Source: JJAD 800 AM
Featuring Tammy Levent of Elite Travel.
Travel expert Tammy Levent shares some tips and advice on travel during the coronavirus outbreak.
Source: Barron’s
The ever-expanding fallout surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has shocked the hotel industry, forcing dozens of the world’s most famous hotels to cease operations. While some closures are open-ended, others have been accompanied by a fixed reopening date, though uncertainty grows with each day as the outbreak spreads across the globe.
“For almost every organization, dealing with a pandemic such as coronavirus is uncharted territory,” says Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5W Public Relations, whose clients include high-end hotels. “A general principle when dealing with a matter of public health and safety is to be proactive. Fast-thinking hotel and hospitality brands will do everything they can to adapt to this terrible situation.”
The hotel industry is one of many that have approached the U.S. government asking for relief in light of the unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic. A cataclysmic decline in travel and mass cancellations of major events and conventions have threatened millions of hotel jobs across the U.S.
On March 17, executives from some of the country’s largest hotel companies, including Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott, MGM, Universal, and the Walt Disney Company, went to Washington, D.C., and joined the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) in requesting a $150 billion bailout package from the Trump administration. Various CEOs cited plans to lay off thousands of workers in order to cope with the devastating impact the coronavirus is having on their industry. The AHLA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Every business owner needs to protect their company so that when this storm passes, every employee has a ship to return home to, so we can set sail and return to where we started and go further than before,” says Torossian, who has lectured on crisis communications at Harvard Business School. “It’s vitally important to focus on protecting capital, assets, and resources of the business. Cash is important. And always remembering the human element of the great people who work for the company.”
Marriott—with 1.4 million rooms, the world’s largest hotel company—has put tens of thousands of employees on furlough while shutting down numerous properties. The affected employees will not receive payment, but will continue receiving healthcare benefits while furloughed. In a statement, Marriott announced how the company is “taking numerous proactive steps to mitigate the negative financial and operational impacts of COVID-19. Business contingency plans have been implemented and will continue to be adjusted in response to the global situation. At the property level, contingency plans include measures such as closing food and beverage outlets, reducing staff and closing floors or even entire hotels.”
And it’s not just the biggest brands and large chains that have been suffering. Many of New York City’s luxury boutique properties, including The Standard, High Line, and Ian Schrager’s PUBLIC Hotel (currently accepting reservations from May 1), have had to close down. “We have been through a lot together and it will pass, things will return to normal,” said the influential hotelier in a message posted on social media last week. “People are more important than businesses and we will get the business back and we will be going back and doing everything that we love to do—which is to create the best hotels in the world.”
The New York Hotel Trades Council has said that roughly half of its 40,000 members have been laid off; particularly damaging have been the temporary closures of well-trafficked larger properties such as the 1,878-room New York Hilton Midtown. (On Wednesday, the Four Seasons Hotel on 57th street announced that it will offer free lodging to doctors, nurses, and medical personnel working to respond to the pandemic.)
“The entire world, from corporate clients to leisure travelers, is affected by these closures, but we all feel industry-wide that these are temporary closures to make sure that they can bounce back in the next couple of months when this pandemic is over,” says Tammy Levent, CEO of travel management company Elite Travel. “If we don’t have these closures now and become proactive, they may be in a position to never open their doors again.”
What would normally be a fun recap of America’s most popular visitor destinations has turned into a grim exploration of how the pandemic has affected iconic cities, and the luxury hotels that call those places home, in different ways.
For an extreme example, look no further than Las Vegas, where an unprecedented 30-day shutdown, scheduled to be lifted on April 17, has left tens of thousands of beds empty and scores out of work. Locals have never seen the iconic Las Vegas Strip dark for such a prolonged period, with big names (Caesars Palace, Four Seasons, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan) counting down the days until they can turn their lights back on and welcome the public. Concerned officials have claimed the month-long closures will cripple the local economy, which welcomed 49.5 million visitors in 2019, according to the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority.
