Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support.
The first couple of months of 2020 have been a disaster. The dreaded C-word that is engulfing the entire world, dominating the media, hurting people we love, and disrupting our lives. I, like everyone, have spent the last couple of weeks wondering if I should cancel my trip in May. But here I want to talk about why you should postpone, don’t cancel your trip.
For my trip in May, I’ve been wondering will it be over by then? Will it be safe to travel? At first I thought there might be a chance, but as the seriousness of this issue escalates I had the decision taken from me. My trip to New Orleans for TravelCon 2020 will not happen in May. The conference has been postponed until September, the hotel I was to stay at has shuttered its doors until June, and frankly it’s just not safe to travel right now. But I have still made the decision not to cancel my trip, but to just delay it until a later date.
Postpone, Don’t Cancel – Tourism is Hurting
Nearly everyone I speak to has a trip planned for this year, and now they’re unsure if they should cancel. You may have already thought about it yourself, looked into the cancellation policies of your hotel, flight or tour. But what if you postpone, don’t cancel your trip? A lot of people can’t think about travel right now. And that’s fair (and safe). But those airlines you love, the tour companies that just “get you” and hotels that you can’t wait to visit won’t be around after this if we all up and cancel our trips.
I don’t know about you but even locally I have seen a number of businesses struggling, or worse, already close their doors because of this crisis. They can’t keep up with the cancellations, the lack of cash flow and the uncertainty of what will happen in the next few weeks. The same is true of the travel companies, tour operators and airlines that you use for all your travel needs. They need our help right now, the same way you’re supporting your local restaurant, or your local brewery or Mom & Pop store.
Looking to book flights for your next big trip? Check out these deals with CheapOair.
The Tourism Industry
Did you know that there were 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2018?* That’s 1.4 billion people who went on a trip somewhere, stayed at least one night and contributed to another country’s economy. A lot of whom bought a plane ticket to get there. I can only imagine how low that number is going to fall this year. In 2017 the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) stated that 1 in 10 jobs globally were generated as a result of tourism in some shape or form, either directly or indirectly. And over 109 million people in the world work directly in tourism and travel related jobs. That’s a lot of people who are affected right now.
In Canada where I live, over 20 million tourists visited last year according to Destination Canada. And that doesn’t even count the ones who travel around their own country. According to the NTTO (National Travel & Tourism Office) the US was trending towards 80 million visitors in 2019. The three most visited countries in Europe in 2019 were France, Spain and Italy, all within the top 5 most visited countries in the world last year. All three are the among the hardest hit of the COVID-19 crisis so we can only imagine how the lack of tourism will impact them in the future.
*source UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization).
How COVID-19 is Affecting People In Travel Jobs
My day job is in tourism. I work for a Canadian company that is hurting right now like many other companies. We rely on international visitors for the majority of our business. And for the foreseeable future it looks like we’re not going to get them. So what does this mean? Well, already my company has unfortunately had temporarily lay off staff. Our seasonal employees will not be starting, and year-round employees have been cut down by a third. It’s incredibly heart breaking to see this happen and to experience it first hand. To lose people who I am friends with, people who are so good at what they do. But I also understand the business needs to save what funds they can at the moment.
Many travel businesses have had to take difficult actions around refunds and delay of travel. Like the majority of tour operators and travel companies in the world at this time, we are encouraging people to postpone, don’t cancel outright. Offering travel credits instead of refunds is a way for most companies to avoid financial ruin. If they don’t survive, no-one will be able to travel. I have been lucky so far, and am still working (albeit from home). But each day is madness and we deal with a lot of but negativity. Yet we keep showing up, and keep working hard, as we are fighting for our jobs and our company to survive. Chances are you know at least one person in the tourism industry who is doing the same: partner, child, friend.
So What Should I Do About My Trip?
There’s a big movement in the travel industry that started recently: Postpone, don’t cancel. When this is all over, and I’m sure it will be at some point, people are going to want to travel again. We will be able to think about leaving our homes, our cities, our countries and seeing some more of the world. But it will be so much more difficult to do that if our airlines are not here anymore, if the hotels had to shut their doors and if our tourism industry workers had to change careers.
