Following is an excerpt from a letter submitted by Linda Vogel of Pomona, California:
"I had a happy experience with the travel insurance company Generali Global Assistance (San Diego, CA, 800/874-2442; www.generalitravelinsurance.com), from whom I had purchased insurance for a March 30-April 22 tour of Algeria, Tunisia and Malta that was subsequently canceled due to COVID-19. ..."
Following is an excerpt from a letter submitted by Susan Angel of San Rafael, California:
"My parents, Jean and Bud Marchant, and my husband, Jerry, and I were on the eve of embarking on a 12-day, September 2009 cruise from Istanbul to Venice when my father fell ill and was hospitalized in Istanbul. ..."
"I certainly empathize with Mrs. Zent’s experience of being disembarked unexpectedly from her cruise. My husband, Bob, and I have been disembarked unexpectedly not once but twice from cruises.
"The first time was in October 2018 while traveling on a Panama Canal trip aboard the Volendam of Holland America Line (877/932-4259; www.hollandamerica.com). ... At every step, I felt support from the ship's staff. ..."
"My wife, Debbie, and I had fully paid for a “Pearls of Dalmatia” tour (mostly Croatia) with Odysseys Unlimited (Newton, MA; 888/370-6765, odysseys-unlimited.com). The tour was to be April 16-May 3, 2020, and cost just over $9,000 for the two of us, including extensions but not airfare.
"On March 16, Odysseys called to say they were canceling the tour and offered either a credit for a future booking or a full refund. We chose the full refund, and the money was returned to our credit card while we were still on the phone. ..."
The closing of borders worldwide due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic led to the canceling and postponing of countless travel plans. ITN thought it would be interesting to compare how various tour operators, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, etc., handled the disruptions and travelers’ bookings, so we asked ITN subscribers to write in about their experiences. Many answered the call, and we printed several letters in the last two issues, with more to come.
The closing of borders worldwide due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic led to the canceling and postponing of countless travel plans. ...
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Following is an excerpt from DL Shearer's letter.
"Along with my sister and her grandson (his first cruise), I was scheduled to depart on a 7-day cruise with Holland America Line (Seattle, WA; 877/932-4259, hollandamerica.com), round trip out of San Diego and visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, on Saturday, March 14. ..."
"In December 2019, I reserved 11 nights at Estancia Los Potreros (bookings@estancialospotreros.com, www.estancialospotreros.com), outside of Córdoba, north-central Argentina.
"I had visited the estancia 11 years earlier for some wonderful horseback riding and returned for a stay, March 13-23, 2020." (excerpt from Rosemary McDaniel's letter)
The article “Travel Tips for the Less Able” by Paula Prindle (Jan. ’20, pg. 40) spurred another ITN subscriber, Bobbi Benson, to share her own tips in the letter “Super-senior’s Travel Adaptations” (March ’20, pg. 28). Bobbi also asked readers to tell us how they’ve learned to manage their own travels as time goes on and one’s physical stamina abates somewhat. She wrote, “I would like to hear from super-seniors on how they adapt their travel, making it more physically comfortable and doable.
