Editor’s Note (March 20, 2020): All of Sandy’s trips to Europe have been cancelled for 2020, however, we are leaving her February 2020 article below intact because it still offers good advice in an age of uncertainty. Stay healthy everyone!
As travel season begins, many of my guests are wondering if they should cancel their trip because of the novel coronavirus now known as COVID-19. My short answer is the question of whether it’s appropriate to cancel or change travel plans is a personal decision that travelers must make after weighing all the facts at hand.
Knowledge is the best antidote to fear and here is what we do know today. As of February 2020, the CDC issued a level four travel advisory recommending to avoid travel to Italy. The virus has hit only a small area between Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Veneto; the area has been limited and there are ongoing checks on more than 100,000 people. It is also present in other European countries, but each government and press is presenting it differently. It is a novel virus meaning we won’t know how it will behave.
An old Wall Street adage is, “Umbrellas are cheapest when the sun is shining, but get very expensive when the clouds roll in.”
Will Travel Insurance Help?
Using insurance when there doesn’t seem to be much risk present (but we all know it’s out there) is a good use of your money. Comprehensive trip cancellation and interruption coverage for a Che Bella trip usually costs about $200/per person, depending on your age and health status, credit card inclusions and personal health insurance coverage.
However, for the short term, travel insurance companies are offering a “cancel for any reason” policy, which can offer a partial refund if you decide to call off your vacation because of the virus and can help provide reimbursement in the event you are hospitalized or seek medical treatment while traveling abroad.
But here’s the rub: Should someone become sick for any reason during their trip AND if the situation has NOT become a state emergency, any mandatory stay at a hotel or other accommodation (for quarantine) will be the responsibility of the traveler. If the situation becomes a STATE EMERGENCY, the responsibility will then fall on the traveler’s own country of citizenship.
If you have a trip booked, my recommendation would be to contact your health insurance company to see what they will cover and then go to insuremytrip.com to explore how travel insurance companies are presenting their “cancel for any reason” coverage in the areas where you are traveling.
In times like these, the value-add for a tour operator becomes more apparent. Che Bella’s mission is to go above and beyond to make sure you have a wonderful–and safe–trip. I take pride in the personal relationships I have built with my guests. And first and foremost, I care about their safety and security over my trip bookings.
The decision to cancel or wait it out to see if cases of the virus will dissipate is your decision. Even if your trip goes off without a hitch, if you might not be able to relax and enjoy yourself, it’s a likely a sign that you should postpone.
