Uh oh! Should You Cancel Your Trip? (7 Questions to Ask Yourself First)

I often receive messages from people, asking if they should cancel their upcoming vacation. From epidemics, security scares, and political uprisings, to personal emergencies and health issues — there always seems to be something popping up that may potentially create a barrier between you and your next trip.

I’ve even encountered such dilemmas myself. In fact, living with the uncertainty that accompanies travel with Lupus (autoimmune disease) I’ve definitely had to cancel a few trips of my own. I’ve also canceled a trip due to a terrorist attack, bad car accident, and later, a pandemic.

If you’re feeling stuck and wondering if you should cancel your upcoming travel plans, these are great questions to ask yourself to help you figure it out.

Are there travel warnings about the country you plan to visit?

First and foremost — if you’re considering canceling an upcoming trip for safety reasons, the first place I suggest you visit is the US Department of State’s travel advisory. If you are not from the United States, your country may have a similar website.

Use this site to look up the country you plan on visiting, and confirm their respective warning level. Here are the travel warning levels, and what they mean:

• Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
• Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
• Level 3: Reconsider Travel
• Level 4: Do Not Travel

When you search and click on a specific country on the travel advisory list, it’ll direct you to a page that offers more detail about country warnings. This page will provide information about the travel warning level, the date of the travel advisory announcement, and any pertinent messages from the respective US Embassy.

If the country you are visiting has a travel warning Level 3 or 4, I would only visit for necessary travel or try my best to cancel/reschedule. For a Level 4, I would cancel (and expect most airlines to waive cancellation fees, depending on when I booked in relation to the warning).

Note: Remember to pay attention to specific regions when notating warning levels (you can find these details on each country’s page). A small part of a country may have a Level 4 warning, for instance, while the rest of the country is at Level 2. You may not need to cancel, depending on your route.

Also, in cases where the travel warning is health-related, check with the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) for more information on symptoms, testing, treatment, and recommendations for next steps.

Does your doctor agree with you going on this trip?

If you are debating whether to go through with your trip, and travel advisories are giving the OK (travel warning Level 1 or 2), then you may be concerned for other reasons… like your health.

When I first started traveling full time, I was terrified of how my lupus would react (that was around the time I buckled down to get my lupus under control). I consulted with both my Rheumatologist and a travel doctor to make sure I took all the necessary steps to ensure a safe journey.

Sadly, when I was younger, I didn’t have the same luck.

Checking in with my doctor for two separate trips led to hard “No’s”. My kidneys were a wreck; one year they couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and the following year I had to begin chemotherapy treatments.

It was a mess and I was devastated that they wouldn’t give me the OK. But, I listened to my doctors, canceled my trips, and finally got to visit those destinations a decade later while healthy.

Moral of the story: if your doc doesn’t want you going on this trip, it is probably for good reason. You should cancel; ask for a doctor’s note restricting your travel.

Will taking this trip later affect Your day to day life?

Assuming travel warnings are a 1 or 2, and your doctor either OK’ed your travel plans or you never had reason to seek approval, the next question to ask yourself relates to your daily well-being.

For me, if going on this trip has a high probability of affecting my wellness, I may not go. That includes visiting destinations where I may engage in an unhealthy lifestyle, or taking on a physically demanding schedule that I should’ve never agreed on to begin with.

Additionally, if going on this trip will affect my money (ie. my income situation drastically changes and suddenly this trip might put me in a financial hole I don’t feel confident I could recover from), I may also choose to cancel.

Note: Things may get a bit iffy if you are traveling with other people. Remember that your decisions may affect others. If your trip cancellation will financially affect your travel buddy, you should expect to reimburse them for any promised contributions or surcharges.

Will you be reimbursed if you cancel your trip?

Let’s be realistic… many people won’t cancel their trip simply because they’ll lose a lot of money if they don’t have trip insurance. That’s understandable.

In most cases though, if you have to cancel your trip due to a Level 3 or 4 warning from your country’s State Dept., there is a high chance you’ll receive reimbursement for canceling.

But, if travel warnings are a Level 1 or 2, and you don’t have insurance, the costs of canceling might take a toll.

