There’s a lot we still don’t know about the novel coronavirus (aka covid-19), including how it spreads, how to limit its growth, how to avoid becoming infected, and — perhaps most pressing for travelers — how governments will react to the virus as they plan for disease control.
(The one thing that I HAVE learned so far is that buying those surgical masks you see people walking around with does nothing.) 🙂
Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!
They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020
Catching coronavirus while traveling (AKA I don’t wanna die!)
I should preface this paragraph by saying that IANAD (I am not a doctor). I guess really that disclaimer should go for this whole post — if you’re reading travel blogs looking for sound medical advice, well, I don’t know what to tell you :-). All I can do is share what I’ve seen and read, and talk through my own thought process for how I am approaching upcoming trips to see if that helps you as you make your own travel decisions.
I know that many of you as readers are also frequent travelers, so I’m also interested to hear what your plans are and if you’ve changed any trips (either already booked or planned for the future).
Again, I am not a doctor nor am I am epidemiologist. The closest I can get to that is that I have played Pandemic the board game and I have an EPIDERMIS if that helps?
But when I look at the maps of where the coronavirus has spread, I can’t see any way that the outbreak is going to be able to be contained. There are already so many cases in so many different places all around the world that I am having trouble seeing how it can possibly be contained.
So I am less worried about catching the coronavirus while traveling because I feel like it’s fairly inevitable that it’s eventually going to come to my city as well. In totally anecdotal and not scientific at all evidence, when we were at our doctor (for unrelated issues), she basically said the same thing — it’s coming, so prepare for it like you would prepare for any other flu / cold / illness.
I don’t want to be presumptuous, but you can also just wash your hands even if there’s *not* some pandemic currently capturing your attention. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion.
— Anil Dash (@anildash) February 29, 2020
Other coronavirus impacts: Travel restrictions or travel bans, etc.
So I’m not as worried about the actual disease, but what I am mildly concerned about is the reaction from governments trying to contain the outbreak. One way that could affect travel is if the government where I’m traveling shuts things down and/or imposes a quarantine where I am.
For example, what could have happened if you had been traveling through Wuhan Province in mainland China a few months ago? China could have restricted your movements, and then you’d have been stuck somewhere for who knows how long.
Another possible impact could be the U.S. government putting quarantine or other restrictions on travelers returning to the U.S. An example of that would be the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where U.S. passengers were kept on the ship for weeks and then quarantined before they were allowed to return home in hopes it would protect the public health.
Coronavirus travel: Should you cancel your international trips?
Again, I am not a doctor but since you’re here … I think I’d say “it depends.” If you have impending travel to places where there have been a high amount of coronavirus cases (China, Iran, South Korea, northern Italy), then I might reconsider. The Centers for Disease Control has a page sharing the risks in different places. The The U.S. State Department currently says Lombardy and Veneto (northern Italian provinces containing Milan and Venice) are a no-go, putting them on the highest Level 4 travel advisory. Italy itself is at Level 3, which is “reconsider travel,” and Japan is at Level 2, “exercise increased caution.” Keep an eye out as the U.S. government adds to or edits its advisories.
Coronavirus travel: What about trips in the U.S.?
For travel within the U.S. and to other places that have no or minimal outbreaks, I personally would not cancel trips. For travel that’s a few months out, I would not cancel flights and lodging prematurely but would definitely keep an eye on the situation.
How I’m thinking about my own travel plans
Okay now, what am I doing? I have a few upcoming trips throughout the next year.
Most of my trips are within the U.S. and I am not planning any changes. That includes a trip to Hawaii, which I am more concerned about but not concerned enough to cancel the trip.
My son and I are heading to Argentina and Chile later this year. Originally he was talking about visiting Japan but changed destinations (before anything was known about coronavirus). Argentina and Chile each have 0 cases so far, so no changes to that trip.
The one trip that is most in the air is a trip my sister, dad, and I are planning on taking this summer to Europe. We’ve nailed down dates but have not yet booked anything. One of the locations we had in mind was northern Italy, and that is definitely being reconsidered. As it stands now, I think we’re likely to still go to Europe, but we may adjust the destinations there.
More resources: What happens when you cancel a flight booked with points?
Now it’s your turn. How has the coronavirus impacted your travel plans? Leave your thoughts in the comments
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Upcoming trips to Hawaii in early April and Europe (Dam and Paris) in late July. I have absolutely no plans to cancel either for nothing more than a fancy new flu bug. Too much time, effort, money, and points to throw it all away now.
