Just last month, I traveled to Guatemala and did not feel threatened by the Coronavirus at all. I can tell that other travelers did not feel the threat either as the guy next to me on the plane would cough without covering his mouth. By the way, you should ALWAYS cover your mouth when you’re coughing or sneezing!

Fast forward three weeks later and the Coronavirus is now a global crisis and the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. As soon as the WHO declared this, President Trump ordered a travel ban on Europe for 30 days. From there, things escalated quickly and now many countries are on lockdown, events are canceled, companies are urging employees to work from home and people are going nuts at supermarkets. 

I admit, I wasn’t taking this seriously until the Coronavirus was declared a pandemic. Just last week, Candy and I were still planning on traveling to Grand Cayman in early April. We had the same thoughts as some others thinking that this only affected the elderly. Well, we were wrong. 

We quickly realized that this was very serious. Even though we are not in the age group at high risk for the Coronavirus, we can still be at risk for carrying the virus and affecting others. Another big concern is being quarantined in a foreign country for at least 14 days.

Needless to say, we have put all of our travel plans on hold. Many airlines and hotels are waiving fees to change your dates. If you need to cancel or change plans, make sure to reach out to the airlines and hotels to see how they can help you. Be warned that there will be a delay in reaching out to the airlines as everyone is in panic mode right now trying to cancel or change flights.

Also remember to be patient and kind to the customer service representatives. I’m sure they’re taking hundreds of phone calls everyday and worried about their own safety along with their families. Everyone is going through the same thing.

In our situation, we had a trip planned to Grand Cayman on April 9th, but decided to postpone it until April 30th. Honestly, I think April 30th is still too early to travel, but since we are flying with Southwest Airlines, changing the dates will be very easy. They are the only airline, that we know of, that makes changing and canceling your flight extremely easy without any fees. 

It was also easy to change our hotel dates. We booked a room at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, which is an IHG hotel, and IHG is waiving cancellation fees for existing and new bookings at all IHG hotels globally for stays between March 9, 2020 and April 30, 2020.

I also have a trip booked to Turkey at the end of May with Turkish Airlines. I have tried calling them to cancel or change my flight, but cannot get through to an agent. The line doesn’t even ring - it just beeps three times and then there’s silence. I’m assuming it’s because they have an overwhelming number of people calling trying to change their travel plans.

Since I couldn’t get a hold of anyone at Turkish Airlines, I called my credit card company and tried to dispute it. I explained my situation and they were very understanding and helpful. They put in a dispute claim, but I won’t know the outcome for another 6-8 weeks, so we’ll see what happens. 

Everyone’s travel situation will be different, but one thing is for sure: Right now is not the time to travel. Stay at home as much as you can, avoid crowds and be patient.

Even though we are putting a hold on all of our travels right now, we will continue to post our normal travel articles. We still have so much to share and I know one day we will be able to travel again to all the beautiful places in the world.

In the meantime, stay safe and follow these CDC guidelines:

• Know how it spreads. The virus is spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another.

• Take steps to protect yourself. Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer and avoid touching your face. 

• Take steps to protect others. Stay home if you’re sick, cover coughs and sneezes, wear a face mask if you’re sick, and clean and disinfect daily.
  
  

Have you had to change your travel plans? Did you have success and are you satisfied with the outcome? Let us know in the comments below.