The right (and wrong) ways to cancel a trip due to Covid 19

So you had a vacation planned and it's just not going to happen. Whether it was a local trip to visit an aunt or an international trip of a lifetime, COVID 19 has put a damper on all our travel plans.


Maybe you already cancelled or perhaps you have been playing chicken with the supplier holding your reservation. Either way, there is a right way to unravel those vacation plans and I am here to help:

1. BE PATIENT.

GENERALLY speaking, if you wait for the supplier (the company that holds your travel reservation) to cancel the trip - they will offer a refund of your money. If YOU are the one to cancel, while the trip remains intact, you will likely be offered a voucher for future travel.
This can be frustrating and difficult, believe me, I understand. But if you want most or all of your money back in cash, it is essential to pay attention to the cancellation terms and dates.

1. CONSIDER ALL THE COMPONENTS

Often times, trips have more than one component. Consider a trip to Europe, you may have a flight, transfer, hotel, train to another city, another hotel, activities and insurance. Don't forget to cancel all the components of your trip - you are probably entitled to a refund or a voucher for each piece of the puzzle. And don't discount insurance. If there isn't a claim on the policy, they may be offering a voucher for the premium to be applied to a future trip.

1. CHECK, AND RECHECK, POLICIES

Not to sound like a broken record BUT… these are unprecedented times. The policies for tourist attractions are changing rapidly. If you don't check and recheck, you are bound to miss an important update that could affect the outcome of your cancellation status.

1. FOLLOW UP

Travel companies are inundated with cancellation requests. Make sure you know when the refund/voucher will be issued and mark that date on your calendar. If you don't see it, follow up to be sure you are in the system and your cancellation is being processed.


Of course, if you were working with a travel professional, all this would be taken care of for you. Why would you want to sit on hold with multiple companies fighting for your money back when you could simply make one short phone call to a person you know and then get back to sipping wine while it is all sorted on your behalf.

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