New Variant?

I have a holiday booked for January (U.K. to the Canary Islands) but we have always thought that, being winter and just after mass gatherings / germ spreading of Christmas and the New Year that the chances of it happening were 50:50. Now, it will probably go the way of last year’s January trip - cancelled.

You can’t do anything about the spread of this variant (other than wear a mask indoors, socially distance and avoid contact with others as much as possible) so we have to wait to see if the vaccines give protection.

I wouldn’t be booking any new trips abroad at present and I haven’t flown intercontinental since before the pandemic. I am probably going to start some high level research for an April 2023 month long trip to Japan, but I won’t be making any bookings. If it can’t be 2023, then it will be useful route planning for whenever we can get there.

Unfortunately, I’ve already paid for my flights. Now I’m just hoping I won’t lose my money again, and worse, I’m hoping this doesn’t break my will to keep trying to travel to Europe on my own. I guess I’m having quite the pity party this morning.

I know how disheartening this is…
After cancelling several trips in 2019 for family reasons, 2020 a bust & now just cancelled a trip for next week due to increased risk of variant, shifting requirements & hoards of holiday travelers.
I keep planning & postponing- at least until the obstacles are lessened to my comfort level.
At least I have all of my trips planned so whatever location opens up I’m ready to go. I understand the financial aspect is a difficult one because traveling is not cheap.
I had a pity party for a day knowing it wasn't meant to be & will be sweeter when I am there finally. Good luck, we all need it!

There is always going to be a new variant with this virus, unfortunately. I leave for Rome in 2 weeks & although Im nervous, I’m just as likely to get it here vs there. I know that as long as I take the proper precautions (healthy 37, vaccinated, booster next week), I’ll be fine. I’m at a point that I realize this will never go away, so I need to live my life. While that may not make you feel any better as we all live life according to our comfort level, don’t get too discouraged.

Stay positive :)
Amanda

My hubbie read about it last night and I just wanted to bang my head against the wall. Cancelled In fall 2020, cancelled in fall 2021, planning on May 2022. Want to take my family before oldest son gets engaged, which I think is right around the corner. Now this. I haven’t purchased my air yet, and will now wait.

KRS — I certainly feel your pain! Had just booked my final lodging arrangement for our upcoming May 2022 Italy trip when I heard about the new variant. Feeling like I want to crawl back under the covers and never come out.

This was a make-up trip for a cancelled May 2020 trip. Just want to cry as I’m beginning to think that this nightmare is never going to end. Maybe if I were younger I wouldn’t be feeling as bad but aging makes one feel like time is running out for trips like this. Sorry to be such a downer but this is really how I’m feeling at the moment.

Not to me, please, for whining. With a vulnerable toddler grandchild 2 states away, I have no longer been able to safely visit on a monthly basis ( it's going on 8 months now) MY first reaction to the news was and still is piled on anxiety that she is now in even more danger!
Pre-Covid I blithely traveled yearly overseas for several weeks every summer, and saw my scattered US family often. My deposit for my trip to Greenland is now extended to next summer but I will probably lose that $1000. I think it's time to recognize this is the new reality, and until we have achieved global vaccination new variants will continue to be a one passenger flight to quickly spread around the world.
Belgium? Israel? Hong Kong? It's like closing the barn door after the horses have galloped away

KRS,

I understand your disappointment. A friend and I just bought tickets to Germany/Austria last week for May. We paid the extra $200 for each ticket to make them refundable.

If you have non-refundable tickets (especially if things are looking bad in Europe), don't cancel. Hope for the airline to cancel your flight (or to make "a significant change"), and then you will be eligible for a refund.

Let’s not panic yet. The experts are still looking at this new variant to see if it will evade our vaccines and the vaccine manufacturers say they can have a new vaccine in about 100 days to address this new strain if need be. We need to wait and see. I am going to trust and hope in science. We have several trips planned for next year ourselves and have already laid out substantial sums (insurance, flights). So fingers crossed.

Let me bring a new perspective. I am currently in the UK. I will be here until early January. I have another trip planned starting in April that will include the UK, Greece, Italy and possibly more.

I am in no way considering canceling my April trip now. Too much can happen between now and then.

I also don't plan to cancel my current trip.

A few minutes ago, the BBC reported that two cases of the new variant have been found here ( Chelmsford and Nottingham). Earlier today, it was reported that 61 people on a flight from South Africa to Amsterdam tested positive for the virus (although they don't know if any if these are the new variant.) They were immediately put into quarantine.

I'm still not changing my plans. I'm not panicking. I knew this variant was going to spread. It was a matter of time.

Your threshold for risk is personal. Each of us have variables that will affect our travel decisions. For those taking trips in the spring, is it really time to feel depressesed or is it too early? You have to decide.

I feel your pain and apprehension. When is your trip? Did you buy refundable plane tickets?

