How to prepare for a vacation if a pandemic rages in the world

Choose a direction with less risk

The situation with the spread of coronavirus is changing very quickly. Tracking the number of reported cases of infection is most convenient on the site with data collected by Johns Hopkins University, which is updated every few hours.

At the time of writing (March 16, 2020), the most cases of infection - more than a thousand - were reported in China, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Germany, France, the USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Buy travel insurance

Insurance helps to refund money for tickets, housing reservations or a ticket if the trip suddenly fails. Just canceling the trip at will (for example, for fear of infection) and getting paid will not work, more significant reasons will be required to compensate. TD Routing Number Most often, insurance is valid if you were unable to travel because of:

• illness or death - your or close relative;
• refusal to issue a visa;
• damage to property (for example, due to fire or flood);
• trial or military service.

In the case of coronavirus, the first two insured events are more likely to occur: someone may get sick before the trip, and because of this they will have to cancel it, or the country where you plan to travel will stop issuing visas because of a pandemic.

Important : before buying an insurance policy, you need to carefully read the contract and study the list of exceptions, because of which insurance may not work. If the list of exceptions includes an epidemic, pandemic, and quarantine, then perhaps such insurance will be useless. More accurate information can be found in the insurance company where you plan to issue a policy.

Buy return tickets

For such tickets you will be refunded if you suddenly change your mind or for some reason you can’t fly. The possibility of a return (and its conditions) depend on the tariff, and this is always not the cheapest “Economy”. But - and this may turn out to be a nice bonus - usually more baggage weight is included in such tariffs.

Sometimes a special fee may be charged for returning tickets. We have compiled in the table the conditions of the cheapest tariffs with return in the largest Indian airlines

Most airlines allow you to return or change even non-refundable tickets (sometimes with small fees) if entry into the destination country is officially prohibited due to coronavirus. But it’s better not to risk it.

Choose the right time to buy tickets

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the exchange rate at the International Air Transport Association changes - the airfare is converted at the current dollar and euro exchange rates of the Central Bank on Tuesday. Wells Fargo Routing Number If the week the currency went up, then with the purchase of tickets it is better to hurry up until the end of Tuesday. If the dollar and euro fell, then the purchase can be postponed until Wednesday and later.

Book your accommodation with the possibility of free cancellation

Booking

On the website Booking.com, for example, such an option is provided for almost all housing offers. True, sometimes options with free cancellation are a little more expensive than without it. Most often, you can cancel a check-in in a room with a refundable rate 24 hours before the day of the expected arrival or earlier. If you skip this period, the accommodation facility will take a fine - usually in the amount of the cost of a daily room rental.

Booking.com also asks all property owners to cancel any reservation and return the prepayment in countries where entry is restricted or restricted due to coronavirus without penalties. For instance,

• to Israel (with a check-in date before March 31, 2020);
• India (until April 15, 2020);
• Italy (until April 3, 2020);
• some regions in South Korea (until March 31, 2020);
• to mainland China (until March 31, 2020);
• in the USA (until April 14, 2020, for travelers who will be in the EU country within 14 days before arrival).

Recommendations are likely to change over time and the spread of infection in the world. Users can request a free cancellation of the reservation at a non-refundable rate in the booking management section in their personal account.

Airbnb

At Airbnb, the cancellation policy is set by the owners, so the conditions need to be studied in each case. In connection with the coronavirus, the service introduced a free cancellation of the reservation and a full refund, including all fees, for travelers to regions with the highest spread of the virus:

• to mainland China (until April 1, 2020);
• to Italy (until April 3, 2020);
• to South Korea (until March 23, 2020).

In other cases, if the cancellation is related to the coronavirus epidemic, it will need to be documented. For example, if the flight stops with the country where you have booked accommodation, you will have to show the airline tickets and a notice of flight cancellation.

Change currency for vacation in parts

The coronavirus pandemic coincided with a drop in oil prices and a sharp drop in the rupees in India. If you are going on vacation to a country where you will pay in euros or dollars (or change them to local currency), and have not had time to buy enough currency, then a good option is to change it in small portions. In a crisis, the course can change dramatically even within one day. Such a strategy will help to hedge and average the exchange rate.

Here are some more tips on how to change your currency more profitably.

• Compare courses at different banks. The difference between the most profitable and unprofitable rate may be 3 - 5.
• Buy currency in the afternoon on weekdays, while trading on the Moscow Exchange is working: from 10:00 to 18:45.
• Change currency on the exchange. If you have a brokerage account, then the exchange will take place at a favorable exchange rate. True, there is a limitation: you can buy at least $ 1000.
• Buy currency online. In many banks, the exchange rate is more profitable when exchanging through the Internet bank or mobile application

Get a currency card to pay abroad

Non-cash payments in travel have many advantages: firstly, you do not need to bring a bunch of banknotes with you and worry that they will disappear; secondly, you can save using cashback; thirdly, it’s just more convenient than sorting out unfamiliar coins and banknotes in a queue in front of the cash register.

But if you pay abroad with a ruble card, due to sharp exchange rate hikes, the bank may convert at an unprofitable rate. So for traveling it is best to open a card with a foreign currency account - and transfer the necessary amount to it in advance (here you can also use the advice to change money in small portions). It is more reliable to pay hotels, if possible, in dollars or euros from a foreign currency account.