Should You Plan A Summer Vacation Right Now?

By Madison White on April 15, 2020

Because COVID-19 concerns have led to policies changing day by day, is it possible to plan a summer vacation, and if so, should you? At this point, it is very difficult to know what the future looks like. With most of the country under some sort of lockdown or stay-at-home measure, it can be difficult to even imagine gallivanting off to some exotic destination. Many experts are predicting that the crisis could go on for “weeks to months” which doesn’t exactly give a very specific timeline.

If you are still considering whether or not to make plans for this summer, be sure to keep these things in mind.

1. Costs will be low

This is likely to be the number one draw to planning any sort of vacation right now. Because most of the hospitality industry is suffering, you’re way more likely to find cheap deals when it comes to flights, accommodation, and food. As a college student who is likely short on cash anyways, this can be a major draw when you might not have been able to afford certain trips in the past.

If you do end up booking anything right now, one of the utmost important things to do is buy travel insurance. Again, because of how uncertain things are, you do not know if your flight will be canceled or your hotel will close down. You could run into some serious loss of money because of these situations. Travel insurance will help you make sure that you aren’t losing all of your money in case these things happen. Something to be mindful of is that you may need to purchase “cancel for any reason” travel insurance which usually costs a bit more. Some basic travel insurance plans will not reimburse costs that are related to COVID-19.

2. Companies could go out of business

With the world coming to a screeching halt, many companies are shutting down—whether temporarily or for good. Airline companies have already cut way back on the number of flights going out which means that any flights you book for months from now could very well be canceled before then. Many small businesses are trying to stay alive amidst the virus concerns and are still hanging on, but we don’t know if they will be able to survive 2, 3, maybe even more months without revenue.

With this in mind, it is a possibility that the plans you make will not happen due to flights being canceled or businesses shutting down. This could affect hotels, AirBnBs, restaurants, activity spots, and more. Depending on what you have in mind to do while on vacation, you should be aware that some of those things might not exist when vacation time rolls around.

3. Virus transmission risk will still be high

As of early April 2020, the rate of infection is still rising exponentially. There is little evidence that virus spread is slowing or will be slowing anytime soon. Realistically, summer vacations are only 2-3 months away. Even if virus transmission slows, and hopefully it will, it will still be very possible that you could contract and spread the virus easily.

Going on vacation includes many high-risk activities, especially if you are going to be flying. Take a moment to think about all the things you touch at an airport, in the plane, in a hotel lobby, at a restaurant, in public bathrooms, and more. All of these areas are high-touch areas that could easily spread the virus. If you are on vacation, it will also be more difficult to control your own spread and contraction as you will not have the supplies on hand that you might at home.

Conclusion

There are lots of things to weigh and consider right now. Staying safe and protecting our communities should be everyone’s utmost priority right now. Whether our world will look the same or different in a few months, nobody knows. Even medical experts are having a lot of difficulties trying to predict what will happen in the coming months. This is a situation that has not been dealt with in modern times so it is very hard to know exactly what to expect and what to predict will happen in the future.

If you are still desperate to get away during the summer, which is totally understandable, try to plan something that decreases your risk for virus contact. Avoid flying and maybe drive somewhere nearby. Stay in a place that is fairly remote and isolated. Participate in activities that are separate from people you don’t know. All of these things will keep you and the people around you a lot safer.

Above all, please prioritize your own safety and the safety of others. Do what you need to do to stay happy during these uncertain times.

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