COVID-19: Should I Cancel My Travel Plans?

With the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, many travel plans have been stuck in limbo. If you have travel plans yourself, you’re probably wondering if you should cancel those plans or proceed with it.

As the situation is changing rapidly, the next best thing to do is to monitor developments closely as you near your travel dates. We have outlined a few measures and considerations when deciding if you should cancel or proceed with those travel plans.

There is a flood of information on the Internet, on the news, from your WhatsApp group chats, word-of-mouth, and every other source of information there is out there. When in doubt, always double-check the credibility of rumours or information from trusted sources like the CDC, WHO, or Ministry of Health. 

One of the first things to do when deciding if you should cancel your travel plans is to cross-check your travel destination with the CDC’s website for the latest warnings and precautions. Check out the Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Coronavirus Disease 2019 Information for Travel website for up-to-date information on the risks of COVID-19 by country.

Besides that, you can also check if your country has issued a travel ban or travel warning to the destination you’re planning to travel to. If your destination has some major travel warnings or restrictions, then you have your answer.

WHO has recently classified the current COVID-19 situation as a global pandemic. Meanwhile, the CDC recommends avoiding non-essential travel.

Flights to several high-risk destinations have been cancelled during this COVID-19 outbreak period. Besides that, many airlines have also issued policy changes amid the outbreak to waive cancellation fees and/or allow for more flexibility in changing travelling dates.

Hence, do check with your airline on your flight status and what can be done should you choose to cancel or postpone your trip.

Another possible scenario to consider is that flights coming back home may be cancelled or grounded due to the spread of the virus, leaving you stranded. This highly depends on where you’re travelling to and how the outbreak develops, which can be unpredictable.

If the purpose of your trip is to attend a particular event or visit a certain attraction, make sure to check if they are proceeding as usual during your travel dates. Meetings, large gatherings and events in many places have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely, sometimes announced at the last minute. 

Besides that, places that draw in large crowds like theme parks, popular attractions, seasonal festivals and more have also closed their doors temporarily to prevent the spread of the virus.

KLOOK UPDATE: Customers who have booked activities in mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau dated till 15 March 2020 can either choose to reschedule or seek a refund, at no additional cost. 

For customers who have booked activities at all other destinations and wish to reschedule or cancel your bookings dated till 15 March, we will require your assistance to share appropriate supporting documents. Please note that this is a very busy period and it may take some time to hear back - but rest assured we have your query and will attend to it as soon as we can.

For customers who have booked Klook activities that have temporarily closed for your visiting dates, please reach out to the Klook customer support to reschedule or request for a refund.

To reiterate again, the COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly on a daily (and even hourly) basis. What might be the current situation may be very different the next day. Hence, keep yourself informed and updated via trusted sources if not for your travel plans then for your general health and safety during this period.

To best understand the situation - here’s the official travel advisory for Malaysia to stay on top of updates. World Health Organization (WHO) daily updates and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel information will also help you stay informed.

Klook is here to help in any way we can. If you’d like any amendments to your booking- please get in touch with our customer support team at Ask Klook, we are available 24/7 to help you out.