struggle with their health, not unlike any other respiratory virus. You’ll notice the pervasiveness of surgical masks among those in affected areas. That’s because the virus is most easily spread through coughs and sneezes, though you may also acquire it by touching contaminated items. Vigorous and frequent hand-washing is one of the best measures you can take to protect yourself from illness.

    What if I need to cancel or rebook my trip?

    You may discover that your travel itinerary has been canceled or changed regardless of your feelings about the coronavirus. Select flights are being temporarily discontinued. A number of cruise lines have canceled or changed 100+ trips across the Pacific and completely halted any voyages to China. Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Holland America and Princess Cruises are among popular cruise lines that have canceled trips for months to come. The Diamond Princess, a vessel belonging to Princess Cruises, was quarantined in Japan for two weeks after the coronavirus was discovered aboard. More than 600 travelers were diagnosed with the illness.

    While this certainly sounds alarming, you’ll find that being afraid to travel is not a covered reason that will allow you to request a refund with most travel companies. If you’re not traveling to an infected area, but would like to play it safe until the coronavirus has been extinguished, you’ll likely have to eat the cost of your nonrefundable travel.

    However, depending on your planned destination, airline, hotel and cruise companies may be quick to offer you an out. Japan and Iran are under a Level 2 travel warning from the U.S. government, and Italy, South Korea and China are under a Level 3 warning. As the coronavirus continues to spread, more airlines and hotels have extended the time frame for reduced/waived fees for passengers to change or cancel their travel reservations.

    Many Chinese airlines have offered full refunds for travel within China, including:

    Several U.S. airlines currently offer a window of waived change/cancellation fees, including:

    If you didn’t book direct with the airline, but instead booked with points through an online travel agency, check out our post on canceling flights purchased with bank points.

    You’ll note that Southwest is not on this list. That’s because Southwest allows you to change or cancel a flight for absolutely free up to 10 minutes before departure. That is an unbelievably customer-friendly policy. Whether there is a global crisis or not, Southwest has by far the most generous change policy of any airline. Read our step-by-step post on how to change or cancel a Southwest flight.

    In addition, Amtrak will waive change/cancellation fees for trips made through April 30, 2020.

    Updated March 23, 2020

    Major hotel chains also offer some form of waived fees:

    If you booked your hotel via the Chase Travel Portal, read our post on how to cancel Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal hotel bookings.

    Updated March 13, 2020

    Be sure to monitor these policies, as they seem to change daily. With the generous offers above, it can certainly still be worth booking a flight or keeping your hotel reservation for the time being while you optimistically monitor the coronavirus outbreak. You’ve got nothing to lose for speculatively booking, as many reservations are completely refundable.

    Even if your vacation is outside major travel companies, be sure to ask for special circumstances due to the coronavirus. MMS editor Liz has a sister who’s booked into a Caribbean timeshare next month. Her window for rebooking is closed, but the company is making exceptions, providing her the opportunity to push her reservation up to a year in advance.

    Protections for travel credit card holders

    The best travel insurance credit cards come with trip delay and cancellation protection baked into their valuable suite of benefits. They assist with unexpected illness or injury, or if another unforeseen circumstance pops up at the last minute. You’ll be covered for things like:

    For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers reimbursement of up to $10,000 per person ($20,000 per trip) for prepaid expenses such as airfare and hotels. You and immediate family traveling with you are covered. Read my step-by-step post about how to file a Trip Delay insurance claim with Chase.

    However, there are plenty of instances that aren’t covered, such as injury due to negligence, preexisting conditions and war. As you may guess, fear of the coronavirus is not listed as a covered reason. Your credit card is not obligated for nonrefundable expenses, even if your reservations are canceled. However, a few banks (Chase included) have expressed that they understand the plight of their customers, and will work with them to remedy each situation on a case-by-case basis.

    (If you are sequestered for health reasons, you may be covered by your travel credit card — but you must in fact be infected with the virus.)

    Will independent travel insurance cover me?

    Many people may have purchased independent travel insurance for just such a disaster. However, be prepared for disappointment unless you’ve purchased an expensive plan such as one that allows you to cancel your tickets for any reason, or for work-related reasons. Often the insurance company requires you purchase this option a significant amount of time before your planned travel, or soon after your initial travel booking. These plans can easily cost more than 10% of the price of your covered travel.

    Should I still take my trip if I am traveling to a “safe” destination?

    Even if you have no intention of visiting a country with an issued coronavirus warning, you may wonder if you should postpone your travel or continue with business as usual. The answer is entirely up to your gut, though there are a few things to consider before changing your plans.

    First, consider your connections. Just because your destination city isn’t on high coronavirus alert doesn’t mean you won’t visit airports near infected areas. The more connections you have, the more likely you are to encounter other travelers who have crossed paths with the virus.

    Second, realize that travelers may find themselves under strict quarantine protocols when traveling to or from your destination. Newly-affected areas have been appearing suddenly and unexpectedly. The U.S. has implemented screening at 11 ports of entry, where arrivals are screened to ensure they show no indications of having the new coronavirus. While most passengers who test negative are given the responsibility to continue to self-monitor for two weeks, those coming from China’s Hubei province are being automatically quarantined for two weeks.

    As a preventative measure, consider bringing extra necessities during your trip, such as medication and work supplies, in case you’re segregated for an extended period of time.

    What to do to stay safe during your travels

    While most preventative measures are common sense, it’s worth reiterating that to minimize chances of contracting the coronavirus, you should be washing your hands often. Sanitize  your seats on the airplane, at the airport and on the train, along with frequently-used handles like those at your hotel room, in your cruise cabin and elsewhere. Alcohol-based sanitizer works like a charm.

    Not much else has proven effective against the illness. Surgical masks don’t do much against the disease, as they aren’t designed to filter germs as small as the coronavirus. (They may slow down the spread of the illness if those already infected are wearing them, but those not infected likely won’t benefit from wearing a mask themselves.)

    Take precautions around hyper-public areas like airport terminals, buses, taxis, trains and airplanes. Don’t touch your face until you’ve washed your hands after commuting on these forms of transportation.

    If you feel symptoms of the cold or flu, don’t panic. Travel is hard on the body, and sickness isn’t uncommon. If you begin aching or coughing, or if you experience fever, stay away from other travelers as best you can and pop a surgical mask on as courtesy to everyone else. You’ll do yourself a favor, and many countless other travelers, too.

    Bottom line

    There are ways to travel cautiously and minimize your chances of contracting COVID-19. Steer clear of countries like Italy and South Korea, which have been flagged as hotbeds for the virus. Minimize your connections to and from your destination to reduce your chance of rubbing shoulders with anyone who may have come into contact with the virus. And wash your hands and sanitize your surroundings often — never touch your face after handling a tray table, hand rail, etc.

    You can follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for daily updates about the coronavirus. This is the best way to stay up to date with current threat levels, and help you decide where and where not to globetrot.

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    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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