Officials in Hawaii have also gone to great lengths to discourage visitors, now having instituted mandatory 14-day quarantines for all incoming arrivals. The state’s vital tourism industry has been rocked, with huge Oahu properties such as Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, and the Kahala Hotel & Resort, all shuttered for the time being.
On the other side of the country, Boston has seen some of its best-known properties make global headlines in light of the pandemic. The Marriott Long Wharf, which majestically looks out on to Boston Harbor, closed its doors on March 12 after consulting with city health officials in the aftermath of 77 confirmed coronavirus cases having been linked to a Biogen meeting that was held at the hotel in late February. Across town, at not even a year old, Encore Boston Harbor’s 671 luxe guest rooms sit empty while the entire casino and resort has been temporarily shuttered.
On March 20, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber ordered all lodging establishments—including hotels, short-term rentals, and more—to shut down and vacate guests from their premises by March 24. (“Our hotels have always been the lifeblood of our economy, so shuttering them is not something to do impulsively. But right now, as painful as it may be, the reality is we just cannot be a tourist destination,” Gelber said in a news release.) Other notable area resorts, including Acqualina Resort in Sunny Isles Beach, the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, and the Biltmore in Coral Gables, all closed on a voluntary basis beginning this past weekend. One of South Florida’s most famous properties, The Breakers in Palm Beach, shut down for a three-week closure on March 18.
Across the country, iconic names ranging from The Hay-Adams (one of Washington, D.C.’s most historic hotels) to Sedona’s Enchantment Resort and Mii amo spa (two of the Southwest’s most in-demand luxury getaways) have all closed down temporarily. Three of Chicago’s most expensive places to stay, the Peninsula, Park Hyatt, and Four Seasons, have ceased operations for the time being as well. Even lively West Hollywood, which never faces a shortage of visitors, has seen big names like the Andaz and the Mondrian shut down.
“This is a historic time for the hotel industry for so many reasons,” Torossian says. “There are certain companies that will be changed forever, and others for whom things will recover quicker. Unfortunately, there are also some businesses which may never come back—who’s going to vacation in Italy this summer?—but other businesses will arrive.”
Across the Atlantic, the likes of Paris and London have not been spared. The former has seen some of its most famous addresses (the Ritz Paris, Four Seasons Hotel George V) shut down, while the latter has seen chic properties such as Dukes and the Rosewood cease operations for the time being.
Even the four highest-grossing Trump Hotels (Las Vegas, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Turnberry, Scotland) have been forced to close as well.
“We have nothing coming in,” Levent says. “No one is calling to inquire or plan any travel at this time. Every resort and hotel in the world is affected, and I believe the larger hoteliers and chains will be able to bounce back, but to say that the travel industry is going to bounce back in a matter of weeks after everything resumes, that will not likely happen.”
SOURCE: Two Girls One Suitcase
By: Tammy Levent, CEO of Elite Travel and founder of TASK™
Spring is the prime travel season for many Americans but this year the Coronavirus has replaced excitement with trepidation. The coronavirus causes respiratory disease in those who contract it. As of March 4th, there are over 93,000 cases found globally.
The big question now is “Should you cancel your upcoming trip?” Unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. The decision depends on when and where you are traveling and what your current health condition is. If the CDC or World Health Organization has put out a “do not travel” elevated warning, then do not travel there. If they say do not go to China, obviously you are not going to go to China even if it means having to miss your business trip. Your health is more important.
The best thing to do is to keep track of the virus through news updates and travel alerts. There are many ways to stay healthy and safe while traveling. No matter when or where you are traveling, basic hygiene is the best means of prevention. Wash your hands with soap and water several times a day, especially before eating. Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Avoid touching your face or putting your hands in your mouth. If flying, be smart, wear a face mask when in close quarters.
I always take sanitizing wipes with me on airplanes and the first thing I do is wipe down the seat in front of me, the tray table, the headrest, armrest and seat belt. Another major thing that can help prevent sickness when flying is shutting off your ventilation on your overhead. I have been doing this for years.
