Anyone Considering Cancelling Travel

[Retired Expat]

The main reason I am not traveling by plane is not Covid--it is because of the delays and cancellations. I know a couple that had their flight delayed by 2 days so they just gave up and came back home.

While cancellations and delays are a major concern, I simply can’t stomach the prices!! For us most anywhere is minimum 14-18 hours of travel so we said only business class going forward. So while a couple of grand a ticket up to several grand is pricey and feels a bit like blow that dough, paying 12 grand for something but that was 2500 and will be again is just hard to swallow. Even a coach ticket to US or Europe is now $1800, a thousand more than prepandemic for longer flights with worse routing, longer layovers and service. We will wait until fall or even next spring!

 

[explanade]

Hmm, it looks like a lot of premium credit cards dropped a lot of travel coverage like medical evacuation.

So if you're stuck in a place where they're giving you antibiotics for covid, you're on your own for getting to better medical facilities.

Unless you have Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve cards.

Otherwise self-insure.

 

[tulak]

Are they in Prague or some small town?

Maybe there’s some medical evacuation coverage with their credit card?

Good question. Lots of good medical facilities in the Czech Republic (it hasn’t be Czechoslovakia for almost 40 years). If they are in Prague, then it should be easy. I imagine Bratislava/Kosice in Slovakia are similar.

This brings up a good point though. If you’re traveling internationally, it’s wise to know where english friendly medical facilities are located.

 

[harllee]

Are they in Prague or some small town?

Maybe there’s some medical evacuation coverage with their credit card?

They were in Prague. But they have left and are now in Germany (wife was able to drive, husband is in worse shape, wife is 65 and husband 70). They have gotten the antiviral (not sure which one) but it is over 5 days since first symptoms so it may not help. They said the medical services available in Prague were the worst they had ever seen and they have traveled all over the world. Fortunately both vaccinated and 2 boosters each so that may save their lives.

 

[harllee]

Good question. Lots of good medical facilities in the Czech Republic (it hasn’t be Czechoslovakia for almost 40 years). If they are in Prague, then it should be easy. I imagine Bratislava/Kosice in Slovakia are similar.

This brings up a good point though. If you’re traveling internationally, it’s wise to know where english friendly medical facilities are located.

My sick friends said that they could find no urgent care or doctor to see them in Prague so they had to go to emergency room in a hospital. There were at least 100 sick people there and only a few doctors, not even a seat available. They waited 6 hours to see a medical person (not a doctor). They said the place was dirty and no masks, the medical staff did not even wear masks. And then the only help they got for Covid was an antibiotic.

 

[athena53]

Hmm, it looks like a lot of premium credit cards dropped a lot of travel coverage like medical evacuation.

So if you're stuck in a place where they're giving you antibiotics for covid, you're on your own for getting to better medical facilities.

You might be on your own anyway. Evacuation might mean taking you to the nearest "acceptable" facility. My friend's brother had a transient ischemic attack on a Caribbean cruise and was taken to St. Kitts, where the hospital gave him a bed and 3 squares a day. No PT, no TV, no Wi-Fi. Friend went down there and brought him home- he needed a wheel chair and had temporarily lost his ability to read so could not have made it home on his own.

I've gotten coverage from MedJet Assist for my more adventurous trips- they're a class act and they'll take you in a private plane to any hospital you choose, including back home. The catch is that you have to have been admitted to a hospital at the place where you're traveling. So, "treated and released", which applies to most COVID cases (thank heaven) wouldn't qualify.

 

[Chuckanut]

Hmm, it looks like a lot of premium credit cards dropped a lot of travel coverage like medical evacuation.

So if you're stuck in a place where they're giving you antibiotics for covid, you're on your own for getting to better medical facilities.

Unless you have Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve cards.

Otherwise self-insure.

ONe could purchase medical evacuation [-]insurance[/-] services from an outfit like MedJet Assist. It's not cheap, but it's certainly a lot cheaper than paying out-of-pocket for evacuation.

 

[explanade]

My sick friends said that they could find no urgent care or doctor to see them in Prague so they had to go to emergency room in a hospital. There were at least 100 sick people there and only a few doctors, not even a seat available. They waited 6 hours to see a medical person (not a doctor). They said the place was dirty and no masks, the medical staff did not even wear masks. And then the only help they got for Covid was an antibiotic.

I wonder if in a case like that medical evacuation insurance would have gotten them at least to another country.

The premium cards have concierge services so they can refer you to facilities, even if they don't cover it.

But it's interesting, some countries may not have bothered to stock Paxlovid.

If they did get Paxlovid, it would be a 5-day prescription of two pills, the Paxlovid and a second antiviral which keeps it in the bloodstream.

 

[explanade]

You might be on your own anyway. Evacuation might mean taking you to the nearest "acceptable" facility. My friend's brother had a transient ischemic attack on a Caribbean cruise and was taken to St. Kitts, where the hospital gave him a bed and 3 squares a day. No PT, no TV, no Wi-Fi. Friend went down there and brought him home- he needed a wheel chair and had temporarily lost his ability to read so could not have made it home on his own.

I've gotten coverage from MedJet Assist for my more adventurous trips- they're a class act and they'll take you in a private plane to any hospital you choose, including back home. The catch is that you have to have been admitted to a hospital at the place where you're traveling. So, "treated and released", which applies to most COVID cases (thank heaven) wouldn't qualify.

ONe could purchase medical evacuation [-]insurance[/-] services from an outfit like MedJet Assist. It's not cheap, but it's certainly a lot cheaper than paying out-of-pocket for evacuation.