By these companies keeping your money as a travel credit to use in the future, you ensure they have enough to pay their staff, cover their immediate overheads, and survive to help you travel in the future. Your contribution could help more than you know. The same as buying an extra takeout this week from a local restaurant or buying a gift card for a local shop you like. My industry is hurting so much that so many people are losing their jobs every day. It’s so sad and it’s hard to keep plugging away without it always being forefront in your mind. So POSTPONE, DON’T CANCEL should be our way of life right now. And when this is all over we can finally go to that place we wanted to visit enough to book in the first place.
Be Patient and Kind
As someone who works in sales and customer service I will stop here to say just one thing: please be kind to others. It shouldn’t need to be said, but these are insane times and people are frightened and don’t always think first. So take a breath and remember that you’re speaking with another human being who is probably going through their own thing right now too.
The grocery store employee doesn’t need yelling that there isn’t any toilet paper. They didn’t buy it all! The healthcare workers and law enforcement officers don’t need yelling about social distancing. They are out there to keep everyone safe while they risk themselves and their families. And the customer support people at your airline, hotel or tour company don’t need yelling about refunds. They would love nothing more than to make everyone happy, but travel credits are what’s going to save the industry, and they are also fighting for their jobs. Just remember: KINDNESS MATTERS.
Travel & Tourism Family
The good thing to come out of all of this is that the travel and tourism industry has never been more united. Anyone who is in the industry is making sure to stick to the postpone, don’t cancel mindset that is helping save others just like themselves.
This is not a great time to be a travel blogger either, let me tell you. But I also find that bloggers are so incredibly supportive right now too. With all this time on their hands they are spending it reading more travel blogs to help slow the ever dwindling views we’ve all been experiencing. Preparing for the future and inspiring people with our last adventures is getting everyone though this. And giving us something positive to hold onto.
Social media is flooded with people asking to see pictures of your favorite sunset, a view you experienced or snaps from your best vacation on 2019. So join in, help encourage people to remember those amazing places that we will be able to see again.
What Can I Do Instead?
Instead of slumping into a dark room to binge watch Netflix with a vat of ice cream you could drown in, start thinking about where you want to go next year. Or hopefully later this year. Missing your weekend away this month? Plan a better one for next year. Missing your week vacation in May? Plan your dream vacation for 2021 instead. You have more time to save up and plan. For other ideas on what to do when you can’t travel, read this post on keeping your wanderlust alive. And remember to postpone, don’t cancel.
I have been thinking about my 2021 plans already. One trip I really wanted to do was a trip to Africa. I want to hike Kilimanjaro before I’m 40 and although I know that won’t be a cheap trip, it will be amazing. But given that it doesn’t look like I’ll be going far this year, I am going to think about what else I can do next year to make it an incredible year. I’m going to check off a few more countries and make up for all the misses of 2020. And help support the tourism industry on the way of course.
Postpone, Don’t Cancel
From someone in the tourism industry, and who relies on the desire to travel for both of my jobs, this is obviously a topic close to my heart. One in ten of you rely on the tourism industry for your job, and I’m sure you all know someone who is being impacted by this crisis. So my message today is this: please think twice about cancelling. If you can, consider delaying your trip instead of canceling. Support the tourism industry like you support your local businesses. Support each other, be kind to the customer support people you speak to, and above all wash your hands!
If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. How are you supporting your travel industry professionals right now, or your local businesses? Where is the next trip you’re looking forward to when this is all over?
Really good article, Emma.
Well said, at this point it’s better to wait and see what happens then take up the customer service lines and cancel. It’s definitely hard to stay home when you had travel plans lined up though!
Great Advice Emma! I do hope we can all get back out and enjoy the summer (cross all my fingers and toes!) I’ll be happy to postpone as long as we’re allowed out again! 😀
p.s. all my plans are within Canada this year, we didn’t book anything, but I reeeally hope to get to the Okanagan, the Rockies and our to Vancouver island. I hope we’ll be able to support local businesses again soon!
