Coronavirus - Travel impacts II

[sengsational]

What brand makes hydrogen peroxide sanitizers?

Clorox sells one: https://www.amazon.com/Saalfeld-308...s/dp/B00K3U1B64/ref=sr_1_4?crid=173XSUYH8YYEZ

But it seems quite expensive. $15 for some paper towels with $0.25 worth of hydrogen peroxide poured over them.

 

[Sunset]

Clorox sells one: https://www.amazon.com/Saalfeld-308...s/dp/B00K3U1B64/ref=sr_1_4?crid=173XSUYH8YYEZ

But it seems quite expensive. $15 for some paper towels with $0.25 worth of hydrogen peroxide poured over them.

Yes, my plan for travel will be to bring a tiny 1oz bottle carry on, and a full bottle in my checked bag, plus some folded up paper towel (I'll just fill the 1oz bottle at home)

From Walmart about $1.00 per bottle:

 

[Scuba]

DH and I have no travel plans this year due to our remodel. If we did, it would be a dilemma. We are generally not fearful people, yet we might cancel just because we could avoid the risk of getting sick or being quarantined in a foreign location. Hard to say. I don’t envy those who are struggling with this decision. Best wishes for safe travels for those who elect to still go.

 

[tulak]

I’m going to Europe on May 1st and back on the 27th. The plane tickets are all booked (please Norwegian don’t go bankrupt), but I’ve booked very little lodging.

My only worry is getting stuck over there, especially if I’m sick. But even if you get the virus and are asymptotic you might be stuck. That wouldn’t be fun.

At this point though, I’m planning on going.

 

[Amethyst]

Dear me. In that case you could get closer and closer to home, but never arrive!

We have prepaid for 2 cruises later this year. I believe we can get most of our money back up to 2 months before sailing. So I pray for us, and the rest of you too, that this horrid situation gets cleared up before then.

. But even if you get the virus and are asymptotic you might be stuck. That wouldn’t be fun.

.

 

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

This is the thread to discuss the travel impacts of the coronavirus COVID-19. There are two other threads - one for the health and preparedness aspects of the coronavirus and one for the financial impact. Please choose the appropriate thread for your comments and do not repeat the same post in multiple threads (see the Community Rules regarding multi-posting).

This is a undoubtedly a situation of concern to many, but it behooves us all to post in a sober and responsible manner. Factual information, with appropriate support/reference, is best. Reasonable and concrete suggestions for action are also appropriate. However, fear mongering and the promotion of rumors is not. As a general rule, before you post, ask yourself "Am I confident this is true?" and "Will this be useful to others or am I just venting?" The "hot topic" designation is turned on to give everyone a pause in which they can answer those questions.

Thank you,

The Moderator Team

Driving south to Florida this week. Will update you on any impacts. We're very glad we are not flying right now.

 

[iloveyoga]

We just got back from Key West, we flew on Delta. In that small universe everything and everyone looked like usual. Only later did I notice that we did not see any masks anywhere.

 

[audreyh1]

We just got back from Key West, we flew on Delta. In that small universe everything and everyone looked like usual. Only later did I notice that we did not see any masks anywhere.

I don’t believe you can buy masks domestically anymore. That certainly limits seeing folks wearing masks in public!

 

[DrRoy]

We have plans for a cross country driving trip that we certainly will do. Later we have a European river cruise with some added time in the Italian Alps. If the cruise runs I expect that we will go. My sister is in Italy now and does not plan to leave.

 

[Nemo2]

Just received an e-mail from our friend in Adelaide, South Australia - her scheduled Cunard cruise to Japan in April has been cancelled and she's getting a full refund for cruise/air.

She, like us, has deposits on the two Pullmantur back-to-backs starting from Trieste in late October, but a friend who was going with her has pulled out because she doesn't think Israel and Egypt will be 'open'.

In our reply to her I mentioned that we have small deposits on the cruises, but it's quite a while before the final payments are due, (if Pullmantur doesn't pull the plug in the interim anyway).

If it's a 'go' we'll book flights at a (much) later date, even if the flights cost more.

 

[Ronstar]

We have plans for a cross country driving trip that we certainly will do....

Same here. Not quite cross country. But we'll be driving around 4500 miles through 11 states soon. No plans to alter this trip or this summer's road trip to Glacier National Park.

 

[Aerides]

I was originally planning a trip to the UK in May/June, but I haven't booked and won't.

It's not "fear of getting sick", but all the extras I can't control:

Border/customs issues - in and out. What happens if the UK has a flare up during the 2 weeks I'm there, and goes on the list for US entries while I'm gone?
Fun stuff - sightseeing plans, museums might be closing, restaurants, etc.

Nope. Not worth spending the money and time to have a sub-par vacation. I'll look at more low-key domestic stuff until we know more.

 

[camfused]

CFAR not 100%

Be aware that Cancel For Any Reason insurance (at least the kind I got), only covers 75% of the insured cost. I am losing about $1200 when I cancel my Italy/Paris trip because of this, unless Delta will somehow issue me a refund for the whole trip.

Its a little tricky for me, since we actually had round-trip tickets from Raleigh to Paris, and then a separate tickets from Paris to Rome and Venice to Paris. So, I would need Delta to refund the round-trip from Raleigh to Paris. I am going to wait until the last minute to cancel, in case they offer this. I doubt it, but fingers crossed.

 

[Sunset]

Dear me. In that case you could get closer and closer to home, but never arrive!