They let you decide if you want to be evacuated?

I know travel insurance policies, it sounds like it's all at their discretion, not yours. These are policies you enroll it per trip and typically under $100.

A few years ago there was an article about Amex spending well into 6 figures to evacuate some of their clients but Platinum is now $695 annual fee and they don't really advertise the benefit that much on their web site.

 

[EastWest Gal]

One could always purchase travel insurance from a company such as Travelguard or Allianz. I wonder about getting Paxlovid to take along when traveling abroad.

 

[explanade]

Yeah if they would prescribe it before you're actually infected though.

I have a feeling if Medjet wouldn't evacuate you to a different facility in a different country because you don't trust the care you're getting in a given country, I don't know if travel insurance policies would either.

In this case, it sounds like they had good reasons to be suspicious of the care they got in Prague but would ANY insurer agree to spend thousands, probably tens of thousands at least, just because YOU didn't like the care you were getting?

 

[bmcgonig]

One could always purchase travel insurance from a company such as Travelguard or Allianz. I wonder about getting Paxlovid to take along when traveling abroad.

Apparently under the EUA it’s not approved for those circumstances, although if you know the right doc they might give it to you.

 

[Chuckanut]

They let you decide if you want to be evacuated?

You have to be hospitalized and need further treatment. So, as I understand it, you can't get evacuated home for a broken arm that is treated and set in another country. If you have to quarantine in a hotel room for a week, it won't help you one bit. It's for getting home with a major illness or a very bad accidental injury. Certainly read up on them before you buy the coverage and decide for yourself. My personal philosophy towards insurance is to insure against the costly items that threaten my overall quality of life. And, pay for the less costly problems out of my own pocket.

Note: legally, It's not insurance.

Medjet is not actually insurance, it's an international air-medical transport and travel security program that operates on a membership model. They provide air medical transportation to members who are hospitalized more than 150 miles from home, getting them home, to a hospital of their choice, for continued inpatient care.

I can't tell you what to do, but here is what I decided to do. For various reasons, I have decided I am going to be doing a lot of traveling over the next 3-5 years. I have family I want to see in other states. I still want to see parts of the USA and some other countries. And, face it, I am not getting any younger. Age limitations are starting to raise their ugly heads.

As part of my plan I just bought three years of service from Medjet. Why? First I noticed that their yearly price had NOT gone up this year despite inflation. And on top of that, they offered a discount for buying three years at once. Also, I get the AARP discount which helps. (Its one of the few times being a member of AARP has paid off.) So... No yearly price increase, AARP discount, multi-year discount - it made sense for me. YMMV.

 

[athena53]

You have to be hospitalized and need further treatment. So, as I understand it, you can't get evacuated home for a broken arm that is treated and set in another country. It's for getting home with a major illness or a very bad accident injury. Certainly read up on them before you buy the coverage and decide for yourself. My personal philosophy towards insurance is to insure against the costly items that threaten my overall quality of life. And, pay for the less costly problems out of my own pocket.

Note: legally, It's not insurance.

Totally agreed on both points. I always buy MedJet, which is better defined as a service, in addition to travel insurance which covers actual medical expenses.

 

[braumeister]

You have to be hospitalized and need further treatment.

Maybe a bit more nuanced than that.
Some years ago one of our party had his back go out on him and needed a very expensive helicopter evacuation from the middle of Denali NP down to a hospital in Anchorage. Fortunately, he had evacuation insurance (don't know which one) so it was completely covered.

Another one in our party was a physician so he was able to authorize it over the sat phone. I'm sure it would have been more complicated without that, but still possible.

 

[ivinsfan]

Friends in Czechoslovakia are having a awful time getting medical care for Covid. Both husband and wife have tested positive, feel awful, terrible cough, running temperature. They can't find any urgent care or private doctor to see them. They have been sitting in a hospital emergency room for 6 hours now. They said no one, no even medical staff, is wearing masks. They are asking for the antivirals but they have been told there are none. They are thinking of driving to Germany to get medical help.

I feel empathy for them that things went wrong. It is a choice you make when you decide for whatever reason that you will travel internationally. Of course hindsight is always 20/20. But if you think it can't happen to you , you are wrong. Let us know how your friends are doing...I wish them a quick recovery.

 

[ivinsfan]

One could always purchase travel insurance from a company such as Travelguard or Allianz. I wonder about getting Paxlovid to take along when traveling abroad.

Disneysteve says it's not that simple. Drug interactions, timing etall ..wanting to go abroad isn't really a good enough reason. Devils advocate says then all of us at home should be able have it sitting in our medicine cabinets "just in case" . We can't so why should they.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have not booked any to cancel. We will not either until this Airline shenanigans cools down.

 

[Badger]

We have not booked any to cancel. We will not either until this Airline shenanigans cools down.

I pretty much decided that I won't be doing any more international travel. I just don't see me responding well with the airline "shenanigans" anytime in the near future. There are only few places left in the US that I haven't been to so I may focus on those in a few years. My family comes from Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces and I have been many times since a small child. I would like to go back once more but it will require flying from Fl then renting a car. Other than that it would be a trip to Yellowstone. Hopefully things will settle down enough in 2-3 years. The rest of our travel would be trips by car no more than a days drive to the Smokies and surrounding area. Even though we have been many times (even backpacked in the Smoky Mts on our honeymoon 35 years ago) we still enjoy the mountains during the off season.

Cheers!

Cheers!

 

[brett]

Hoping that the airline crisis will subside by mid September. And covid will no re-emerge in a stronger way and with an increase in cases.

Otherwise we may be staying home.