When it comes to your luggage and purse, never put them on your pillow. Think of all of the places your purse and luggage have been! They touch the bathroom floor, the airport floor, the street, and the pavement. It’s just not sanitary!
No matter when or where you are traveling, be cautious and smart when it comes to your health. Discuss health concerns with your doctor and use qualified resources for information like the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
ABOUT TAMMY LEVENT: National TV Travel correspondent, Tammy Levent is the CEO of Elite Travel, an award-winning national travel agency named the fastest-growing and most trusted in the nation and she is also the founder of TASK™ (The Travel Agent’s Success Kit) a business that helps struggling travel agencies successfully adapt to this new age of travel.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Travelers & Consumers Should Visit: https://elitetravelgroup.net ·
Travel Agents Should Visit: https://travelagentsuccesskit.com
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A World Travel Expert answers some pressing questions people have with traveling to places like Europe after the continued news of the Coronavirus outbreak.
While certain places like Italy, Iran, and China have been deemed unsafe to travel to for non-essential travelers, do you think that’s premature since specific regions seem to be affected and not the entire country?
Tammy Levent – Yes, I do think it is a bit premature. The Coronavirus outbreak in Italy is concentrated in the Lombardy and Veneto regions which contain the cities of Milan and Venice. Even though this is in the north, I have people wanting to cancel their trips to central and southern Italy. As an agent, traveler health and safety, is, of course, my number one concern….but that is like saying you want to cancel your trip to New York because there was an outbreak in Virginia. The biggest problem with premature canceling is that you are less likely to get a refund.
For those set to travel in March to Europe, namely areas close to Italy like (Geneva) Switzerland, (Paris) France, Brussels and The Netherlands (Amsterdam), should those trips be put on hold immediately or should people just be a little more careful and not jump the gun and cancel their trips?
Tammy Levent – In my opinion, they have to just be careful, Scrub your hands with soap and water, don’t touch your mouth, take sanitizing wipes and use them! Basic health precautions like this go a long way. In fact, handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs.
What should people do with trying to get their money fully refunded even if their lodging or transportation was deemed non-refundable?
Tammy Levent – I am actually in that situation right now. One of my clients has a non-refundable hotel room and they are supposed to be leaving in two weeks. It’s too close and the hotel doesn’t feel that it’s necessary to give a full refund. This is exactly why I recommend buying “cancel-for-any-reason” travel insurance along with medical travel insurance when booking the trip. If you haven’t purchased travel protection already, this won’t help you now. So if you are in this situation, I recommend postponing your trip to a later date, instead of canceling altogether. In most cases, it is much cheaper to reschedule than to cancel.
Does the threat of life give credence to making the necessary reimbursement happen?
Tammy Levent – Absolutely, but the CDC or WHO has to deem the area a no-travel zone. If it is an official no-travel zone, the airlines and hotels are forced to cancel and refund your trip.
Is there somewhere that people could visit online showing of closed attractions, places to visit, etc?
Tammy Levent – Sites like https://www.viator.com/ update regularly and may provide some insight.
Beyond what’s been asked, what do you believe is important for people to know upon planning their vacation?
Tammy Levent – Even in the DIY digital age of Airbnb and TripAdvisor, it’s best to consult with a travel professional. Most people wrongly assume it costs more to use an agent but to the contrary, agents receive their pay from airlines and hotels, not from the consumer. This way you have an advocate on your side that will fight for what you deserve (not to mention get you the cheapest deals.) However, if you do go it alone, always check cancellation policies before booking a trip and most importantly, get travel insurance! I know no one wants to spend money unnecessarily…but insurance truly does safeguard you. When you need it, you’ll be glad it’s there.
ABOUT TAMMY LEVENT
National TV Travel correspondent, Tammy Levent is the CEO of Elite Travel, an award-winning national travel agency named the fastest-growing and most trusted in the nation and she is also the founder of TASK™, a business that helps struggling travel agencies successfully adapt to this new age of travel.