I just bought plane tickets Tuesday for September. Fortunately they are refundable. All my hotels are cancellable/refundable. Only other thing I bought is an Eating Europe gift card (Black Friday sale). Much can happen before my trip so beyond keeping track of new Covid rules and regs for the countries I’m visiting, I am not going to worry.

sure, good to let it out!
i was/still am in the same boat as everyone else. had to cancel my 2020 summer trip to italy. luckily got most of my money back. for summer 2021 got vaccinated as soon i was eligible, monitored the news for restrictions lifting, and booked the flight when 'covid safe flights' were announced. i suppose i'll take the same attitude in 2022. wait and see and commit at the last minute. i understand being a solo traveler and with no family obligations, i have that luxury. i also realize covid is a reality we have to live with until the vast majority of the world's population get vaccinated and all people follow the mitigation rules. without diving into politics and economics i feel that may never happen. in that case, unfortunately, we will be faced with uncertainty for years to come. waves, lockdowns, disruptions, protests, and misery are going to become endemic if not the virus itself. i'll leave you with this. i teach 4-year college and it just occurred to me that i may well have my 'kids' graduate without ever seeing their faces below the eyes in person. sorry for the saturday morning downer. good luck and stay safe.

I am also headed to Italy in two weeks. I have been vaccinated and gotten the booster, AND I had COVID last year. I am watching the rules for entering Italy, and as long as they let me in, I'm going. I am happy to follow all the rules set forth by the Italian government.

I have cancelled many trips in the last two years, and at some point we have to figure out how to live with the virus and be as safe as possible.

It's not easy, I know.

I truly appreciate the kind replies. I got my tickets from United/Lufthansa. I think they are refundable or can be rescheduled, but I’m not positive. On the one hand, I feel embarrassed that something so simple to many is such a challenge to me. On the other hand, at least I’m trying, which is something I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do a few years ago.

I think I’m going to push ahead and keep researching for the trip, since it can’t hurt, but I’ll hold off on making actual reservations for now.

I'm just thankful that between Delta and Omicron, there were 10 Greek letter named variants that ended up not being of significant concern.

"On the one hand, I feel embarrassed that something so simple to many is such a challenge to me. On the other hand, at least I’m trying, which is something I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do a few years ago."

Well, for people who have traveled more it may seem as if travel in these times is not a challenge but I can assure you for me it is! I did go to France for a month in Sept/Oct, joining a Road Scholar tour for part of the time. I was anxious for most of the time about testing positive on the antigen test to return to the US but it all was fine.

TBH, I wore an N95 mask the whole time - indoors (required anyway), outdoors, on transit, all the time unless I was eating/drinking or in my room. Few were wearing masks on the street then (rules have changed now) and even fewer were wearing the N95s - most were wearing the plain over the ear hospital masks.

You did well by booking directly with the airline as your investment is far more protected there than if you'd booked thru a 3rd party.

Any research you do on your trip will still be good if you don't get to go on this trip so no time is wasted and frankly, it's a lot more fun to research travel than watch the news.

Did I miss it, when is your trip?

BTW, the group here understands your disappointment far better than probably 99% of your social group - unless they are travelers!

Carlos, you little ray of sunshine, you! 😂
Hey, whatever we can laugh about these days, eh?

Hi Kathy, I'm only half joking here 😉 imagine the kind of disruption if every new variant was worse than the last... it would be a monthly cycle, that would really put international travel on the back burner.

I'm not too worried at this point, let's see what the studies say about this new variant, most of what I've seen is just speculation at this early stage.

Carlos has a real point there.

I feel embarrassed that something so simple to many is such a
challenge to me.

KRS,

I'm not sure if you are talking about buying plane ticket or planning European trips here, but you should not be embarrassed by either. Plane ticket sales are for more complicated than they should be. Many, many people are confused by what they have purchased and what the conditions are on what they have purchased. Even the airline customer service reps have trouble figuring out the conditions of tickets. I purchased a refundable ticket on Lufthansa in the spring for a Sept trip that I had to cancel. When I called, the CSR kept saying, "I can't tell whether this ticket is refundable. I will issue you a credit." I had to say 3 or 4 times, "No, it's refundable. You will refund it, or you will let me talk to someone who can refund it."

As for planning trips, that has a bit of a learning curve, too. We're all delighted you want to travel and want to do the planning. The vast majority of people on this board are here to help. We all started where you are... but we were fortunate enough not to have to deal with a global pandemic when we began.

Also... I agree with waiting to see how things shake out. I have a May 2022 trip to Germany/Austria and an August 2022 trip to Bosnia that I am hoping to take. I worked on the Bosnia trip for a few hours last night...

From United Airlines ---- "We’ve permanently gotten rid of change fees for most Economy and premium cabin tickets for flights within the U.S., or between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean. You also won’t pay change fees for international travel originating in the U.S."

Not a refund, we did purchase cancel without reason travel insurance for our May / June 2022 trip which provides 75% coverage.

^^^^ Nick - You are 100% correct.

I feel like most people are a bit disheartened about this new variant and the potential for it to be a problem. Like others here have said, we are just going to wait and see what happens, although we do have almost 5 months for the picture to become clearer. I am thinking we will book a back up hotel in France for the time period we are supposed to be in London, in case the requirements for UK entry are too much when our trip rolls around. Honestly, the reports Ive heard from multiple sources about poor masking and social distancing has already made us reconsider. If the variant evades the vaccines currently in use, we will most likely cancel/postpone. It would be very disappointing, but it is what it is, and we decided to plan this trip knowing it could go awry.

I am feeling thankful that I’ve just returned from Italy before the new thing has gained a lot of traction.

That being said, I felt totally safe flying and commuting. Folks here in the states are way worse about masking, hand washing, etc. In Italy compliance in the 2 weeks I was there was close to 100%. Even outdoors many people stayed masked up, it was really a relief to see.

We don’t know what this new thing will bring, and it’s completely normal to feel as you do, but given what I saw in Italy I would not hesitate to travel their again if we are still allowed.