Is Coronavirus keeping you from booking liveaboard/overseas trips this year?

[O-ring]

What if the disease gets more widespread in an area you are traveling to or through. But flights are still going and not a quarantine. Not clear that your trip insurance will reimburse if it can be considered a voluntary choice if you or spouse is not comfortable with going and wants to cancel.

I've never bought trip insurance and your statement plus my back of the napkin assessment that the fine print looks like there are innumerable ways for them to weasel out of paying have convinced me not to buy it this time around either. I think you could make a stronger argument that making a "go/no go" decision and cancelling now and eating any non-refundable percentages makes more sense than gambling on whether or not the trip insurance will pay out. I think I'll leave my trips scheduled and just let the cards fall where they may.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

trip insurance won't cover any cancellations either by you or the company due to an existing condition... like a pandemic that started before your trip. I looked into it when booking our trip to the Philippines this coming November.

When you compare the number of people infected to the number of people who have died from it, the annual US flu is WAY scarier. It just isn't as contagious. Of course, all this could be completely wrong and we are all screwed. Honestly, though, I'd rather be on a tropical remote island in the Philippines when the sh*t hits the fan than on my commute on the NYC subway. Big cities in the US are going to be a sh*t show when (not if, but when) this thing makes landfall.

Unless our president is correct in saying that they have this well under control, our borders are sealed from anyone coming infected with it, and it will go away in April when it warms up. I will, however, remain skeptical until VP Pence utters something intelligent on the topic (or any topic).

 

[kelemvor]

I'm a little apprehensive about travel, but so far it's the sky high airline tickets that are keeping me from booking. Right now it looks like tickets to Roatan, Honduras are almost exactly double what I paid for the same tickets in 2017.

I hope you guys are right about airline ticket prices dropping because that's not what I'm seeing.

Obviously, it's a little early to be concerned about travel between the US and Honduras being shut down... who knows what the situation will be in June when I plan to go. Maybe I can find a crystal ball for sale on AliExpress.

Big cities in the US are going to be a sh*t show when (not if, but when) this thing makes landfall.

That would be literally today. Well.. I guess it made landfall a few weeks ago, but it's spreading among people who haven't traveled out of the country now.

Dozens of staffers at Calif. hospital that treated coronavirus patient with no travel to affected countries are being monitored

 

[markmud]

I've never bought trip insurance and your statement plus my back of the napkin assessment that the fine print looks like there are innumerable ways for them to weasel out of paying have convinced me not to buy it this time around either. I think you could make a stronger argument that making a "go/no go" decision and cancelling now and eating any non-refundable percentages makes more sense than gambling on whether or not the trip insurance will pay out. I think I'll leave my trips scheduled and just let the cards fall where they may.

This ↑

Nuff said.

cheers,
m

 

[ontdiver]

Breaking News: Secret society of affluent scuba divers gripes about Coronavirus.

 

[martincohn]

Yup everyone just keep saying it's not bad, nothing to see here...

Just remember that while looking at all the medical folks running around in bunny suits all over the world. They are just overreacting...

And if you still want to ignore what is going on around you, just go try to buy a n95 mask somewhere. Oh never mind, you won't need one of those silly things either.

 

[O-ring]

Breaking News: Secret society of affluent scuba divers gripes about Coronavirus.

Affluent? Not anymore. The cost of these missed trips will look like a rounding error by the time the coronavirus is through with us.

 

[Jay]

Re N95 masks: the virus is smaller than that. (not saying they’re not better than surgical masks, nor that something is better than nothing).

Re warmer weather. Watching Singapore is interesting (also ‘factual’, relative to other countries in SE Asia)

 

[martincohn]

Re N95 masks: the virus is smaller than that. (not saying they’re not better than surgical masks, nor that something is better than nothing).

True but a N95 is about as far as you can push it with the gen pop. Compliance (wearing it correctly) becomes a problem real quick. If you aren't wearing it correctly it won't be effective..

It's not like a dive mask that gives you clear immediate feedback when you aren't doin it right.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Sigh. I had a really good rant but deleted it because it probably would have gotten me booted from the threads.

Did anyone else watch the White House press briefing today?