For more information visit: https://elitetravelgroup.net
Upcoming trips ‑ or not …. Some important things to think about before you plan your next trip
(I have added pictures for your viewing enjoyment that have nothing to do with the below post)
There are many things to review before embarking on your next trip. Below I share a review of the most common considerations, including passports, duh, and an overview of visas, vaccinations, and current disease considerations.
While it can be said that excitement and extreme planning and all kinds of fun stuff go into planning a trip, at this time in history, that is taking on a new look. How fun is it when you pick a destination, buy a guidebook, bookmark all of those great internet sites, buy a planning notebook, and even a new pen for the occasion? And how fun is it to daydream as you go through your drudgery of a job and pretend you are floating on a beautiful, calm blue‑green ocean without a care in the world? Checking out maps and directions, routes to take and restaurants to visit.
Whoa, I am feeling the need to dig out all of my best planning and travel books!
But there are some less than pleasant considerations to take into account as you plan your trip, and sometimes those considerations come up after you have planned and paid for your trip.
Contents hide
Passport Background – Everybody knows this!
All folks today are very familiar with passports and their requirement to pass into new countries. In fact, it has only been since 1941 that passports were required in the U.S. Passports, however, have been around for much longer than that, and, in fact, they are mentioned in the Bible. In the book of Nehimiah, around 450 BC, there is a discussion about papers needed to grant safe passage. Passports are not a new thing and I can guarantee that passports are not novel to any folks reading this. I did think the Bible reference was interesting though.
VISAS
Visas are not a new thing either. They, unfortunately, are going to be getting a lot more common for everyday travelers to consider prior to their trips. At this point, for instance, Canadians can travel to most European countries without a visa for short stays, but by the end of 2021, that is probably going to change. Again, visas are not a new thing. Jump on the internet, type in the country you plan to travel to, and you will be told if you need a visa to enter. Online resources provide good advice as to where to get visas.
Before the internet, however, it was much harder to navigate these particularities as one needed to ask around, consult a professional, or go to our own government and ask questions. Maybe even we had to go to the consulate for the country we wished to visit. Oftentimes, it was very difficult to find the answers too. As is usual with some government departments, one individual doesn’t know what department to go to for certain answers, and so it was, to say the least, rather onerous.
A visa gives you permission to enter a foreign country. Canada’s visa and travel documents can be found here:
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/visas
Remember that you must have a passport prior to applying for a visa. In every case where I have needed a visa, my passport had to be sent to that country’s foreign representative, often by courier to another city, and a visa was placed into my passport, so it is important to find out visa information well in advance of your travel plans. In some instances, you must buy a visa when you arrive at the location you are going to.
In addition to visa information, the travel.gc.ca travel site listed above gives good information about a lot of travel related questions anyone might have. On the government of Canada’s website, it says: “The Travel Advice and Advisories are the Government of Canada’s official source of destination-specific travel information. They give you important advice to help you to make informed decisions and to travel safely while you are abroad.”
VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations are not a new thing either – controversial, yes, but not new. We all seem to know that vaccinations are required to travel to certain countries. Hepatitis A and B are givens, we now know that we can get vaccinations for traveller diarrhea, thanks to well‑known TV ads. Of course, in Canada we have vaccinations for the flu as well as shingles, and, now, pneumonia. At the time of writing this, March 2020, vaccinations for the flu, shingles and pneumonia are not travel vaccinations. Routinely I have the flu shot, I have had the shingles shot and I plan to start getting the pneumonia shot. I believe that this will help to prepare me for when I might come into contact with these illnesses.
When it comes to vaccinations, it is very wise and necessary to consult with a professional. (I will never give medical advice.) Before travelling, you may need to have a yellow fever card, for instance, to even leave the airport of your destination country. Of course, if you are travelling to environs where the altitude is severe, then altitude sickness is a very real possibility, and you may need something to aid with that transition. Again, it is wise and necessary to consult your doctor and a travel immunization specialist.
