Coronavirus and Its Effect on Travel By Lori Sweet
Is the trip still on? Are you still planning on traveling? These are the questions I have been asked and am asking of others.
number of students who graduate this year and would not be able to use travel vouchers or go on the trip if postponed until next year.
My husband is an airline pilot who is at a major North American airport several times each week. He has noticed a significant reduction in people in the terminal and people on the flights. Even flights from one province to another in Canada have light loads compared to just a few weeks ago. At the airport, onl y a handful of people wear masks. From everything we have read, it should only be the people who have a cough or cold that should be wearing them.
I know of several people who had cruises booked with departures in the next couple of weeks. One was with Princess Cruise Lines and the other with Norwegian. Neither party wanted to cancel and lose their money. As of this writing, Princess Cruise Lines has cancelled all sailings for the next 60 days and has offered a generous package for future travel or a refund to those booked with them. Norwegian has offered credit towards another cruise in the future to m y f r i e n d s w h o b o o ke d w i t h t h e m . W h i l e disappointed that their trip is cancelled, both groups are happy that the companies chose for them.
People who buy masks unnecessarily have caused a problem for a family member of mine who is in the medical field. She needs an N95 mask for her job as a nurse. Unfortunately, they are backordered because people who don’t need them are buying them. Without a mask, she can have limited patient contact only. I was on a flight within Canada last week. I only saw one person with a mask, and I was the only one around me who used wipes to clean the tray and armrests. Cleaning the tray and armrests is a simple step to take to protect ourselves, yet few do it. I was planning a trip to California in early April to visit some wineries. That is still tentative. I have a big trip at the end of April to Europe with a large group of high school students. We are to visit Paris, London, and Amsterdam. At this point, most of the school boards have cancelled trips abroad. Our trip has not been cancelled officially…yet. If the school board cancels it, then the students can apply for a refund through insurance. Unfortunately, the travel company will not refund the money. There are a large
I do have friends and family that did choose to travel to Europe last week. My f riend Vicky f rom www.journeysjauntsandjunkets.com travelled to Italy for a conference that is now cancelled. She is stuck in Rome trying to get home to the U.S. My in-laws are in Portugal still enjoying a wonderful holiday. Here in Canada, we are lucky to have a universal health care system. If you are sick, you will receive treatment. The same health precautions advised around the world are also recommended here in Canada. The number of people in Canada who have been diagnosed with Coronavirus is low. Things can and do change quickly. Hopefully, people will take this time to enjoy their hometowns and plan a trip elsewhere while waiting for this to settle down. As my grandmother would say, “This too shall pass.” I just hope it is sooner rather than later.
Photo: Walkway at Toronto Pearson International Airport—©voyagewriters
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