Travel Archives - Christopher Elliott

Will travel recover from COVID? And should you care?

November 27, 2020November 20, 2020

If there were ever a time to feel sorry for the travel industry, it’s now. The pandemic has wiped out enormous parts of the business. Airlines are bankrupt. Hotels are shuttered. Travel advisors are out of work. It looks like they’ll never recover from COVID.

But should you care?

Before you say “yes,” consider the situation just a year ago. It was yet another record holiday travel season. Airlines were busy adding new rules to maximize their profits. Hotel rates were going through the roof. And the industry’s overall attitude was: If you don’t like our prices and service, just stay home.
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When to check out of your hotel — and never return

November 26, 2020November 20, 2020

When Irena Shie knows when to check out of her hotel. It’s a hygiene thing, she says.

“If the room is dirty, I call the front desk and request a cancellation,” says Shie, a software developer from Glen Mills, Pa.

When Nancy Usich leaves ahead of schedule, it’s because she is uncomfortable. She says she and her husband recently checked out of a bed-and-breakfast in Gettysburg, Pa., because their room had a soft and lumpy mattress.
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Check out these new car rental subscription programs

November 25, 2020November 20, 2020

Donna Choate needed a new car, but she wanted to avoid the hassle of ownership — the auto loan, insurance and maintenance. That’s when she discovered a new car rental subscription program that let her skip all of that.

Choate, a podcaster from Atlanta, heard about Hertz My Car, a new option that’s billed as an alternative to vehicle ownership and leasing. For $1,100 a month, which includes the cost of the vehicle and basic insurance, she drove away in a brand new Infiniti Q60.
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Stop promoting travel. Seriously. Stop.

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020

It’s time to stop promoting travel. Seriously.

And by “promoting” I mean pushing those two-for-one deals and deep discounts that are meant to lure you back on the road.

This isn’t the time.

We’re inside a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices are low, but the risks are high. And within the travel industry, a debate is raging about what to do.
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Warning! These holiday travel mistakes could kill you

November 18, 2020November 13, 2020

Travel could kill you. Literally.

With new COVID-19 cases shattering records, many health experts are warning against all nonessential travel. But if you go — and I’m not saying you should — there are other errors you have to avoid. Because these holiday travel mistakes could kill you.

“Coronavirus is ruthless,” says Mahmood Khan, a professor at Virginia Tech, who directs the business school’s program in hospitality and tourism management. “Every trip that can be avoided will save suffering or even death.”

That’s worth repeating. Taking a trip might be your worst holiday travel mistake. If you can avoid traveling, do it.
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