We're scheduled on a tour in September. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was still hopeful. But now it doesn't seem there's any way travelers will be freely traveling around the world, packing ourselves on planes, entering/exiting foreign countries, etc. by then. I've gone from hoping the tour would happen to wishing RS would cancel asap, so I would have one less thing in limbo (because basically everything is in limbo, and as a control freak, that's really hard!) and I could attempt to recoup some of the money I've already invested.
As to the money, I have no idea if I'll get anything back, other than the RS deposit (thank you, RS!). We purchased trip insurance long before COVID was on the horizon (beginning of December) but I've heard mixed things and am not counting on them. Our flights are on Air Canada, and I've heard that even if they cancel the flights, they may only issue a voucher and not give us our money back (which would be lousy, because we aren't Canadian and may not have any opportunity to fly Air Canada in the immediate future). I booked a non-refundable hotel in Rome for 4 days prior to our tour -- which I have never done before, but did because I was confident having the travel insurance. I will see whether I can get a refund or a voucher for a future stay, but -- honestly -- the hotel may be out of business by now. That will be a big financial hit. A couple of other small things, like a 50 euro deposit at small B&B which I might just let them keep....they probably need it more than I do at this point.
I'm also just really sad about our future as travelers. We're nearing retirement, and were looking forward to traveling more than ever. But now we've lost a lot of our retirement savings. I may also lose my job....and my college junior may not be able to find a job post-graduation, which will most likely mean international travel is something we'll no longer be able to afford.
