Is Coronavirus affecting your travel plans?
Jan 29th, 2020, 02:53 PM
#2
May or might not. I have a few long haul trips planned or on the drawing board this year - none specifically to Asia / china but as part of a RTW booking so I'm going to wait a couple of months to book the RTW til I see how things develop
Jan 29th, 2020, 05:27 PM
#3
No. I am still not interested in going to China. I don't use Chinese air carriers, so I won't even be making a connection in China.
If the CV causes a large-enough drop in premium cabin airfares to Japan, Korea, or SEA then I might plan a trip.
If the CV causes a large-enough drop in premium cabin airfares to Japan, Korea, or SEA then I might plan a trip.
Jan 30th, 2020, 03:34 AM
#6
Thank you, kja! After all the planning, after all the mixed feelings, I had really started to get excited, as did my husband. It was a no-brainer to cancel, given the nature of the epidemic, but it was still difficult to make the decision.
Of course, it’s tragic for the people affected, and hope that this will see a resolution sooner than later.
Of course, it’s tragic for the people affected, and hope that this will see a resolution sooner than later.
Jan 30th, 2020, 04:35 AM
#7
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My thoughts are virtually identical to those expressed by mrwunfl in #3 above. Absolutely no interest in visiting China anyway but will be keeping an eye open for any premium cabin bargains that may arise to other destinations in Asia. Recent events do however highlight the need for decent comprehensive travel insurance.
Jan 30th, 2020, 05:00 AM
#8
<<Recent events do however highlight the need for decent comprehensive travel insurance.>>
FYI - a lot of travel insurance policies have exclusions that are far greater than one might expect. As it turned out, I didn't purchase travel insurance (only medical emergency insurance) and my CC has travel cancellation/interruption. HOWEVER, neither the purchased insurance I would've gotten nor the credit card insurance covers "EPIDEMICS", and a whole host of other issues. I certainly didn't do a thorough search on all travel insurance, but looked at the company I've used in the past (Allianz) and the general policy I would've gotten wouldn't have covered this.
"Cancel for no reason" insurance would cover losses such as these, but they tend to be more expensive and reimbursement, on average, is around 75% of expenses paid out.
Fortunately for me, Cathay Pacific refunded me most of the cost of the ticket; the modest cancellation fee was less than I would've spent on insurance. And all my hotels are cancellable. So the costs lost are minimal overall. My lesson is to make reservations that are cancellable as close to the time I'd be there as possible. In fact, many of the reservations were made on booking.com which made my cancellation process easy.
I will admit that I was ambivalent about China at first, but my husband was eager to go. Over time, I was able to make a trip that satisfied both our interests - we were going to spend a fair amount of time in Yunnan, which looks beautiful and fascinating, as it is the home of the largest number of ethnic minorities, as well as the usual suspects of Guilin/Yangshuo, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
I do understand people's lack of desire to go to China, and I felt very mixed when I started. That's why this is so hard, as I started to feel more and more interested as the trip felt more real. It was tough to plan, but I had a good itinerary. And I really am disappointed that we're not going now.
FYI - a lot of travel insurance policies have exclusions that are far greater than one might expect. As it turned out, I didn't purchase travel insurance (only medical emergency insurance) and my CC has travel cancellation/interruption. HOWEVER, neither the purchased insurance I would've gotten nor the credit card insurance covers "EPIDEMICS", and a whole host of other issues. I certainly didn't do a thorough search on all travel insurance, but looked at the company I've used in the past (Allianz) and the general policy I would've gotten wouldn't have covered this.
"Cancel for no reason" insurance would cover losses such as these, but they tend to be more expensive and reimbursement, on average, is around 75% of expenses paid out.
Fortunately for me, Cathay Pacific refunded me most of the cost of the ticket; the modest cancellation fee was less than I would've spent on insurance. And all my hotels are cancellable. So the costs lost are minimal overall. My lesson is to make reservations that are cancellable as close to the time I'd be there as possible. In fact, many of the reservations were made on booking.com which made my cancellation process easy.
