What You Need To Know About Coronavirus

What You Need To Know About Coronavirus

A real good blog or report that I often refer to is TravelSense. It gives some real good advice and tips on a daily and weekly basis, and one that they produced recently had some excellent information regarding this disease that has the travel world turned upside down....especially if one is traveling to China, Japan, Korea, or even Hawaii.

It's really frustrating for the travel suppliers that it seems that it's always something that crops up and threatens to scare folks away from traveling. If it's not some new illness, its a natural disaster, or threat of civil unrest or just plain disinformation that has folks nervous about going anywhere.

According to a Travel Impact Survey Report conducted by The American Society of Travel Advisors, 25% of all U.S .travelers have changed their travel plans because of coronvirus fears. More concerning is the 71% who had a trip currently booked to China say they will either “definitely” or “probably” cancel those plans because of coronavirus.

One thing we do know about this disease. It has been around a good while, being first identified back in 2019. This strain is a particularly nasty version which spreads faster and more dangerous that those previously identified. A piece of good news that I read in the Abilene Reporter News this week.....there are some scientist from the University of Texas who have developed a shot that will protect one from getting this strain. How soon it will be available for mass innoculation, there was no indication, but it can't come too soon.

If one has plans to travel, and have purchased travel insurance, can they cancel and get their money back? That is one of those “depending” questions. If they purchased a “cancel for any reason” insurance, then yes, they cancel and get their money back. If the policy was a “cancel for a covered reason”, then unless they are canceling because one of them is sick or injured, then they would need a doctor's statement of incapacity to travel.

For those already booked,it's important to know what travel insurance usually will cover such as interrupted travel and emergencies occurring while traveling and that typically includes contracting an illness,(including the coronavirus)..It is also important to make oneself aware about what you need to do under the policy to ensure a claim is not denied. For example, a policy may require the insured to see a doctor on the ship or overseas and getting proper billing to show to the insurance company for reimbursement.

If a traveler has already booked a cruise or tour, and there is a concern about whether the trip will still go, contact the travel advisor with whom you booked the trip and they will advise you based on what they have seen or heard regarding the trip. Naturally, the cruise lines and tour operators are diligently keeping their eye on the situations that might pose a vulnerable threat to that trip, and will not allow their exposure to it if there is the slightest chance of a problem. After all, they have more to lose by agreeing to allow it to proceed if there is a perceived danger.

A report yesterday from the World Travel and Tourism Council showed that 33 countries, 16% of the total number worldwide, have reported cases of coronavirus, now known as Covid-19. The vast majority of patients affected by the virus have also fully recovered. Covid-19 has a lower mortality rate than previous viral outbreaks such as SARS in 2003 and MERS in2012. It's important to remember that fatality rates remain very low and the chances of contracting the virus for the vast majority of people are very remote if they travel responsibly and observe simple hygiene measures. Online casino for Aussies - https://i-casinos.net/casino/playamo-casino/

The experienced professional travel advisors at The Travel Factory are eager to help you manufacture the vacation of your dreams, and we are currently not advising guest to consider China, Japan, or Hong Kong, or Korea.....way too risky. Anywhere else, we are experts and are happy to be able to advise you safely. Contact us at 4150 Southwest Drive, between Rosa's and Chick-Fil-A, or call us at 698-1421. We exist to serve!!!