The Government of Canada again is an excellent resource: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/vaccines
You would then decide where to get the vaccinations, and in Alberta, that might try Atlas Immunization Services or Travel Health Services. The internet again is an excellent resource for that.
Travel Advisories
Now, we come to the travel advice or advisories that are newer and less known. Right now, with all of the COVID‑19 discussion, I am very sure that most people will be checking the internet to figure out if they should go on their already-paid-for trip. They will be deciding if they should, if possible, postpone that already-paid-for trip, or if they should just stay at home. While this is a personal choice, there are a number of things to take into consideration.
The internet is a great source of information for travel advisories. Again, the Government of Canada has an easy to navigate site for travel considerations. There are cautions ranging from normal to avoid all travel.
Wikipedia describes a travel warning as an official warning statement issued by government agencies. They will advise against travelling to certain locations, and certain governments will rank the country you are looking at in terms of its danger factor. It is wise to check out all of these advisories and heed their warning.
Planned trip advisories
But what if you have a trip planned already, and what if that trip brings you to a location that has had its advisory elevated or pushed up the rank so to speak, and now it is dangerous or not a recommended country to travel to? Again, this is a personal choice. I believe that the government warnings are the best advice out there. They are developed by people in the know, people who have its citizens’ best chances at a successful trip at heart. In fact, they probably have people in the area who are making the rankings and updating them on a regular basis based on the political situation, previous and ongoing problems with tourists in the area, etc.
You may have doubts about the Government’s advisories, but I do believe they provide the most update information. The advice is then something that a traveler can keep in mind.
Right now there are some very contagious diseases in the world that must be taken into consideration prior to travel, specifically COVID‑19. It is so scary. In fact, I have been keeping an eye on it as I have upcoming travel plans in two and a half months, and I am hoping that it dissipates by the time I travel. I am banking on it fizzling out, and become something similar to SARS, which was a very scary illness back in 2002 and it spread to 26 other countries, including Canada. But SARS petered out for a variety of reasons.
It is likely that the COVID‑19 virus will start decreasing as people develop immunity through either infection or vaccination. It is also likely that the virus will spread worldwide, as it already appears to have done. There seems to have been a worldwide effort to stop the spread of this new virus by either travel bans or quarantines.
Tips when traveling on planes
As a review of things to do on an airplane, below I share some tips authored by Dan Pegram, who is a retired Southwest Airlines Pilot and the author of The Adventures of Pop-Pop Airplane, a children’s book, found here: https://www.danpegram.com/
1. Start With a Good Defense – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the common cold, flu and coronavirus spread person-to-person and from contact with infected surfaces and objects. They recommend practicing everyday preventive actions like yearly vaccinations, covering coughs and sneezes and frequent hand washing – with soap and warm water (for at least 15 seconds).
2. Plan Ahead – Airplanes are occupied by thousands of people each week and perfect incubators for germs. Bring along some antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer. Wipe your seat (if leather), armrests, seatbelt buckles, tray table, headrest and around your seat back pocket. Those seat back pockets were only sanitary right after the seats were installed at the factory and are the ideal place for the previous passenger to put their dirty tissues and germy refuse. Use hand sanitizer after handling emergency information cards, magazines, inflight entertainment screens and overhead bins.
3. Practice Good Hygiene – Although comfortable, refrain from removing shoes and socks to avoid coming in contact with germ laden airplane carpeting and plastic flooring. These surfaces, again, were only sanitary when installed at the factory. The airlines do an admirable job of cleaning aircraft during turns and overnights but only really scratch the surface. Never go into an aircraft bathroom without your shoes on. Be a courteous traveler and aware of any germs you may spread to others when blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. Properly dispose of any tissues, napkins and food service items. Refrain from putting personal items or refuse in those seat back pockets.
4. Do Not Travel While Sick – If you are running a fever and know you are sick, please stay at home. In addition to spreading your illness, you run the risk of potentially being hospitalized far away from home. This could prove costly. Clogged ears, for example, from a cold or sinus infection could result in a ruptured eardrum, which is incredibly painful and could take up to six months to heal. Children are especially susceptible to this type of scenario as their eustachian tubes are more difficult to clear on descent.