I will admit that I was ambivalent about China at first, but my husband was eager to go. Over time, I was able to make a trip that satisfied both our interests - we were going to spend a fair amount of time in Yunnan, which looks beautiful and fascinating, as it is the home of the largest number of ethnic minorities, as well as the usual suspects of Guilin/Yangshuo, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
I do understand people's lack of desire to go to China, and I felt very mixed when I started. That's why this is so hard, as I started to feel more and more interested as the trip felt more real. It was tough to plan, but I had a good itinerary. And I really am disappointed that we're not going now.
Last edited by progol; Jan 30th, 2020 at 05:02 AM.
Jan 30th, 2020, 06:39 AM
#9
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Progol - I used the words "decent and comprehensive" advisedly. I appreciate that insurance coverage varies tremendously from country to country and that in the US it is the exception rather that the norm that it is here in the UK or EU to take out travel insurance. Clearly anyone would need to check the wording of their actual policy but, in most UK/EU policies, one would be covered for loss as long as the policy was taken out before an outbreak was declared or a government warning against travel was put in place. In the case of my own policy I would be covered against any losses incurred if I had to cancel in the next few weeks as a FCO warning is in place (it is an annual policy anyway). I would NOT be covered if I were booked to travel in say a few months and simply decided that I didn’t want to go. The insurers would simply tell me to wait and see what te situation was just before I was due to depart. Nor would I be covered if anything happened overseas if I had decided to travel against FCO advice.
What is happening in the UK seems very similar to your own experience in that airlines and tour operators are refunding travellers either voluntarily or under various compensations schemes, but that is not always the case. It does highlight the benefits of booking Accomodation, as your did, on a fully refundable basis with booking.com similar.
Sorry to hear you have had to cancel. Any plans for another destination?
What is happening in the UK seems very similar to your own experience in that airlines and tour operators are refunding travellers either voluntarily or under various compensations schemes, but that is not always the case. It does highlight the benefits of booking Accomodation, as your did, on a fully refundable basis with booking.com similar.
Sorry to hear you have had to cancel. Any plans for another destination?
Jan 30th, 2020, 06:51 AM
#10
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We are headed to Japan on Feb 2 for a week to attend snow and ice festivals, see cranes, etc. in Hokkaido. Only effects so far is monitoring the situation and packing the hand cleaner, wipes, and face masks.If it doesn't worsen, we will travel as planned and use heightened awareness to clean our hands, not touch face, etc. We can't avoid crowds, so we will keep mask on hand as additional barrier if we think it will help at the margin.
With Chinese tour group trips canceled, we might benefit from reduced crowds at our destinations, though the merchants will suffer.
I did purchase travel insurance on this trip, which is unusual for me. I usually book cheap if nonrefundable so if cancel, not much lost. But this time traveling to an area where snowstorms sometimes shut down all public transport and walking can be on ice, I did purchase a policy for trip interruption and medical evacuation. It would only apply to the coronavirus if one of us were ill or quarantined and couldn't travel or if we needed medical assistance there or evacuation. Hopefully that won't happen.
With Chinese tour group trips canceled, we might benefit from reduced crowds at our destinations, though the merchants will suffer.
I did purchase travel insurance on this trip, which is unusual for me. I usually book cheap if nonrefundable so if cancel, not much lost. But this time traveling to an area where snowstorms sometimes shut down all public transport and walking can be on ice, I did purchase a policy for trip interruption and medical evacuation. It would only apply to the coronavirus if one of us were ill or quarantined and couldn't travel or if we needed medical assistance there or evacuation. Hopefully that won't happen.
Last edited by Kay2; Jan 30th, 2020 at 07:27 AM. Reason: left out word that changed meaning
Jan 30th, 2020, 07:55 AM
#11
No. That would be ridiculous. The New York Times just ran a story on how "regular" flu kills far more people than this corona virus, yet people are going batshit crazy over it (corona virus).
