Anyone Considering Cancelling Travel

[MichealKnight]

YES Was so looking forward to resuming travel after 18 months of very strict quarantine.

*Cancelled NYC via train in June
*Cancelled San Antonio for a conference for the industry I used to belong to and might dabble in again.

Really want to go to Atlanta soon to buy some rental homes. I'll drive it versus fly. Can't imagine flying right now.

Have family Florida-Beach trip booked for November. At very least I'd need vaccine for my under-12 kid. Without that I'll for sure cancel.

Also, I enjoyed the last few months loosening up quarantine, eating inside restaurants. But I'm going back to car-only dining out.

Worried I'd bring the virus home to my un-vaxxed kid and also worried about getting it. Long term effects, etc. Not worth it.

Life is good hanging at the house as much as possible. Hopefully travel resumes for me by Spring

 

[kcowan]

We cancelled our European 5 country trip with river cruise in Portugal scheduled for 2020 and rebooked for 2022.

Our return to PV is planned for November 2021 and the news on the ground is that Delta is fully-engaged but should burn its way through PV by end of September. We shall see. Have not booked flights yet.

We have spent 11 months in PV since Dec 2019 and avoided any flu using masks, avoiding crowds and dining outdoors. Been doubly vaxxed since April 5 (second shot Mar 23) but looking to get a booster before returning.

 

[oiseux]

Good to know!

If France gets cases under control we’ll learn something.

Our last trip to France included Bordeaux and we thought the city was lovely. The (not so) nearby Dordogne area was fantastic.

Perhaps I am being optimistic, we will see if the delta variant runs it course, the vaccination rate is nearing 80%, and the mask/indoor restrictions stay in place. There is a lot of political pressure against the measures. The early indicators are positive.

One thing they are not doing here in the southeast is wearing masks outdoors. They are not required on the beach but you can maintain pretty good distance here. Also, there is plenty of outside dining here, with large outdoor dining areas, beach restaurants, and the like. And there are reports that some establishments are not checking passes, though I see iit at restaurants and theatres. Interesting at some of the large shops they have hand disinfection stations as well, required prior to entry.

 

[brett]

Just cancelled some domestic air yesterday. It was a family wedding. Lots of unvaccinated folks on that side of the family. We have grandchildren. Not about to take a chance for the sake of a hillbilly wedding a few thousand miles away from our home.

Also looks like our potential last minute to Greece in Oct will not happen.

We want to travel but are no longer confident enough to book anything in advance. If we travel it will be with last minute arrangements.

 

[audreyh1]

Perhaps I am being optimistic, we will see if the delta variant runs it course, the vaccination rate is nearing 80%, and the mask/indoor restrictions stay in place. There is a lot of political pressure against the measures. The early indicators are positive.

One thing they are not doing here in the southeast is wearing masks outdoors. They are not required on the beach but you can maintain pretty good distance here. Also, there is plenty of outside dining here, with large outdoor dining areas, beach restaurants, and the like. And there are reports that some establishments are not checking passes, though I see iit at restaurants and theatres. Interesting at some of the large shops they have hand disinfection stations as well, required prior to entry.

I noticed they were quite selective on where they require the passes in France. You don’t need them for essentials like grocery or even shopping in general. You need them for bars/cafes/restaurants, museums, theaters - areas where mask are off indoors or there might be a crowd indoors for a longish period of time. And you don’t have to be vaccinated to get a pass either. You can test frequently instead.

 

[roadtripper]

Just went on a 2 day simulation cruise at 10% capacity with vaccines required and masks inside. Had an incredible time and felt safe, but just canceled Disney for September. Again.

Fingers crossed that our Queen Mary 2 cruise in November is happening, but the itinerary is USVI, which are struggling right now.

So frustrating.

 

[gattara]

Just returned from a visit to see immediate family in NJ. We had planned to fly up but ultimately couldn't bring ourselves to do that, so we drove the 13 hours each way. Pleasantly surprised that Delta refunded our money in the form of a credit voucher for future travel; we weren't expecting that. Another unexpected surprise - we enjoyed driving, and the experience has us thinking perhaps this fall we will do another trip by car, perhaps to New England states. So much to see in this country, might as well do what we can, if we can do it in a way that is comfortable for us.

