It’s only a few hours before the vacation you’ve been planning for nearly a year is scheduled to start. You’re finishing your last items on your checklist at work and turn on the vacation notice for your email. Umbrella drinks are calling your name! Then the phone rings – it’s your husband. The first words out of his mouth are, “We both have fevers.” I’ll spare you the details of their symptoms and leave it at fevers were only the beginning of it.
First, Assess the Situation
After checking on both my husband and preschooler, I went past denial and into triage mode. What were we going to do? Is this an overnight bug or worse? What were our options? Should we cancel the vacation or see if we could simply depart a day or two later? If you are borderline on whether to travel, consult the Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
I reached out to our pediatrician. After my husband went to urgent care, we called it. No vacation.
Buy the Trip Insurance
I never purchase trip insurance, but for some odd reason I did this time. It was our first experience with VRBO and paying that much money made me a little nervous. Boy, am I thankful I ponied up that extra $100!
Understand the Terms of Your Insurance Policy
As soon as my husband called, I reached out to the insurance company. The agent let me know I’d need a signed doctor’s note stating that my son couldn’t travel. Thankfully, our pediatrician answered the phone on Friday afternoon and said that yes, there was a nasty virus going around Wichita. When my husband went to urgent care the next morning, they also gave him a document stating he couldn’t travel. You also need to provide several other documents to process your claim such as proof-of-travel dates and proof of payment.
Check Your Airline Cancellation Policy
Southwest was possibly made for traveling with kids. You have until an hour before the flight to cancel it. While you don’t get a refund, the money converts to “Travel Funds” that they keep until you are ready to rebook. There’s no fee for canceling or changing your ticket.
Most domestic airlines don’t allow you to make a change to your ticket without penalty, so read all the fine print when booking. There’s always a chance with documentation from a doctor that they may be willing to help. After all, they do want you to rebook.
Use a Travel Agent if Travelling Internationally or with A Large Group
With all of the online tools available, it likely doesn’t even cross your mind to use a travel agent. You might be surprised to know that travel agents can often save you money, help with canceled flights, recommend what kind of travel insurance you need and so much more.
Make Lemonade Out of Your Lemons
After I pouted for about 24 hours, it was time to suck it up and move on. We ended up taking a two-day trip to Kansas City. It was a fabulous experience for our son and he got to use his new suitcase that he’d been lugging around the house for weeks. Due to his age, we luckily never had to tell him we weren’t going to California and we already have our trip rescheduled for this month!
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