Thin,aristocrat ⭐
Thin,aristocrat ⭐
Jan 30th, 2020, 08:50 AM
#12
Originally Posted by progol
<<Recent events do however highlight the need for decent comprehensive travel insurance.>>
FYI - a lot of travel insurance policies have exclusions that are far greater than one might expect. As it turned out, I didn't purchase travel insurance (only medical emergency insurance) and my CC has travel cancellation/interruption. HOWEVER, neither the purchased insurance I would've gotten nor the credit card insurance covers "EPIDEMICS", and a whole host of other issues. I certainly didn't do a thorough search on all travel insurance, but looked at the company I've used in the past (Allianz) and the general policy I would've gotten wouldn't have covered this.
"Cancel for no reason" insurance would cover losses such as these, but they tend to be more expensive and reimbursement, on average, is around 75% of expenses paid out.
Fortunately for me, Cathay Pacific refunded me most of the cost of the ticket; the modest cancellation fee was less than I would've spent on insurance. And all my hotels are cancellable. So the costs lost are minimal overall. My lesson is to make reservations that are cancellable as close to the time I'd be there as possible. In fact, many of the reservations were made on booking.com which made my cancellation process easy.
I will admit that I was ambivalent about China at first, but my husband was eager to go. Over time, I was able to make a trip that satisfied both our interests - we were going to spend a fair amount of time in Yunnan, which looks beautiful and fascinating, as it is the home of the largest number of ethnic minorities, as well as the usual suspects of Guilin/Yangshuo, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
I do understand people's lack of desire to go to China, and I felt very mixed when I started. That's why this is so hard, as I started to feel more and more interested as the trip felt more real. It was tough to plan, but I had a good itinerary. And I really am disappointed that we're not going now.
FYI - a lot of travel insurance policies have exclusions that are far greater than one might expect. As it turned out, I didn't purchase travel insurance (only medical emergency insurance) and my CC has travel cancellation/interruption. HOWEVER, neither the purchased insurance I would've gotten nor the credit card insurance covers "EPIDEMICS", and a whole host of other issues. I certainly didn't do a thorough search on all travel insurance, but looked at the company I've used in the past (Allianz) and the general policy I would've gotten wouldn't have covered this.
"Cancel for no reason" insurance would cover losses such as these, but they tend to be more expensive and reimbursement, on average, is around 75% of expenses paid out.
Fortunately for me, Cathay Pacific refunded me most of the cost of the ticket; the modest cancellation fee was less than I would've spent on insurance. And all my hotels are cancellable. So the costs lost are minimal overall. My lesson is to make reservations that are cancellable as close to the time I'd be there as possible. In fact, many of the reservations were made on booking.com which made my cancellation process easy.
I will admit that I was ambivalent about China at first, but my husband was eager to go. Over time, I was able to make a trip that satisfied both our interests - we were going to spend a fair amount of time in Yunnan, which looks beautiful and fascinating, as it is the home of the largest number of ethnic minorities, as well as the usual suspects of Guilin/Yangshuo, Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
I do understand people's lack of desire to go to China, and I felt very mixed when I started. That's why this is so hard, as I started to feel more and more interested as the trip felt more real. It was tough to plan, but I had a good itinerary. And I really am disappointed that we're not going now.
We have been to China three times, all different regions of this large country. I wanted to visit since I was a child. Now I have no interest in fourth trip. Sadly, our interesting trip to the Uighur region in the far west wouldn’t be possible now.
We have fallen in love with Japan, much easier place to visit.
Jan 30th, 2020, 12:17 PM
#13
My fear is not so much the virus as that there may be unforeseen closures, quarantined areas, and travel restrictions affecting a region we would want to visit. So I'm not planning until things become more predictable. FUD, more or less.