Hope international travel will happen next year ... but who knows.

 

[Sunset]

Just went on a 2 day simulation cruise at 10% capacity with vaccines required and masks inside. Had an incredible time and felt safe, but just canceled Disney for September. Again.
.......

Can you tell us more about the simulation cruise.
Was it free ?

Why would a cruise ship do that, except to see that the ship doesn't sink

 

[HenryD]

Decided to go ahead and book our Costa Rica trip for Jan-Feb 2022. One ticket was covered with a credit that expires in March 2022 anyway. Paid $50 to make the other one fully refundable. Hopefully, that's far enough out. As usual, it will be a rental car & rural Airbnb kind of deal; no crowds anyway.

 

[iloveyoga]

Not so far. Headed to Key West with my son and DIL in 16 days. I am very excited to see the ocean again.

 

[fosterscik]

DW and I just got back from a 15-day trip to Alaska. We had a really great time - our first post covid flying trip! Never really considered cancelling. Airlines were packed (delta) but wore KN95 masks. Bars/restaurants were all indoors and no additional table spacing used by them, but most of our time was spent outdoors.

 

[Out of Steam]

We're delaying making our plans for a trip to the Southwestern US around the beginning of November. While we haven't given up on the idea, it seems unlikely that we will go.

 

[cathy63]

Can you tell us more about the simulation cruise.
Was it free ?

Why would a cruise ship do that, except to see that the ship doesn't sink

CDC requires "simulated" voyages before lines are allowed to resume regular sailings: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0505-conditional-sailing-order.html

"Simulated" is a funny word here because these are actual voyages at sea, just with fewer passengers.

 

[GreenEggs]

We just returned from a week in Costa Rica. The trip was great. The Costa Ricans take C-19 seriously and all were masked & each restaurant and store had handwashing areas by the entrance.

We flew Spirit with a layover in FLL which was terrible. Flight delays & immigration was a zoo. If we'd taken a nonstop flight from SJO to CLT it would have been a breeze instead of a nightmare. Lesson learned...

 

[HenryD]

We just returned from a week in Costa Rica. The trip was great. The Costa Ricans take C-19 seriously and all were masked & each restaurant and store had handwashing areas by the entrance.

We flew Spirit with a layover in FLL which was terrible. Flight delays & immigration was a zoo. If we'd taken a nonstop flight from SJO to CLT it would have been a breeze instead of a nightmare. Lesson learned...

Did you rent a car by chance? If so, any recommendations/cautions? Avis looks best to me right now. We used Alamo with great success last time, but that was in 2018.

 

[GreenEggs]

Did you rent a car by chance? If so, any recommendations/cautions? Avis looks best to me right now. We used Alamo with great success last time, but that was in 2018.

We made the mistake of renting a car from Dollar via Carrental.com, which is an Expedia company. Carrental.com sold me insurance which the CR Dollar location would not accept and forced me to purchase additional insurance which cost more than the rental price. The car broke down the next day, which was a Sunday. It was very hard to reach Dollar on the phone, but I finally did. They sent another car on a rollback from San Jose, which took 2+ hours in addition to the 2 hours for me to reach them & for them to find a car to send us. The replacement car was smaller than the original one & they "promised" to send a larger one as soon as one became available. They never sent a replacement, but luckily we were able to squeeze our luggage into the subcompact and get to the airport. I complained when returning it & received a $100 credit.

It wasn't a good experience, but it could have been a whole lot worse.

Next trip I'll make sure that there's a local branch near the town we're staying in. Live & learn...

Btw, the subcompact was fun to drive & super easy to park. I'll ask for one when there are only 2 of us traveling. It was a manual & I had a great time shifting through the gears. Zoom, zoom!

 

[brett]

Decided to go ahead and book our Costa Rica trip for Jan-Feb 2022. One ticket was covered with a credit that expires in March 2022 anyway. Paid $50 to make the other one fully refundable. Hopefully, that's far enough out. As usual, it will be a rental car & rural Airbnb kind of deal; no crowds anyway.

