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I wish all threads concerning travel and Covid-19 had not been merged. I wouldn't have minded reading through a 30- or 40-post thread to find the answer to my question, but I'm not going to read through over 200 posts, even though I suspect my question has probably been answered already.
Last November, I made plans for a 50th wedding anniversary trip this June (12th - 23rd) to Venice, Italy, the Cinque Terra, and to a little town in Austria's Tyrolean Alps I lived in while studying abroad in between my junior and senior years of high school. Obviously, we're not going to be able to make the trip, and I regret to say that I didn't get cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance. I did get us some great flights, though. We were going to fly Delta from Salt Lake City to Boston, where we had planned to spend the night before leaving the following day for the flight from Boston to Venice (via Lisbon) on Air Portugal. Today I got an email from Delta saying that if we wanted to cancel, they would give us "e-credit" that was good for a two-year period. I was really relieved since the airfare hadn't been "refundable" and I thought I might be out the money. We still plan to make the trip and will do so next summer provided life has gotten back to something more along the lines of normal.
About half of the accommodations we've reserved will allow us to cancel for a full refund up until 24 hours before our check-in date. We have already paid for the others, which are supposedly "non-refundable." I plan to cancel all of them within the next day or so (we're now almost exactly a month out from when we were supposed to leave Salt Lake). Since Delta is handling non-refundable reservations by issuing a credit, I'm hoping Air Portugal will do so as well, and maybe even that the hotels we've already paid for will do the same.
Here's my question: With respect to our airfare, I'm concerned that if I am the one to cancel, the airline would not offer either a refund or an e-credit, and that I'd be better off waiting until maybe a week or so before we were to leave to make the call. I'm assuming that if they (rather than I) have to cancel, they'd be obligated to at least bear part of the cost of our cancelled flight. I'm wondering if anyone can give me any insights into this issue.
I'm also wondering if I would have better luck were I to personally contact the hotels I've already paid for to ask for at least an e-credit or whether it would be better if I were to ask booking.com to do so for me since I booked with them. I just want to minimize my financial losses to the extent possible and don't know the best way of going about doing so. Thanks, everyone, for your input.
But what if your trip is cancelled by the government instituting a travel ban because of an epidemic, wouldn't that be covered?
seeing that the virus is spreading thru Italy right now there could be a travel ban soon.
Uh, no, unfortunately. They're all trying to get out of claims related to COVID-19. I bought trip insurance for nothing. They weaseled out after my vacation was cut short by a week in March. Biggest ripoff there is IMO. I won't buy ever again.
I wish all threads concerning travel and Covid-19 had not been merged. I wouldn't have minded reading through a 30- or 40-post thread to find the answer to my question, but I'm not going to read through over 200 posts, even though I suspect my question has probably been answered already.
Last November, I made plans for a 50th wedding anniversary trip this June (12th - 23rd) to Venice, Italy, the Cinque Terra, and to a little town in Austria's Tyrolean Alps I lived in while studying abroad in between my junior and senior years of high school. Obviously, we're not going to be able to make the trip, and I regret to say that I didn't get cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance. I did get us some great flights, though. We were going to fly Delta from Salt Lake City to Boston, where we had planned to spend the night before leaving the following day for the flight from Boston to Venice (via Lisbon) on Air Portugal. Today I got an email from Delta saying that if we wanted to cancel, they would give us "e-credit" that was good for a two-year period. I was really relieved since the airfare hadn't been "refundable" and I thought I might be out the money. We still plan to make the trip and will do so next summer provided life has gotten back to something more along the lines of normal.
About half of the accommodations we've reserved will allow us to cancel for a full refund up until 24 hours before our check-in date. We have already paid for the others, which are supposedly "non-refundable." I plan to cancel all of them within the next day or so (we're now almost exactly a month out from when we were supposed to leave Salt Lake). Since Delta is handling non-refundable reservations by issuing a credit, I'm hoping Air Portugal will do so as well, and maybe even that the hotels we've already paid for will do the same.
Here's my question: With respect to our airfare, I'm concerned that if I am the one to cancel, the airline would not offer either a refund or an e-credit, and that I'd be better off waiting until maybe a week or so before we were to leave to make the call. I'm assuming that if they (rather than I) have to cancel, they'd be obligated to at least bear part of the cost of our cancelled flight. I'm wondering if anyone can give me any insights into this issue.
I'm also wondering if I would have better luck were I to personally contact the hotels I've already paid for to ask for at least an e-credit or whether it would be better if I were to ask booking.com to do so for me since I booked with them. I just want to minimize my financial losses to the extent possible and don't know the best way of going about doing so. Thanks, everyone, for your input.