We have prepaid for 2 cruises later this year. I believe we can get most of our money back up to 2 months before sailing. So I pray for us, and the rest of you too, that this horrid situation gets cleared up before then.

You might want to check that time frame as they vary a lot even within a cruise line.

Example Celebrity

Regular ship:
75+ days prior to departure: No fee (unless you are booked under a non-refundable deposit cruise fare rate)

Xpedition, Xperience, & Flora ships: 3 nights or longer (including holiday sailings*)
120+ days prior to departure: No fee (unless you are booked under a non-refundable deposit cruise fare rate)
119 - 89 days prior to departure: Deposit amount

Xploration ship: 3 nights or longer (including holiday sailings*)
179 - 150 days prior to departure: Deposit ($450 per person)
149 - 120 days prior to departure: 50% of total price

 

[Spanky]

I have no plan to travel, but family members, relatives and friends do. DD is planning to visit New Zealand in March. My nephew is going to Japan in March. A couple Friends are going to Malaysia and Vietnam late in March. I guess March is a favorite of travel.

 

[nhcycling]

We’re leaving for Aruba in 2 weeks for a short 10 day trip, I have no worries for this one.

At the end of May, my daughter is getting married in Dublin Ireland and 62 people from the US are traveling to share their special day! Some are extending their trip for a European holiday to other countries. This one’s got me a bit nervous.

Of course the first priority is health risk and we will follow the CDC guidance at the time.

We have paid small/moderate deposits for the venue, photographer, ceremony location etc.

But some payments are due in a few weeks. That would be a substantial sum if for some reason the wedding didn’t happen because of travel restrictions, many decide not to go etc. and the wedding is canceled. She’s in med school and residency is right after the wedding so dates are not flexible. We’re talking about $25k in payments in a few weeks.

Some have booked their flights/hotels; some have not.

I hope they have travel insurance. I know my immediate family of 15 does. Not so sure about others?

What would you do? Wait a few weeks to see where the travel restrictions are then? Seriously start to consider canceling? Start to reach out to folk now?

Advise appreciated.

 

[camfused]

^^^^ I personally would cancel. I think it is going to get a lot worse than it is right now, maybe peaking about then. You may not want to be in a metal can with a bunch of other people.

I have cancelled all plane travel for us until about August.

 

[Freedom56]

If people are concerned about getting infected while travelling, there are some relatively inexpensive products you can buy at Costco (before they run out). The larger liquids can be dispensed into smaller plastic bottles for travel. You can wipe down your seat with the wipes. You can use germ-x to dis-infect your hands. You can wear Nitrile gloves around the airport to protect your hands. The anti-bacterial soap is more effective than the soap found in dispensers at airports or inside airplanes.

 

[Chuckanut]

A few weeks ago, I was looking at a tour in Europe for later this Spring, but they were all full. The only option was to join a Waiting List. So, I looked at tours for the Fall which were wide open in October.

Yesterday I checked again. The Spring tours now have some openings. The Fall tours are getting into Waiting List mode. Late October is the first opening. Brrr....

Alas, I can't go this Spring.

 

[MBAustin]

I'm on a tour to the Holy Land and Petra (Jordan) in less than two weeks. At this point, it's still a go but obviously we are monitoring the situation. Israel has implemented home quarantines for anyone who has been in any of the countries with significant cases (https://govextra.gov.il/ministry-of-health/corona/corona-virus-en/).

The CDC also has a page of information for travelers that I don't recall seeing here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Janet H]

Passing along my travel experience this week flying in the US...

On a 4.5 hour flight we had someone coughing and the flight crew walked over and handed him/her a mask. There was applause. Felt sorry for the cougher however...

In airport restrooms: There were lines at sinks for handwashing. I've never really seen this before which tells me that folks have upped their game.

I made a point of wiping down airplane seats, trays and armrests on every flight. On two flights people asked if I had extra wipes they could use. Don't know if it helps... but I felt a little better



One hotel I stayed in had little bottles of hand sanitizer available in a basket at check in. Nice touch.

An uber driver had a large bottle of hand sanitizer in his cup holder.

I saw draft beer being served with a straw and I saw some folks packing their own paper wrapped straws.

 

[braumeister]

I saw draft beer being served with a straw.

That made me smile. Brought back a teenage memory when some of us (not me) believed that drinking beer through a straw would get you high quicker.

 

[HenryD]

No plans to alter an early April trip to Central America with DW.

Helping organize a solo graduation trip to the UK for DD in August, with plans to attend a major international festival with family while there. Will hold off on booking that airline ticket as long as possible.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My DIL’s family lives in Europe and countries are discussing quarantining tourists upon arrival for 2 weeks if things get worse. It would be horrible to spend all that money and have your vacation ruined.

 

[explanade]

Be aware that Cancel For Any Reason insurance (at least the kind I got), only covers 75% of the insured cost. I am losing about $1200 when I cancel my Italy/Paris trip because of this, unless Delta will somehow issue me a refund for the whole trip.

Its a little tricky for me, since we actually had round-trip tickets from Raleigh to Paris, and then a separate tickets from Paris to Rome and Venice to Paris. So, I would need Delta to refund the round-trip from Raleigh to Paris. I am going to wait until the last minute to cancel, in case they offer this. I doubt it, but fingers crossed.

Which carrier and how much was the premium?

did you insure just for the trip or was it an annual policy?

How much coverage did you purchase?