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Virus has left travel plans up in the air for many
By Elyse Carmosino | April 20, 2020
With nearly all travel interrupted for the foreseeable future, the COVID-19 pandemic has left many wondering what to do about their canceled travel plans.
Despite all the uncertainty, Marisa Cole, owner of Sensational Travel in Salem, says people who were forced to cancel trips may have some options.
“We find the majority of companies are either doing 100 percent refunds or they’re doing travel credit good for 2021,” she said. “We still have some clients trying to rebook into the fall, but agents are being cautious at this time because we just don’t know where this is going and when international borders will be open.”
Said Amy Grishman of Charm & Awe Travel:
“A lot of tour operators are offering future travel credit for people (who) had their plans affected. Whether you can move your vacation to a future date later this year or next year varies by supplier and tour operator.”
It’s common practice for travel agents to recommend insurance policies to clients. However, due to the unprecedented nature of the current global health crisis, Grishman said the majority of insurance plans purchased before March 2020 won’t cover pandemics.
“Plans that do cover (pandemics) are ‘cancel for any reason’ plans, and a lot of travelers didn’t opt for that because generally it’s much more expensive,” she said. “I know there are some travel insurance companies that are allowing clients to get a voucher. If they had an insurance plan for trips that got canceled, they can get a voucher and use that insurance for future travel.”
Cole said: “It really depends on who the insurance provider was, and how easy it is to file a claim and get a settlement. We do find that before all this happened in March, there were insurance policies you could cancel for any reason and get 100 percent of your cash back on the credit card that was used. (But) since March, the policies have all changed.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the insurance companies how they settle with the traveler.”
In a post COVID-19 world — whenever that may be — Cole predicts travelers will behave similarly to how Americans did after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and said she sees the demand for travel insurance skyrocketing.
“I saw this after 9/11,” she said. “I think this will make people take out insurance (policies) more than they ever have.”
There is one bright side for travelers: Cole suspects that even once the economy is back up and running, travel costs will remain as low as they currently are for a short period of time before increasing slowly.
“The airlines will have taken a huge beating, as have the hotels and cruise lines. We’ve suspected there will be some short term deals to get people back to travel, although it won’t be for the long run,” she said.
In the meantime, Grishman recommends waiting a bit longer before canceling upcoming late spring and summer travel plans.
“It’s better to have the airline cancel your plans than for you to cancel before that happens because if the airline cancels your flight, then you should be entitled to a refund,” she said. “If you cancel before that happens, then you’re going to be bound to the terms by which you initially bought the ticket.”