Have a trip 12 days from now to Australia and New Zealand. No plans to cancel. Looking at CDC world wide map, those countries don’t look affected anyway. Warm temperatures maybe? Not sure. Not going to be scared by this hype.
Heading to area outside of Dubai in April, then Aust., Fiji, Hawaii in June. I have no plans to cancel any of those.
IMHO, it seems to all come down to whether or not a person has an underlying health problem, especially lung related, that could be compromised by a serious virus. Otherwise, seems to me to just be an unusual flu bug. The mandatory quarantine, especially if outside the country, scares me more.
I agree. Some sort of quarantine does worry me a little too. Want to be able to get back to US at the end of the trip April 6. 🙂
Your other readers seem more sanguine than I am feeling at the moment. This is not an ordinary flu. This is a novel virus that can remain on hard surfaces for up to nine days in optimal temperature conditions. Think of how many fingers touch the handrail of an airport escalator in nine days, or the handle of a toilet in a public restroom. It is also a virus that appears to have a 2% kill rate, which is more than enough to overwhelm a medical system. It might even be enough to significantly disrupt the supply chain for necessities like food.
I have a number of domestic trips coming up for work, and one to Canada, and don’t plan to cancel them unless the related conferences and events are canceled. But I’m also not booking any leisure trips right now. It’s possible that this virus could be marvelously contained and turn into a nothingburger, and we will all yawn and go watch disaster movies on Netflix. It’s possible it could be temporarily contained over the next two months, only to come roaring back with a vengeance in the fall (a nod to the 1918 Spanish influenza here). And it’s possible that this could become terribly serious right now, right here. I don’t know what will happen. I will hope for the best and try to prepare for the worst.
I was actually planning a weekend trip to NYC on March 13. I have one of the last remaining “any IHG” certs to use and booked the Crowne Plaza Times Square. But sadly, I have cancelled that. My son is just getting over a flu-like illness and the thought of being on a plane and then in a large city full of possibly infected people (not just coronavirus … but also flu and other viruses) .. I just didn’t feel comfortable.
So we are going to take a driving trip…possibly Asheville NC.
I hate to waste the valuable cert but something in my gut is telling me not to go. So I’m going to trust that.
We have a 16 day trip to the Balkans planned for July. I probably will cancel because it is mainly by bus with long drives most days.
We have plans for a 16 day trip to all parts of Spain and are watching things so we can make an informed decision. I am not as concerned with the illness as I am the quarantine protocol that might impact our trip. However, I can also think of far worse places to be than southern Spain for a bit more time than originally planned.
I have a few trips planned for the summer. One trip to mainland Spain (Madrid, and Malaga), along with a side trip to the Spanish Island of Mallorca. I also have two trips planned in late summer, and early fall, both trips are to the U.K. At the moment I have not canceled anything, but am taking a wait and see approach. I do have a few health issues, including cardiovascular disease. What I have been reading is that people with cardiovascular disease are considered to be in the high-risk category, and therefore if the virus does not quell by the time my trip commences I will be canceling. I don’t want the added stress of getting sick in Europe, and being away from my physicians here in the States, and then being quarantined for an unspecified amount of time.
I also feel that the airlines are not really doing much to help themselves by quashing the public’s fears of flying in a plane that potentially could be an incubator for the virus. It’s nice that the majors are allowing the general public to book now, and change later. My concern, however, is boarding a flight that has an infected person on board. Or, what about having to sit next to a person that is sniffling, coughing, and sneezing? What will the airlines do about this? Also, the airlines should be disinfecting their planes between each trip, and then tell the public that they are doing this. The airlines are all complaining that their revenue is going down, but what are they doing to calm the public so that the public feels comfortable enough to purchase tickets?
Not even sure I want to drive to Atlantic city in a few weeks much less fly to Vegas in a couple months…what say you..
We have a trip planned to Spain and Portugal in April. 80% chance we’re cancelling. We are in good health, but over 60. Of greatest concern is having our trip extended due to a quarantine. Gut says not to go. have trip cancellation coverage and can re-deposit points and miles, so minimal monetary cost. Loss of the time spent planning the trip is more painful.
What about a trip to Vegas in May…Cancel? Twenty something year old thirty something and fifty something to be attending.
I’m a highly cautious person, and I decided to postpone all my travel plans until the WHO declares the end of the pandemic. I hope to hear the good news in summer or fall. I won’t be able to relax and enjoy my adventure if I venture anywhere during the time of the pandemic. You never know what to expect. One day you come to a destination with 0 cases of coronavirus disease, but suddenly one case is reported, and your trip might be ruined by travel bans, quarantine, and other severe measures imposed by the local government. That was actually the case in Ukraine.