5. Traveling With Children – Children are naturally curious and learn by touching – seemingly everything. Allowing your children to run around the airport waiting area in bare feet or crawling around on the carpet expose children to millions of very harmful germs. Even though it seems convenient, you’re exposing them unnecessarily. This applies as well after boarding the aircraft. The sanitizing procedures, as described above, create a reasonably clean seating environment for you and your children. Be sure to periodically sanitize their hands especially after a trip to the lavatory. Also, be sure to properly dispose of soiled diapers and wipes.
6. Food Spoilage – The airports have numerous food vendors offering reasonable variety for your enjoyment. A good rule of thumb is to consume any food items you bring onboard within four hours of purchase. Food stored at room temperature will spoil at a much faster rate. Items such as dairy products, deli meat, raw fruits and vegetables, cooked rice and seafood are most susceptible to bacterial growth and spoilage.
7. Stay Hydrated – Inflight aircraft cabin altitudes are generally above 8,000 feet where the humidity is below 20%. This is why dehydration is a common problem with passengers. Purchase an appropriate sized bottle of water at a concession to drink while flying to help maintain proper hydration. Low humidity levels promote nose, eye and skin dryness which welcomes in cold germs as well as promotes fatigue.
8. Use the Overhead Air Conditioner Vent – Using this vent will create a nice flow of cool air and will blow away airborne germs. Be sure to wipe down the nozzle before you adjust it.
9. Be Germ Conscientious – While traveling avoid touching your mouth, eyes and face. Coming in contact with germs on common surfaces is inevitable. However, transferring these germs is preventable with proper awareness.
Adding one or two of the above tips to what you already do will be helpful.
Also, this is something that I recently read and I found that it was very true in my case. Try not to get obsessed with this new virus on social media. Because I have a trip coming up in May out of country, or two and a half months away, I find that I am following every little tidbit on social media, and trying to find out as much as I can about this virus. The article I read was advising, and I thought it was excellent advice, that checking on social media hourly will only cause increased anxiety. I can’t change what is happening worldwide, and the progression of the illness is not going to change that much in 24 hours. The article wisely advised to pick one time a day to check on favourite sites to see what has happened, and not obsessively checking every hour, as I was doing. It’s just not helpful.
Talking about refunds
Tammy Levent, CEO of Elite Travel https://tammylevent.com/elite-travel-wins-2-travvy-awards/ says this:
“First before you even book a trip either online or with a travel professional make sure to ask about cancellation policies. ‘We never book clients in non-refundable hotels.’ Most online bookings are non-refundable. Next get Cancel For Any Reason insurance, this will not cover you medically if you cancel your trip 100 percent. But you can cancel your trip for any reason and get a full refund. If you do add the medical coverage, you will be covered medically at 100 percent and Cancel For Any Reason added, you will get 75 percent back of your money if you cancel for any reason and not a medical reason. When I travel, I get Cancel For Any Reason and medical insurance to cover me if something happens overseas. On average Cancel For Any Reason costs about 130 to 150 per person. [This will be US dollars]
Next, you cannot get any fees waived or cancel fees unless the CDC or World Health says no travel there, then the airlines, hotels etc. are forced to cancel and refund your trip.
You have planned this trip because you want to go, so go. Maybe you will have to change your travel plans and go a little later, I am sure that it will be a lot easier to move your trip plans and get waivers for moving the date over than waivers for a complete cancellation.“
So if you are worried at all, then get Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance. In Canada it must be purchased within 15 to 21 days of your initial trip, and each company that offers it may have a different policy. Good to check out when you are purchasing your travel medical insurance (this insurance is non-negotiable in my opinion).
MasterCard with built in insurance
Use your Mastercard for travel purchases if it has a built in refund policy. Check your credit card for any return features related to travel. A young friend who is presently in Dubai reminded me of this tip. Thank you, beautiful!