We are looking at Panama in the same time frame. Or Mexico. It will be a last minute decision. We will book air within a few days of departure.

 

[Jenna]

No-we aren't cancelling any travel. If you check the actual death rates, that might help you make an informed decision.

 

[Gumby]

We were fully vaccinated in March. We took our normal two week sojourn in Maine in early July, which just involves driving up from Connecticut to the same house we have rented for 21 years. We actually were able to eat in restaurants and go shopping this year, unlike last year, when we didn't leave the house at all. We felt comfortable because Maine and Connecticut both are among the highest vaccinated states and have the lowest rates of new infections. We also don't have to worry about contact with young children or immunocompromised people.

In late July, we drove out to Butler, PA for a family wedding (outdoor) and stayed in a hotel for two nights. We felt comfortable doing that.

The first weekend in September, we are driving down to Annapolis, MD and staying 3 nights for my 40th year USNA reunion. The activities we will participate in are all outdoors, and Maryland is almost as good as Connecticut in the vaccination rate and rate of new infections, so we feel that it is not too great of a risk either.

I don't know when we'll be able to get back to flying and travelling overseas. Probably 2022 at the rate things are going.

 

[steady saver]

I cancelled my trip to California in Oct. that I'd planned with my sister (a weekend workshop of 50 people, all meals included which is the part that made me nervous. ). She is still going and now her husband is going with her AND they're meeting friends for a week afterwards to tour Napa. I wish I had that confidence but I do not. I'm contemplating planning a trip to go on after my booster at the end of November. I don't judge her going, it's just not something that I'd enjoy at all given my concerns. Plus I have an autoimmune condition and she does not. I'm otherwise healthy and, because I take care of myself, I feel good! But not willing to take the chance with eating 3 meals a day with people I don't know.

 

[Palmtree]

Way back in February we planned a trip out west over labor day to see Vegas and then on to Zion, Bryce and the South Rim. In Vegas we were planning on blowing some dough by staying at the Bellagio and catching a Cirque-De-Solei show. The trip is less than two weeks away. Just last Friday we rearranged everything. Changed our flights to arrive a couple of days later. Basically cut out everything in Vegas due to the rise in Covid. Now we will fly into Vegas, get the rental car and still visit the national parks.

 

[MichaelB]

No-we aren't cancelling any travel. If you check the actual death rates, that might help you make an informed decision.

Fatalities are a lagging indicator, and they are not reported consistently around the country and may not even be available.

An informed decision would include looking at infection rates, hospitalizations, hospital and ICU availability. Travel restrictions both home and at the intended destination.

 

[travelover]

No-we aren't cancelling any travel. If you check the actual death rates, that might help you make an informed decision.

I worry more about being a long hauler than dying. Some of the long hauler stories are pretty grim.

 

[Aerides]

No-we aren't cancelling any travel. If you check the actual death rates, that might help you make an informed decision.

My decision is informed. Yes, I'm quite aware that my risk as a healthy person under 60, fully vaccinated, is very low. I'm sure many of us are well aware of our personal risk. And yet we have other considerations:

I don't want to get (even barely) sick and pass it onto others - loved ones or anyone, especially not my family, including those who might be at higher risk
I don't want to get stuck having to quarantine on a trip, or be denied entry on a multi-country (ie, euro) excursion
etc.

We all have our reasons, with many more factors than simply "hey I prob won't die so let's go!"

 

[Scuba]

Just went on a 2 day simulation cruise at 10% capacity with vaccines required and masks inside. Had an incredible time and felt safe, but just canceled Disney for September. Again.

Fingers crossed that our Queen Mary 2 cruise in November is happening, but the itinerary is USVI, which are struggling right now.

So frustrating.

Try to get some real data on USVI before you decide. Not sure of your source, but the CDC had USVI rated as high risk, not advised to travel there (level 4). We looked at the actual number of cases and other stats and decided to go for 2 months from mid April to mid June of 2021. It felt very safe there. Frankly, a lot more masking than California with its draconian rules. The USVI doesn’t have a lot of hospital capacity so they have been very careful and conservative. We were even required to wear masks on our SCUBA diving boat en route to the dive sites.