Jan 30th, 2020, 05:54 PM
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Almost. We flew ORD -DEL via PEK, 3.5
hr layover. Upon arrival in DEL we had different immigration agents. One let my wife thru but mine wanted me to go thru a health screening. He finally relented after asking me how long I was in their airport. He conversed with the agent who let Sue thru in Hindi so I don’t know what was said or if it had any bearing on the decision.
hr layover. Upon arrival in DEL we had different immigration agents. One let my wife thru but mine wanted me to go thru a health screening. He finally relented after asking me how long I was in their airport. He conversed with the agent who let Sue thru in Hindi so I don’t know what was said or if it had any bearing on the decision.
Jan 30th, 2020, 08:10 PM
#15
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Originally Posted by progol
Thank you, kja! After all the planning, after all the mixed feelings, I had really started to get excited, as did my husband. It was a no-brainer to cancel, given the nature of the epidemic, but it was still difficult to make the decision.
Of course, it’s tragic for the people affected, and hope that this will see a resolution sooner than later.
Of course, it’s tragic for the people affected, and hope that this will see a resolution sooner than later.
I have read on the Europe forum that you are now planning a trip to Portugal. If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report for Lisbon and Sintra in April 2018.
Jan 31st, 2020, 04:28 AM
#16
New alert level from WHO - Public Health Emergency of International Concern - and the US government - "Do not travel". Airlines are starting to react. Neighboring countries are closing their borders.
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...-advisory.html
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...-advisory.html
Jan 31st, 2020, 04:36 AM
#17
crellston, the travel insurance policies are so complicated! They really are very specific as to what they will and won't cover. Again, I didn't review a lot, just my CC card insurance (which is good) and a couple of policies from companies which I've used, and the coverage is pretty consistent. It seems geared toward people who become ill or injured, or a "natural disaster" that interrupts travel. I think the Coronavirus IS a natural disaster, but that's not quite what they mean! And see below for the Plan B trip!
pepper, there is yet another article about the Coronavirus and its transmission, and while I don't pretend to minimize the impact of "regular" flu, it does suggest that transmission of the CV is much more contagious. And it's increasing at a fast rate. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...gtype=Homepage
Karenwoo, tickets purchased today into Barcelona and out of Porto! So a touch of northern Spain and travels through Portugal!
pepper, there is yet another article about the Coronavirus and its transmission, and while I don't pretend to minimize the impact of "regular" flu, it does suggest that transmission of the CV is much more contagious. And it's increasing at a fast rate. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...gtype=Homepage
Karenwoo, tickets purchased today into Barcelona and out of Porto! So a touch of northern Spain and travels through Portugal!
Jan 31st, 2020, 09:06 AM
#19
The airlines are now stopping flights altogether: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/t...gtype=Homepage
@jacketwatch - what routing were you intending to use to get home from India?
@jacketwatch - what routing were you intending to use to get home from India?
Jan 31st, 2020, 10:17 AM
#20
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Progol - you are right, it 8s complicated but less so on this side of te pond where the travel insurance industry is much more developed than in the US, probably because you guys don’t have public health systems like the NHS and rely instead on Medical insurance , which, I believe many rely on for cover overseas. Travel insurance here tends to be pretty uniform, although there are a myriad of exclusions, terms and conditions which affect cover. The main ones being pre existing medical conditions and pre existing events such as Coronavirus. i.e. you can’t take out a policy knowing you have a heart condition or knowing that there is an outbreak of some horrible disease and expect to be covered.
Thursdaysd - I am surprised it has taken the US airlines so long. BA and Virgin stopped flights form the U.K. to China on Monday.
Jacketwatch - hope all is ok with your transport routings. If you need a place to stay in the UK in transit, we are close to LHR at least for the next few weeks.
Thursdaysd - I am surprised it has taken the US airlines so long. BA and Virgin stopped flights form the U.K. to China on Monday.
Jacketwatch - hope all is ok with your transport routings. If you need a place to stay in the UK in transit, we are close to LHR at least for the next few weeks.