Racism cautionary tale
Further to the COVID-19 discussion and travel, sometimes people get odd ideas, and I just want to highlight what Bailey wrote and shared with me after she traveled within Canada from the East Coast to Winnipeg.
“I recently flew home from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and I clearly had a cold. I was that person on the plane – using Kleenex after Kleenex, sneezing into my elbow, red nosed and looking worse for wear. No one stopped to ask me when I got sick or screened me or checked me in any way. I may even have a strain of the coronavirus, since it is one of the viruses that cause the common cold. Yes, 2019-nCoV is a new strain, but it is part of a larger family of viruses that already circulate. Why wasn’t I checked and why are people not freaking out that I might have the coronavirus? Well, part of the reason is that I’m not Asian, but white. A lot of the panic and media buzz around 2019-nCoV are rooted in racism and stereotyping of the Chinese community. To be clear, a potential global pandemic is something that is very valid to worry about and it may be a very good reason to cancel travel. But it is important to think about what shapes our fears?”
Further reading – racism
If you are interested in delving further into this subject of racism and the current world fears surrounding both people and the disease, PhD Candidate in Political Science and International Relations Korey Pasch from Queen’s University writes a timely and compelling article: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-the-latest-disease-to-fuel-mistrust-fear-and-racism-130853
Finally on a personal note
On a final personal note, do I cancel my trip or not? Further consideration is that the trip brings me to a gathering of bloggers which means I will be in close quarters with many people where the transmission of any disease is much easier. Yes, I will continue to keep my plans intact, and I will watch the progression of the disease as it goes along.
I have decided that I will try not to worry about it. If I end up cancelling, I will lose some money, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. This is a piecemeal trip, and one which I did not purchase cancellation insurance. Maybe I will start to look into that in the future, and make that determination that it is necessary given the new state of the world and how things move so quickly from one country to the next, and also the volatility of so many countries at this time in history. I am trying not to be a naysayer, but sometimes the news and internet bring everything so close and hard to avoid.
Yes, I will be continuing to choose to travel. I will be making plans. I will be cautious. I will continue to read and institute best practices. But I will also be wise and plan accordingly.
Safe travels.
I invite any comments, questions, personal experiences …
SOURCE: THE GREYLOCK GLASS featuring Tammy Levent
Is Responsible Travel Even Remotely Possible during the Coronavirus Emergency?
Lori Levinson was just a few weeks away from a trip to Vietnam and Japan, a vacation that had been months in the planning, when COVID-19, an illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus, went from a remote scare halfway across the world to a global public health emergency. Levinson, an attorney based in Housatonic, was scheduled to travel to southern Vietnam to see her son and continue on for a family trip to Japan. But with infection rates rising by the day, she made the call to cancel.
It’s a difficult decision, and one more people are weighing as the coronavirus has caused illness in nearly 92,000 people and claimed the lives of about 3,000, most in mainland China. The United States is still at low risk, with just over 100 confirmed cases, most of those in travelers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was detained in Yokohama, Japan (many are still in hospital or military-base quarantine). There have also been six deaths, all in Washington State. In our region, four cases have been reported: one each in New York and New Hampshire, and two apiece in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Globally, however, COVID-19 is approaching pandemic levels, according to Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. That doesn’t mean we should rush to the phones to cancel vacations planned for the summer, or trips to low-risk areas. But, says Dr. Everett Lamm, Chief Medical Officer of Community Health Programs in Great Barrington, travel restrictions—whether self- or government-imposed—do help contain the spread. “It’s an ounce of prevention in terms of people’s travel being restricted, because we’re not quite sure how many people are afflicted right now.”
Although there’s been an onslaught of media attention on coronavirus over the past couple of weeks, the seasonal flu, as Lamm points out, has actually been more deadly than this coronavirus. Between October 2019 and now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report 310,000–560,000 hospitalizations for the flu, and 18,000–46,000 flu deaths—rates much higher than those logged over most of the past decade. But because SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, seems to spread more easily than the seasonal flu, there’s cause for caution.
