Smart Consumer Archives - Christopher Elliott

How to exit your timeshare in a pandemic

July 8, 2020July 8, 2020

Think this is a bad summer for travel? Consider the plight of timeshare owners. Many have been laid off after the COVID-19 outbreak. Unable to pay their monthly maintenance fees or mortgage, they’re wondering: How do I exit my timeshare in a pandemic?

With the unemployment rate over 11% and large parts of the U.S. economy reeling from a shutdown — and now the prospect of another shutdown — that promises to be one of the summer’s most frequently asked questions.

So what are your options?
Read more “How to exit your timeshare in a pandemic”

Tourism’s grand opening: Here’s what you need to know

July 1, 2020June 26, 2020

Ready or not, tourism is opening up again for business. But what you don’t know about tourism’s grand opening might surprise you.

After the COVID-19 outbreak shut down virtually the entire travel industry, the reopenings have been uneven and often unpredictable. Some places are reopening, but others are closing amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases. And there are deals — lots of deals.

“We’re taking a very thoughtful approach to how we communicate leisure travel right now,” says Ben McDonald, a spokesman for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority, which markets Reno and Lake Tahoe. “We want to talk to visitors in a way that’s relatable and will make them feel comfortable to visit.”
Read more “Tourism’s grand opening: Here’s what you need to know”

Here’s what a driving vacation is really like

June 24, 2020June 19, 2020

If you want to know what a driving vacation is really like during a pandemic, come to Reno, Nev., with me.

You probably won’t find the 788-mile drive from Spokane, Wash., on any top 10 lists. It’s a two-day journey through the farmland and mountains of Oregon and Idaho. But if you’re looking for an idea of what a driving vacation is really like, there may be no better gauge.

For example, how are other travelers treating the risk of a coronavirus infection? A drive through the American West will answer that question. What about hotels? Travel down to Reno to find out. Same thing for restaurants. And, of course, the million-dollar question: Is it safe to take a driving vacation now?
Read more “Here’s what a driving vacation is really like”

What does travel insurance cover after the pandemic?

June 17, 2020June 12, 2020

You probably already know what travel insurance doesn’t cover after the pandemic. Fear of travel and pandemics are at the top of the list. But what does travel insurance cover after the pandemic?

Consider what happened to Rita McMahon. She’d booked a flight from Seattle to Manchester, England, this summer. And then the coronavirus struck.

Although her Aer Lingus flight is still operating, there’s a quarantine for people arriving from the U.S. McMahon is reluctant to fly. But neither her airline nor her travel insurance company will refund the $5,075 she spent for her first-class ticket.

“It was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime for me,” says McMahon, who lives in Kirkland, Wash. “Now, it is turning into something else.”
Read more “What does travel insurance cover after the pandemic?”

How travel has changed since the pandemic — and how it should change

June 10, 2020June 10, 2020

Travel has changed since the pandemic. We have social distancing and lower fares — and lots of uncertainty. But how should it change?

Talk to someone like Jennifer Zwicky, and she’ll tell you.

“How do you regain travelers’ trust?” she wonders.

Zwicky isn’t just thinking about the future because she’s a travel advisor. She says too many people are looking back instead of forward. And they’re seeing the wrong thing.
Read more “How travel has changed since the pandemic — and how it should change”

Don't Miss A Single Story