With the current coronavirus outbreak dominating headlines around the world, COVID19 has caused many friends and family to reconsider their travel plans. Many people, including Drew, are changing their itineraries and in the process having to cancel flight and hotel bookings.
The value of flexible bookings, which are those you pay at the hotel or are able to get a refund, have really come to the fore. So I wanted to share how you can still book a trip today, but with minimal prepaid commitments.
In this post:
When Will Coronavirus Peak?
Given the nature of a novel coronavirus, there is no date by which the crisis is sure to be over. The BBC quotes Wales’ top doctor estimating the pandemic may peak in May or June as a ‘best guess’.
It would make sense to plan a trip for later in 2020 and beyond.
How To Book Flexible Flights
There is usually a huge difference in price between the cheapest and flexible revenue tickets on the same flight, with the Flex ticket in the example below being 51% more expensive than the Saver fare.
In most situations, it makes no sense to pay that premium for flexibility.
The good news is that most frequent flyer redemptions are actually flexible and cancellable up to the day before travel.
Qantas Frequent Flyer Classic Awards are fully flexible so if you cancel your redemption at least 24 hours before your flight, the penalty is a modest 6,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points. The remaining points and all your taxes are refunded within a week.
Similarly, Virgin Australia charges 7,500 points or A$60 to cancel an international award booking.
Tip: Check when award seats are released with our handy tool
How To Book Flexible Hotels
Unlike flights, the difference between a prepaid and flexible rate is usually under 15%. Here the premium for a ‘pay at the hotel’ rate is well worth it and one reason I believe you should never prepay for a hotel.
Most online travel agents and price comparison site like Trivago allow you to filter results to only show flexible rates (‘pay at the hotel’).
How To Book Flexible Cruises
Given the situation on the Diamond Princess in Yokohama where passengers were kept in quarantine for two weeks, it is no surprise that cruising isn’t at the top of most people’s travel priorities right now.
But it is worth noting that many cruise lines open bookings about 2 years in advance and the deposit can be as low as 10%. My voyages on Cunard have all had the 10% deposit, with the balance due 90 days from departure.
When To Book Activities
Depending on the dollar amount and relative importance to your trip, it can be worth booking activities as soon as they go on sale.
An example are Crown Tickets for the Statue of Liberty in New York. Each day a limited number of visitors are allowed to ascend the 354 steps to the crown of the iconic statue and enjoy the views back toward Lower Manhattan. These tickets sell out online within days of being released.
Similarly, many top restaurants like Blue Hill At Stone Barns book out within minutes on Exploretock. These bookings require prepayment in full but if you have your heart set on dining at that specific restaurant, it would be worth booking in advance.
Naturally, for all other activities that you want to do it makes sense to book no more than a month out.
Summary
With the current coronavirus pandemic causing a lot of disruption around the world, it pays to keep your travel plans flexible. Booking flexible flights through frequent flyer points and sticking with ‘pay at the hotel’ bookings for your accommodation ensures that you are able to change your plans quickly and at minimal cost.