I think what you're saying is true, but its hard to know for sure. I'm still waiting on a credit from KLM from mid-March. U.S. airlines like Delta are very good in my experience, but foreign ones are awful, particularly discount airlines. I would think calling the non refundable hotels is a good idea as well, but you're likely to lose something either way. I travel a lot, but I've never had to make a claim until this mess. Wish I could be of more help. I know all too well how frustrating it is. Despite all the fear, I'm planning a trip back to Europe this summer when they re-open the borders (hopefully).
I think what you're saying is true, but its hard to know for sure. I'm still waiting on a credit from KLM from mid-March. U.S. airlines like Delta are very good in my experience, but foreign ones are awful, particularly discount airlines. I would think calling the non refundable hotels is a good idea as well, but you're likely to lose something either way. I travel a lot, but I've never had to make a claim until this mess. Wish I could be of more help. I know all too well how frustrating it is. Despite all the fear, I'm planning a trip back to Europe this summer when they re-open the borders (hopefully).
Thanks! Every little bit of input is helpful. I travel quite a bit, too, and we're all experiencing this situation for the first time. Good luck with your trip.
I think what you're saying is true, but its hard to know for sure. I'm still waiting on a credit from KLM from mid-March. U.S. airlines like Delta are very good in my experience, but foreign ones are awful, particularly discount airlines. I would think calling the non refundable hotels is a good idea as well, but you're likely to lose something either way. I travel a lot, but I've never had to make a claim until this mess. Wish I could be of more help. I know all too well how frustrating it is. Despite all the fear, I'm planning a trip back to Europe this summer when they re-open the borders (hopefully).
I just cancelled our trip to Lithuana next month. I dont see it letting up within 3 weeks, plus we have a baby that we would be traveling with. Oh well ... looks like we have a 4k travel voucher to use in the next two years.
Any thoughts on what the likelihood of Yosemite or yellowstone lodging opening up this summer? We’re planning a honeymoon trip, and hoping to be able to get out of town.
The Yosemite preliminary situation from what I've been able to piece together is that they're going to try to open up later in the summer but there will be no park shuttles, the Wawona Hotel will be closed all summer long (they started to do light repair work in April and discovered that they needed to replace all the wiring in the complex, lest it all burn to the ground the next time someone plugged in a curling iron) Housekeeping Camps and White Wolf Lodge are closed for the season and the Curry Village will be open at half capacity.
If you want to stay in the park and see a reservation option, grab it now and hope.
If it does open, it will actually be the best time to visit in the past 25 years because of reduced capacity, even without the shuttle buses.
We're sitting on Yosemite Valley Lodge reservations the first week in August and I'm guessing a 35% or so chance the trip happens.
I've postponed my trip for this summer. Luckily it was paid in full so I just had to reschedule. It sucks but I don't see this situation improving very quickly.
I am planning a late summer trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton and found a website called "Yellowstone Insider" that has several articles on what to expect this summer. If you plan to stay in the park, the lodges/hotels may not open and lodging could be limited to cabins/rooms with outside entrances. Within the park, no sit down dining but grab and go. Daily reservations required for major attractions for social distancing. This is an example article:
That website assumes the park will open but another factor is the Montana COVID-19 restrictions that seem to be stricter than Wyoming with a quarantine on visitors. Governor's plan does not open Montana to tourism until Phase 3 and Montana is currently in Phase 1 (but they have few COVID-19 cases). Most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming but the major entrances are in Montana. And the feds probably have their own rules so not sure how this will play out.
We planned a trip to Yellowstone for the end of June, and we were going to be entering driving west from Rapid City through Yellowstone to Jackson and then back. So far, everything I am seeing says we should be ok. Limited lodging is tentatively planned for June 15th, but not much in the way of concessions (maybe grab-n-go). We were not planning to come through Montana so as long as they do partial openings we would be ok on our front.
Most articles have mentioned that they would like to have some sense of the park being open by Memorial Day. But nothing is definite, but supposedly the opening plan is being worked on.
We planned a trip to Yellowstone for the end of June, and we were going to be entering driving west from Rapid City through Yellowstone to Jackson and then back. So far, everything I am seeing says we should be ok. Limited lodging is tentatively planned for June 15th, but not much in the way of concessions (maybe grab-n-go). We were not planning to come through Montana so as long as they do partial openings we would be ok on our front.
Most articles have mentioned that they would like to have some sense of the park being open by Memorial Day. But nothing is definite, but supposedly the opening plan is being worked on.
Talk about timing...partial opening May 18th of the Wyoming entrances and lower loop.
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