One of my favorite travel columnists published a list of what travelers fear this Summer. Once you read about the solutions, you can relax.
Delays and cancellations are the number one fear. If you are worried about delays or cancellations and need solace, follow this list. Check the incoming plane’s ETA for your flight on any flight tracker type site. Several are FlightAware, Flightradar24 or links to flight tracking on your local airport site. A quick and easy way to calculate your flight’s timeliness is type its number into a search engine. You’ll see flight status asap. Now you have a head start on announcements. If you are on one of our trips, you can call us 24/7 for updates.
Ahead of your trip, type important numbers into phone contacts. These include your airline, both 800 and non 800 numbers, travel agent, and travel insurer. If expecting an arrival transfer, you should have the transfer company’s 24/7 number also. It is crucial your phone works overseas. If not, don’t be embarrassed, ask a local in the airport to make a call for you, for instance to the transfer driver you cannot locate.
Next Weather? If you live in a hurricane area, definitely obtain travel insurance. Your policy should cover delay and cancellation. Some policies also cover cancellation, if your home is severely damaged and uninhabitable before the trip. Read the small print. Here is a tip for getting in touch with your airline: the 800 airline number might be busy; use the non toll number, or even the airline number in another country. During Covid, when Trump cancelled flights on March 17, I was in London and called call Delta for help. The number was insanely busy in the US and UK, so I dialed Delta’s office in Paris. It was answered by an English speaking member of their partner company, Air France. I got the email and name of the agent. Both were useful for my claim. PS if you are no hold for a long time and cannot get in touch with your insurer or airline, keep the cell bill to prove you tried.
Make sure your cell number is attached to your reservation. Enter your cell on the airline app. It can also be entered by an agent, if you are booking via a third party. Without a contact number, airlines cannot get in touch to arrange a new flight. Do not put a home number as your contact; what help is a call to your home, when you are at the airport? Then answer your cell phone even if you do not recognize the number.
PS if you are overseas, you have to keep your phone on for the airline; it will cost $$ if no wifi. Pay it or be stranded.
Enhance your claim by keeping a file proving needed information. There might be a local tornado that is not big news, but mentioned in a local paper. So have written proof for any delay/cancellation claim. Our company had a claim about a serious traffic jam that closed an airport; the passenger kept a file and proved why she missed the flight.
Politics and cancellation. Insurance does not cover being nervous about an unexpected election protest, local insurgency, or even ‘undeclared’ war. In fact, I read a case this week of a claim for a cancelled El Al ticket which insurance refused. Why? The ticket holder had received an EL AL message saying flights to Israel were suspended for several weeks, but not indefinitely. His flight was after the suspension. He cancelled it too early.
For unusual situations; claim areas must be precise. Example: during the LA fires, LAX airport stayed open with minimal disruptions. Conversely, during the volcano eruption near but not in Mexico City, flights were cancelled because of ash on the runway.
Illness Since Covid people worry about illness when traveling. A good tour company has local partners with a 24/7 help number. Hotels have doctors to call. Pharmacies deliver in most cities and in our experience, staff will jump in. There is The State Dept? My experience is spotty; an officer helped enormously when our son was ill in Amsterdam. He called the CDC about tropical diseases, informed us about the hospital, and checked back to reassure us. Unfortunately, 4 years ago the State Dept officer in Paris did little. I called State’s emergency number, because we could not find a hospital bed for my husband. He was in an ambulance being driven from hospital to hospital in Paris. The officer stated we were not indigent, so he could do nothing.
I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed we were with our expensive credit card help line. They told me we had to hire a travel nurse to help my husband home. $20,000+ I said I would be the nurse; the stated they would warn Delta. I responded, I am calling our lawyer about this; I was an approved instant travel nurse. But again good insurance company will help you with their 24/7 staff.
Crowds in iconic destinations worry you? If you are going to Europe this Summer, do research about interesting suburbs for a break. Examples: A wine day out of Florence? A stroll aross the Arno to open spaces, Boboli Gardens is famous. Paris? Enjoy the Louis Vuitton Fondation and its lovely suburb, Bois de Boulogne. London? do a walk in Hampstead, or take public transportation to a stately home. You’ll find walking tours outside of cities on many sites.
So relax ladies, and get ready for a fabulous Summer trip. We are going to Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico where temperatures are 50-78, join us in August. Here is the link to do so. Our award winning company posts its trips here. Call us also at 646 309 5607. Or email us at https://thewomenstravelgroup.com/contact/
