Hi ,

The world of travel is so confusing right now that even though you and I may not be planning to travel in the near future, I wanted to update you on some travel news and tell you what I have been doing in the last months.

What have I been doing?

As you might imagine, I’ve spent a few hundred hours working with cruise lines, tour operators, and land tour companies, cancelling the travel for every single one of my active travel clients through all of 2020. As the pandemic worsened and countries began to lock down, it became clear to me that travelers could easily get “caught” in new travel rules and executive orders that were not in effect when they planned travel.

I know that you are itching to hit the road. Heck, I’m itching to hit the road! And I know that you have probably Googled or heard of low-cost travel deals for shorter term travel. Some of the prices seem awfully good!

Every single day I read dozens of emails and get phone calls from travel suppliers. In addition to that, I talk with other travel advisors across the globe through private TA forums, and believe me, the talk is hot and heavy 24/7. Many travel agencies have closed their doors. Others, like me, don’t think it is top priority to make travel offers in times when it might mean that you get caught somewhere, unable to come home because you’ve tested positive for covid, or because a country has decided to change its travel policies while you are visiting there.

The travel stories I hear every day

There’s nothing I would love more than to help you plan and book your trips. But I now see travelers who insisted that they reschedule their trip from last April only 6 months out, to November, and that second scheduled trip is now cancelled, too. Travelers have a ton of money in future travel credits with all sorts of companies – airlines, land tour companies, and cruise lines. Frankly, the talk in the travel industry is that some companies are using your money to stay in business now, and are hoping that future sales will give them the money to pay for your travel when it comes around. Some travel suppliers will not make it through this harrowing time. Some have already shut their doors.

I personally know of travelers who have lost money from fully paid reservations and the company has gone belly up or flat refused to refund the money, or even to issue a future travel credit. One company is one that I personally have traveled with and used for my clients. Thank God I was on it very early, and I pushed hard until I got every single cent for these travelers before the company quit making refunds.

What's happening now?

Right now I’m getting tons of advertisements from travel companies who are offering Black Friday deals (early) and you will probably see them, too. Some of these deals are very attractive. I spend probably an hour a day following up on the ones that are from companies I think will remain in business. The issue is that the best deals are for travel in the near term – like 2 or 3 months out. For most people these deals are not worth the risk. And, some of those deals will end up being cancelled and you will not likely get your money back – instead you will be issued a travel credit that you will have to use within a year or 18 months. So you are tying up your money with no certainty as to when you can actually take that trip, or that the trip will be the same as what you wanted.

If you travel be prepared!

While I want to help you travel, I more want to ensure your safety and the safety of your money. I think each traveler must be willing to meet these terms before taking any of these travel deals.

• Be prepared for your flights to change often and usually for the worst – from a direct flight to 2 or 3 connecting flights with bad connections. Flights are literally changing every day.
• Be prepared to take frequent covid testing throughout your trip, often at your own expense.
• Be prepared for a Plan B if you become sick and must stay in a country because you are not allowed to board a plane to fly home, due to illness.
• Be prepared for destinations to have many shops, restaurants, attractions, and shows closed or open very limited hours. If you are heading to an all-inclusive destination in Mexico or the Caribbean be prepared for perhaps half the restaurants at your destination to be closed, or perhaps some of the bars and lounges closed.
• Be prepared for less cleaning service, perhaps no mini-bar in your room, and wait times for check-in because the cleaning staff are having to clean far more thoroughly than they have before. (These are stories I hear every day from travel advisor forums for their travel clients who have insisted upon traveling.)
• Be prepared to wear a mask unless you are in your room or seated and eating in a restaurant. I’ve heard some places require masking at the beach, some do not once you are settled in your beach chairs. Most countries open for travel right now have a stringent mask requirement.
• Be prepared to provide your own hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes in case your destination is running short of these.
• Be prepared for flights to be either eerily empty or very full - few airlines are still leaving the middle seat open.

Are there travel deals right now?

Over the past weeks I’ve chased down probably half a dozen “deals” because they sounded so attractive. But when I really looked at what it took to get in and out of that country, the testing, sometimes the quarantine protocols, the closures, I knew that for me personally I would spend the entire “vacation” worried about what might surface as a problem that would prevent me returning home as planned. It’s not worth it for me. While it may be worth it to you please take that list of preparations I gave you very seriously.

I know a few TAs who have been traveling extensively in Mexico and the Caribbean to check out properties for their travel clients. Some of them have glowing reports, saying “I feel safer here than in the US.” Some of them have gotten caught and been unable to return home after getting ill. One TA took a small group on a beach trip and returned home, only to have about a third of the group get covid. One of her group died. So the reports are all over the place.

Here's how I can help you right now.

If you are prepared to meet all the requirements above and you still would like to travel between now and next June please email or call me, and I’ll research and find the options that seem best for you based on where you would like to go from the short list of countries that are open. I can also help you research US travel, although state travel restrictions change day by day. But I urge you, please, to think long and hard first. Even if you are not concerned at all about covid you may well get frustrated at the many hassle factors that are involved in traveling right now.

You want to take a vacation that is fun, and worry-free. That will be a challenge in the short term, I’m very sad to say. But I’m not going to sugar-coat it or lie to you.

Every single day I still research destinations and hotels. I know which resort group in Mexico has beds so hard almost everyone hates staying there, even though the beaches are beautiful. I know which resorts have a sea weed problem on their beaches (that stinks). I know which travel suppliers are balking at refunds and which have been responsive. Bottom line, I truly want you to travel, and to have a worry-free, amazing time.

Now and then I will update you about travel opportunities or what I see going on in travel. I hope that sometime within 2021 I can help you plan and book your travel. But in the meanwhile please be aware of what you are signing on for, potentially, if you decide to travel in the short term. I will help you as best I can, but I cannot guarantee there won’t be a hassle that no one will be able to make better for you.

Please feel free to email me or call me if you have questions. If you no longer wish to receive my now-and-then emails feel free to unsubscribe at the link below.

Sincerely,

Sue Painter

travelchangeslife.com

sue@travelchangeslife.com