This Boston Globe Travel Survey found 60% of people intend to wait at least 6 months after travel restrictions are lifted before flying again. If this describes you, the good news is, that many people I know who book travel as far out as 12-18 months, tell me they get immense satisfaction from the buildup and anticipation leading up to their trip. 

Whether you are planning travel further out, postponing an already booked trip, or canceling a vacation, this comprehensive article outlines ways to adjust travel planning amid COVID-19.

I’m the #1 Best Selling author of ‘Stop Dreaming… Start Traveling: The Ultimate Guide to Traveling More & Spending Less’, and I use lean principles to travel at a fraction of the going rate. One reason I’m passionate about inexpensive travel, is that in normal times, cost is the biggest barrier to travel. But for now, COVID-19 is that barrier. And as a result, there are new things to consider, and different approaches to take:

• When planning and booking a trip.
• Prior to departure.
• To cancel or postpone travel due to COVID-19 concerns.

Watch my Travel & Adventure Show webinar ‘Travel Planning Amid COVID-19’, or continue reading the excerpt:

BYPASS CUSTOMER SERVICE WAIT TIMES

If you had to cancel a flight due to the pandemic, you already know the biggest frustration travelers have dealt with is trying to reach customer service agents. I’m a well-known ‘do-it-yourselfer’, but when I called Westjet, and was told my expected wait time to connect with an agent was 42 hours (that's 2 days!), I quickly realized I had to do things differently.

To bypass long wait times, I will be booking travel through a travel agent. This way, I can change my itinerary by simply sending an email to my travel agent with the change details, and the agent takes care of it from there! Any travel agent booking fees will pay themselves back in spades should you have to cancel a trip during another wave. Fees vary by travel agency, so make sure you know their fee structure up front.

*PRO TIP: If you fly with Southwest Airlines, you can administer your own itinerary changes at no cost by logging into your Southwest account. I expect most airlines to follow suit with self-serve online itinerary change features. But I anticipate other airlines will continue charging change fees, even though the labor burden is being transferred to you the passenger.

YOUR RIGHTS -

REFUNDS FOR CANCELED TRAVEL 

The second biggest frustration (albeit most infuriating), has been trying to get refunded for canceled travel. The Department of Transportation (DoT) Consumer Protection Policy states that you: 

• ARE entitled to a refund IF the airline initiates the cancelation (regardless of reason). 
• ARE NOT entitled to a refund IF you cancel on your own accord. 

If you cancel a flight on your own accord, the best you can expect when canceling a trip (regardless of reason), is a voucher for the value of your flight, redeemable toward a future fight. But you will be entitled to a one-time change fee waiver. 

CHANGE/CANCELATION POLICIES

FLIGHTS - Baring another pandemic, there may not be another time in your life where all airlines waive change and cancelation fees for all ticket classes (including non-refundable tickets). Airfares are cheaper across the board, and are likely to remain low until the pandemic subsides. You are also getting unprecedented flexibility without financial risk if you later decide to postpone your flight – as long as you’re OK with a voucher in lieu of a refund.

HOTELS – Although terms vary by chain, most hotels are issuing refunds for all booking categories during the lockdown as long as you booked direct with the hotel. 

*For rooms booked on 3rd-party websites (i.e.: Expedia, Priceline), you are less likely to get a refund as third-party websites tend to have stricter terms and conditions and no refund policies. Some of these websites are making exceptions for bookings made prior to March 15 and checking-in prior to specified dates which vary by website. This CNN article does a great job of depicting the complications related with requesting refunds from third party websites, and how policies vary by website.

AIRBNB is issuing refunds for bookings made on-or-before March 14, for stays checking-in as far out as July 15. Bookings made after March 14, and checking-in before July 16, are only eligible for refund if either the host or guest are infected with COVID-19. All bookings not falling in these parameters are subject to the terms outlined in your agreement with your host. Airbnb is ongoingly monitoring the pandemic, and may extend or amend their ‘Extenuating Circumstances Refund Policy’ as needed.

CRUISES – Most cruise lines are offering passengers the choice between receiving a refund, or a voucher valued in excess of what you paid for your cruise, redeemable toward a future cruise.  Many of these vouchers are valued at 25% in excess of the price paid. For a list of change & cancelation policies by cruise line (with voucher values) refer to the ‘Change & Cancelation’ section of this Travel Planning Checklist.

HOTEL DEALS

Cash starved hotels are selling deeply discounted gift cards redeemable anytime through end-2022. You can buy 00 hotel gift cards for just 00 for a number of hotels at HotelCredits.PorterAndSail.com.

CHEAP ROAD TRIPS

A confluence of factors could make summer 2020 the cheapest on record for road trips. They include the following Boston Globe Travel Survey results:

• 73% of people are likely to vacation locally this summer. 
• 49% do not feel safe staying in private accommodations (Airbnb, VRBO).

PRIVATE RENTALS

With dismal air travel and cruise volume forecasts this summer, gas will be unusually cheap this summer. Private rental hosts have been reeling for three months without income. Many are motivated to garner any revenue they can during this lost season of travel, and are likely to drop their prices. For best savings, contact hosts directly and pay them direct to avoid 3^rdparty booking fees and the ever-increasing plethora of surcharges.

OUTDOORS

Quickly find FREE nearby campsites using the app FreeCampsites.Net. You will be floored when you see how many free campsites you will find this way.

All 62 U.S. National Parks from will be FREE to visit on:

• August 25 (National Park Services birthday)
• September 26 (National Public Lands Day)
• November 11 (Veterans Day)

BOOKING TRAVEL ONLINE

FARE FORECASTING TOOLS like Kayak’s Fare Predictor and Hopper use historical prices to estimate future fares. They do not (and cannot) factor the impact of current events (i.e.: COVID-19) on future airfares, making these tools unreliable for the time being.

VENDOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION

The Hertz bankruptcy filing may just be the first of a string of travel operator bankruptcies. As long as you book your trip with a credit card, your credit card company will refund for any paid services paid that have not been rendered if your travel operator goes under from the time you pay to the time you take your trip. For this reason, book all travel using a credit card as a form of insurance should the travel operator go bankrupt.

INSURANCE

Now that insurance companies have categorized COVID-19 as a ‘known condition’, it is essential that before you book your trip, that you clearly understand whether, and to what extent, you are covered for:

• Unforeseen costs arising from cancelations and trip interruptions due to COVID-19 including mandatory quarantining abroad, government imposed lockdowns and cruise ship abandonment (hop offs).
• Medical care and healthcare costs resulting from COVID-19 infection while traveling.

This step-by-step Travel Planning Checklist encapsulates the key point in this article to do & consider: 

• When planning and booking travel.
• Prior to departure.
• To cancel or postpone travel due to COVID-19 concerns.

The checklist also has links to health & travel advisory websites provided by both the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and the Department of State for you to monitor advisories as your trip approaches.

Hear me discuss travel planning amid COVID-19 on 'The Informed Traveler'. Click the link, and scroll down to 'Informed Traveler SEG 1, May 10/20)'.

P.S.:  People you know are likely also pondering travel, and will thank you for this article.

Stay Safe & Healthy!