By now, most of us know that SARS-CoV-2 spreads via droplets, such as from coughing and sneezing, making travel in confined spaces for prolonged periods—as on that Diamond Princess cruise ship—among the least desirable situations. (Lots of medical professionals have already said it, but we’ll repeat it here: surgical masks won’t prevent you from catching the virus. The cheap, disposable paper kind are generally not made to filter pathogens, and stockpiling them creates a supply issue for medical facilities that actually need them.)
While a person who isn’t symptomatic can hardly be faulted for traveling while infected, there are increasing numbers of people who choose to travel while symptomatic, especially on planes — potentially mistaking illnesses such as COVID-19 for the common cold. (Raise your hand if you’ve been the lucky middle-seater on a plane with a pair of hacking, sniffling neighbors.) Why the increase?
It’s primarily thanks to airline change fees, which can be upwards of $200 for a single reservation. Couple that with travelers who fear not being compensated for sick time by their employers, or those who just want to get home to relieve the baby- or pet-sitter, and the financial burden multiplies.
If sustainable travel is an oxymoron, is “healthy travel” impossible during a global health emergency? And who, ultimately, is responsible: the traveler or the airline, hotel, or tourism company?
The answer is complicated, and it’s inextricably tied to our increasingly global economy. Fiona Lally, President of Rasenna Consulting Inc. in New Lebanon, is a specialist in travel risk management. She explains, “We’re looking at massive losses around the world right now for the travel industry. About one in eight Americans have stopped long-distance travel because they don’t know what will happen in spring and summer.”
Many of those destinations, especially those that are dependent on tourism, are feeling the pinch. The answer, says Lally, isn’t simply staying home. “One of the best things we can do for the global economy is to keep going, to whatever extent we feel is safe,” she says. “Then take those commonsense approaches—handwashing, avoiding contact with those who are ill, not borrowing someone else’s cell phone, taking care to open doorknobs with a paper towel.”
For Levinson, the decision to cancel her travel plans was based not on catching COVID-19. “The primary motivating factor was my fear that while I’m away, there may be some sort of border shut-down, and I might be detained there or even when I come back to the U.S.,” she says.
She has since tried to make contact with Japan Airlines and Delta Airlines, the two carriers of her flights. “With Japan Airlines, you can’t get through to them because everyone is calling. I got Delta’s recorded line and left a message. They said they’d call back this morning,” she says.
Levinson believes airlines should allow for penalty-free changes or cancellations for such events—and some, like American, Jetblue, and Alaska, as well as train operator Amtrak—are beginning to offer change waivers. But when asked about her chances of reimbursement or a change waiver, Levinson says, “I’m not overly optimistic.”
Tammy Levent, president and CEO of Elite Travel in Palm Harbor, Florida, has a different perspective. She says, “Your responsibility as a traveler is to know who you’re booking with. Know what they cover and what they don’t, and never book nonrefundable trips. If you book online, you’ll have no one to fall back on to ask questions.”
She recommends using a travel agent, who can help you not only create your itinerary, but also purchase travel insurance. There are several levels of coverage, but Levent’s top choice is “cancel for any reason” insurance, which, as the name implies, allows you to nix your trip for anything from a hangnail to a flat tire and recoup up to 100 percent of the cost.
The sticky part: it can cost as much as $120 per person. Many travelers just don’t have the extra cash.
The next-best option, Levent says, is to wait. “Watch what the CDC is saying,” she says. “If they say they’re going to shut down the border of a country, then the airlines and hoteliers have to comply with what’s dictated to them. Right now, the CDC has an alert out until March 15. So if you’re scheduled to travel on March 16, you can’t just cancel without penalty. But we’re seeing, for example, Delta give certain waivers for changes that fall within the advisory period. Wait until those alerts have been issued, and if your trip falls within them, you’re more likely to be able to move your trip date without having to pay extra.”