Hesitation on Morocco
The trip that we have planned is looking shaky. It is a top subject in the world right now and there are many concerns from many sources that perhaps we should cancel our trip. I’m talking about coronavirus. I am not looking to cash in on the scare and the hysteria floating around the world. This is a concern for traveling though and I feel like you should know what I am doing to react to such a development.
First: Keep an Eye on the News
I check the CDC website regularly for updates on my destination countries. As of the writing of this post, Italy is the worst hit region with several deaths. There seems to be a concentration of the outbreak in northern Italy, but the flights that I was looking to take would drop me in Pisa. This is questionable.
Spain has also had a handful of cases, one of which in Catalonia on the mainland, which is effectively Barcelona. It is also troubling that the other cases in Spain were from the Canary Islands which are uncomfortably close of you guessed it: Morocco.
Second: Develop a Timeline
The final decision will be made at least two days prior to departure. That gives me a couple of weeks to see what happens.
Third: Contingency Plans
Initially, I was thinking we could bypass Italy and be ok altogether. The more I read about the spread into Catalonia and the Canaries, the less I think this to be a good idea. I’m not one to be frightened by such things. This virus doesn’t seem to be that bad for most people. However, I find myself in the moral conundrum of whether it is right to potentially expose my community unnecessarily. There is one litmus test I find myself using: Would I visit my 75 year old family member upon my return from this trip? The answer is no.
Plan A
Take the Trip as Designed
This is the easiest plan, for sure. This would take us through Spain, into Morocco, and onto Italy via Tuscany. It is risky. The most risk being in the Italian leg of the journey. There is a chance that someone on our flight would be ill, someone in one of the cities where we stay would be ill, we may be quarantined coming home.
Plan B
Skip Italy
We would have to re-route our return flight to succeed at this one, but that’s not overly difficult. We would jump on a return flight from Madrid, Lisbon, or Barcelona rather than the planned return flight from Rome. That should be a quick call to the airline. During the trip, we would simply fly back to Spain, rather than on to Italy. No big deal.
Plan C
Stay Home
This is the simplest plan and probably the easiest to execute. The question is what do we pursue as far as refunds. I researched my credit card benefits and it looks like we will not get a credit if we cancel the trip. Only if we were to get sick and the illness interrupt our trip or if we were to be evacuated medically during the trip. Ok, now the airlines. As of the time of this writing, American Airlines is not offering vouchers for the dates that we would be traveling. Worst case scenario, we are out $630 each. All things considered, that’s probably not the worst thing that could happen.
All in all, these things happen sometimes and it is important to be well-informed on the situation and try to look at it with a clear head. I find myself a little desperate to travel again, as it has been far too long, but that does not mean that I need to run head-long into a risky vacation for the sake of feeling alive. That being said, I will continue to watch this for my upcoming trip and if you have anything coming, I suggest you do the same.
Update: March 12, 2020
Travel from Europe to the US is banned for 30 days and Ryan Air cancelled our flights. I have applied for the refund for the Ryan Air flight from Morocco to Italy.
Thanks, y’all!
