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Given the current situation re coronavirus, our travel plans for this year are on indefinite hold. We had intended to do several trips this year, some short and some longer and farther. But as we do not follow the trend to book far ahead, none are already booked and so we can easily adopt a 'wait and see' attitude.
But a recent news report got my attention when it talked about people who have bookings in the next few months to various places in the world and on cruises. Unless the government puts out a Travel Advisory saying, 'avoid non-essential travel to X', someone with a pre-existing booking cannot cancel and expect to get their money back. Even those who have purchased separate Trip Cancellation insurance cannot expect that insurance policy to get them their money back.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/can-you-cancel-a-flight-due-to-fear-of-coronavirus-1.4800922
In that link you will see the person saying, “If the Canadian government is allowing you to travel somewhere then believe me there is not going to be any issues,” he said. “If they have concerns they would create a travel warning which would trigger trip cancelation.” But that to me is a joke. The Canadian government or anyone else cannot guarantee you that you will be OK. Consider this example of a UK traveller and where and how he passed on the virus.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-coronavirus-French-health-minister-says.html
It could have as easily been some Canadian skiers in that situation. Is there a Travel Advisory against travel to France right now? Answer, no there is not. The fact is, there is no way to know where and how someone might contract the virus. The only way to avoid it is to never leave your home but while that is impractical, avoiding non-essential travel is not impractical.
So what does someone do who had booked travel and will lose money if they do not take the trip? Lose the money or take the risk? I'm just glad we never book more than a few weeks ahead of time and never book non-refundable air travel or hotels when we do travel.
But a recent news report got my attention when it talked about people who have bookings in the next few months to various places in the world and on cruises. Unless the government puts out a Travel Advisory saying, 'avoid non-essential travel to X', someone with a pre-existing booking cannot cancel and expect to get their money back. Even those who have purchased separate Trip Cancellation insurance cannot expect that insurance policy to get them their money back.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/can-you-cancel-a-flight-due-to-fear-of-coronavirus-1.4800922
In that link you will see the person saying, “If the Canadian government is allowing you to travel somewhere then believe me there is not going to be any issues,” he said. “If they have concerns they would create a travel warning which would trigger trip cancelation.” But that to me is a joke. The Canadian government or anyone else cannot guarantee you that you will be OK. Consider this example of a UK traveller and where and how he passed on the virus.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-coronavirus-French-health-minister-says.html
It could have as easily been some Canadian skiers in that situation. Is there a Travel Advisory against travel to France right now? Answer, no there is not. The fact is, there is no way to know where and how someone might contract the virus. The only way to avoid it is to never leave your home but while that is impractical, avoiding non-essential travel is not impractical.
So what does someone do who had booked travel and will lose money if they do not take the trip? Lose the money or take the risk? I'm just glad we never book more than a few weeks ahead of time and never book non-refundable air travel or hotels when we do travel.