It is important to weigh your options:

• Is your reason for canceling more valuable than the fees that will incur?
• Does the credit card you booked your trip with offer any type of trip cancellation coverage?

I’m going to be honest: I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve purchased additional trip cancellation insurance.

I’ve enjoyed travel without additional trip insurance thanks to the perks of affordable global healthcare paid in cash (that’s how ridiculously expensive the US healthcare system is), as well as booking my trip with a great travel credit card.

Here are times I’ve had to cancel a trip and was fully reimbursed without additional insurance:

1. Terrorist attack overseas. Free cancellation granted.
2. Airline went bankrupt and left us stranded. The credit card I booked with had insurance for insolvency.
3. Car accident. My non-refundable, non-changeable RT tickets were granted free cancellation 24 hours before my flight and credited to my rewards account thanks to a doctor’s note.
4. Level 3 travel warning. Free flight cancellations available and the hotel granted full refund if canceled with a one-week notice.

As you can see from my previous examples, it is possible to cancel your trip with reimbursement even if you don’t have full travel insurance.

It may be hit or miss, but if you truly feel uncomfortable with going on this trip and think you should cancel, check to see if your credit card offers insurance, ask for help from an airline agent, or inquire about a legit doctor’s note.

Will you risk the lives of others if you attend this trip?

Sometimes our trip cancellation dilemma is less about our safety and more about the safety of others. Take for instance, the 2020 pandemic.

I was supposed to attend a conference in Italy when I noticed a travel alert about the northern region of Italy. As someone with an autoimmune disease, I do not take viruses lightly, so I made sure to watch for updates carefully.

Here’s what I noticed:

• Some event attendees were traveling from around the world or planning to pass near higher risk areas (aka the conference may turn into a big ol’ petri dish).
• Other attendees were less concerned about their own health and more concerned about carrying something back home to their high-risk loved ones.
• Some people were completely dismissive toward the concerns of immunosuppressed and immunocompromised attendees, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions.

When choosing whether to continue on with your trip, acknowledging whether you will compromise the health and safety of those around you should be equally important.

It is our responsibility as travelers to ensure the continuation of safe travel by upholding health and safety precautions and standards.

If you know you have been in contact with a virus carrier or show symptoms of any virus, get checked before continuing on with your travel plans. If you have tested positive for any virus, communicate with your doctor so you can get a note to cancel your upcoming trip.

How will your loved ones feel if you don’t cancel this trip?

Debating whether you should cancel your trip due to a funeral/birthday/special event? I’ve missed a number of events in my lifetime, but to me, you kinda know what you can and cannot be MIA for — and whether the person would understand.

It is important to consider your own loved ones, family members, and/or circumstance when debating whether to cancel a trip. Ask yourself:

• Will I be forgiven for not attending this event?
• Is this a life-or-death situation?
• Will I forever regret/never forgive myself for missing this?
• Has this person been there for me without question?
• If the tables were turned, would they cancel their trip for me?

I can’t tell you whether to cancel your trip or not, but I advise you to take a deep look at the situation, and all parties involved, and consider the long-term effects of your decision.

Strong relationships (on both sides) will not falter due to one missed event. I also believe, however, that strong relationships and communication could help avoid this conundrum to begin with.

What does your gut say?

Sometimes we ask for advice because, deep down inside, we know the answer and just don’t want to face it.

• Skipping a loved one’s event? Truth is, you may not think it is an important event (or don’t want to be in that environment) and want someone to reassure you you’re not a bad person for missing out.
• Want to cancel a trip? Maybe something doesn’t feel right, but you don’t want to seem drastic. Our instinct knows our deepest concerns.

The point is… at the end of the day, listen to your gut.

Some call it the subconscious or instinct, others call it God’s covering. Regardless, if you have a nagging feeling about a trip and keep pulling out your hair (or reading articles like this) feeling “stuck” about your decision to cancel the trip, you may already know the answer.

Not everything is for everyone, and not every time is now. One thing I’ve learned years ago is that “Paris” will always be there, so do what’s important and you’ll get there when you can.

I hope this article helped you make your decision! Follow me on Instagram and let me know if you have any more travel questions.

xx, O.

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