TRAVEL ALERTS
Last Updated March 5, 2020
At Sisters and Suitcases, the safety of our travelers, trip leaders and team members is our top priority. With this in mind, we monitor world events very closely. Sisters and Suitcases makes operations decisions based on informed advice from a number of sources:
For any Sisters and Suitcases trip, if the US Department of State advisory is at ‘Do Not Travel’ then Sisters and Suitcases will either cancel the trip, reroute the itinerary or re-schedule the trip for another date to avoid the areas concerned.
2. Partners + Trip Leaders on the ground Sisters and Suitcases, has very close relationships with our partners and Trip Leaders on the ground in our destinations and we are in regular contact with them. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
3. Government travel advisories Most countries’ governments provide their own travel advice. See below for links to some of the larger ones:
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE
Currently, all Sisters and Suitcases trips are operating as scheduled. Paris, Ghana, Egypt and Southern Italy are not currently considered “affected areas” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Department of State has not adjusted travel advisories to these locations. In addition, our itineraries do not currently include visits to large mass gathering events or cruise ships.
The experts at WHO also say that coronavirus shouldn’t stop people from traveling. Their advice is to take all the same precautions to stay healthy as you would when you are at home. Unless the official advisories change for travel to the cities we are scheduled to visit, we will continue to run trips as scheduled. We will keep monitoring the situation in our destinations closely, and we will update travelers should there be any changes to scheduled trips. As of now, our normal Booking Terms & Conditions apply should you choose to change or cancel your trip with Sisters and Suitcases. Our recommendations for travelers:· Check with your airline regarding any potential changes in service or rerouting.
Frequently Asked Question
1. WILL MY TRAVEL INSURANCE COVER ME IF I DECIDE TO TRAVEL? Many travel insurance companies are not covering travelers if they decide not to travel because of Coronavirus risks. This is because Coronavirus is now considered a “known risk”, and travel insurance never covers “fear” as a reason to cancel a trip last minute. If you are worried about trip cancellation coverage because of the Coronavirus situation, we recommend purchasing or upgrading your current plan to a “cancel for any reason” travel insurance plan. These plans are typically more expensive, but will give you the most likelihood of coverage should any event prevent you from traveling with us. It is your responsibility to confirm your travel insurance coverage.
2. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY FLIGHT IS CANCELED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS? If your flight is cancelled due to COVID-19, you should contact your airline and travel insurance provider to discuss your travel options. Many airlines are rerouting flights to avoid affected areas. If you are able to reroute, please share your new flight information with us.
If your flight is cancelled and you are unable to join the trip, you should email [email protected] to confirm your cancellation. We will send you documentation that can be used to make a compensation claim from your insurance provider.
For any Sisters and Suitcases trip, if the US Department of State advisory is at ‘Do Not Travel’ then Sisters and Suitcases will either cancel the trip, reroute the itinerary or re-schedule the trip for another date to avoid the areas concerned.
2. Partners + Trip Leaders on the ground Sisters and Suitcases, has very close relationships with our partners and Trip Leaders on the ground in our destinations and we are in regular contact with them. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of their various areas is vital.
3. Government travel advisories Most countries’ governments provide their own travel advice. See below for links to some of the larger ones:
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE
Currently, all Sisters and Suitcases trips are operating as scheduled. Paris, Ghana, Egypt and Southern Italy are not currently considered “affected areas” by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Department of State has not adjusted travel advisories to these locations. In addition, our itineraries do not currently include visits to large mass gathering events or cruise ships.
The experts at WHO also say that coronavirus shouldn’t stop people from traveling. Their advice is to take all the same precautions to stay healthy as you would when you are at home. Unless the official advisories change for travel to the cities we are scheduled to visit, we will continue to run trips as scheduled. We will keep monitoring the situation in our destinations closely, and we will update travelers should there be any changes to scheduled trips. As of now, our normal Booking Terms & Conditions apply should you choose to change or cancel your trip with Sisters and Suitcases. Our recommendations for travelers:· Check with your airline regarding any potential changes in service or rerouting.
- Check with your travel insurance provider for any changes to your policy
- Check your own government’s travel advisory website for travel updates
- Read the advice provided by WHO on how to stay healthy, which can be found here.
Frequently Asked Question
1. WILL MY TRAVEL INSURANCE COVER ME IF I DECIDE TO TRAVEL? Many travel insurance companies are not covering travelers if they decide not to travel because of Coronavirus risks. This is because Coronavirus is now considered a “known risk”, and travel insurance never covers “fear” as a reason to cancel a trip last minute. If you are worried about trip cancellation coverage because of the Coronavirus situation, we recommend purchasing or upgrading your current plan to a “cancel for any reason” travel insurance plan. These plans are typically more expensive, but will give you the most likelihood of coverage should any event prevent you from traveling with us. It is your responsibility to confirm your travel insurance coverage.
2. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY FLIGHT IS CANCELED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS? If your flight is cancelled due to COVID-19, you should contact your airline and travel insurance provider to discuss your travel options. Many airlines are rerouting flights to avoid affected areas. If you are able to reroute, please share your new flight information with us.
If your flight is cancelled and you are unable to join the trip, you should email [email protected] to confirm your cancellation. We will send you documentation that can be used to make a compensation claim from your insurance provider.