I’ve got everything crossed too. I was hoping to do the Rockies and the Okanagan too but we’ll have to see how long this goes on for. But I’m definitely going to get planning for next year – that’ll give me something to look forward to
Love this post! I think it’s something all of us, travelers, really need to think about.
I agree! We need to do everything we can to help save the tourism industry right now. Thank you for this post!
I love this! I am actually supposed to be at Disney in Florida right now but we postponed (didn’t cancel 🤪)
I personally know a lot of people hit by cuts to the tourism industry so I fully support travel organizations offering credits instead of refunds. I can’t wait to see the absolute tourism BOOM after all this is over!!
I support the travel industry! Xx
This is such an important and mindful post for our current times right now.. as someone who had a huge trip planned for early this year, I can definitely agree with the idea of postponing and not cancelling trips. Not just for my own thirst of adventure, but to also support the travel and tourism industry after this crazy time. Great post.
I was just starting to gain traction wit h my travel blog and work with more tourism boards etc..Hoping that the experience I gained would help me land a day job in tourism…so yes this is so awful in so many ways.
I am originally from Vancouver BC…Canadian born and was hoping to find a job to move back from the US; but now that may not happen 🙁
This is a great post and perfect for this time we are going through…I too had a trip planned for May..I have not bought the plane ticket yet.. was supposed to visit a friend in CA. I hope everything gets better for everyone soon…
VAlerie
totally agree with this, as someone who works in the tourism industry as well! right now I have postponed my April to sometime this fall
So true! I uses to work in the travel industry for more than 6 years. So tourism is close to my heart, not only from the perspective as a travel blogger. I strongly believe that tourism will come back very soon. For now we all have to be patient and keep the wanderlust to be even more curious to explore the world, when the time has come again.
Wishing you all the best! Stay positive!
Best, Stefanie
This is such a heartbreaking reality and an excellent advice. I didn’t have anything booked, but now considering making a booking for next year. Thank you for the inspiration!
It breaks my heart to see how the tourism industry has been affected by this. Hate to say this but I feel like its only going to get worse before it gets better! As someone who works in this industry as well, I 100% think that we should postpone and not cancel. So thank you for writing this and I can’t wait to go help lift other economies as soon as things are better 💗
I couldn’t agree more! thank you for writing this! I have a group trip to Bali this August and i will most likely postpone for Xmas
As a travel blogger and a travel lover I cannot but agree. I am seeing too many people in the tourism industry that do not know how to survive!
This is so important!! I had a trip booked in March and I postponed it to May. I may be forced to end up canceling as I can’t go any other time this year, but canceling will be my last resort. I’m so glad the airlines and hotels are being so flexible regarding changing dates and such!
Can’t wait to travel again as soon as this is all over! We’ve had to do some canceling as we had a few trips tied to canceled events (e.g. weddings, cons), but are postponing where we can!
YES!!! I love everything about this article. I’m a firm believer that everyone should just get travel credit for their trip. We have to keep the tourism industry going. Also, so many countries around the world rely on tourism for their economy. Thank you for sharing!
I absolutely agree with this! I’ve been stuck in Asia and have seen first hand how the tourism industry is being affected and it’s detrimental to so many businesses. Especially those who rely on tourism as their sole income. It’s important to continue traveling again once everything settles!
Such a good message <3 My heart hurts for the small businesses especially
Couldn’t agree more with this article, we all need to do what we can in order to keep the tourism industry alive through this uncertain time. There will come a time when we all want to be able to travel again, so now is the time to consider the businesses that are struggling and do exactly as you said, postpone don’t cancel!
Excellent post – everyone has itchy feet to travel. Great insights to saving this valuable industry.
Got my trip to Tanzania setup for July 2021. Here’s to hoping this is all behind us. Maybe I will run into you there!
Great post, Emma! These are frightening times. 🙁 I really hope people do this where they can, I know it’s not feasible for everyone, but also postponing means you will still have it to look forward to! And God knows we need something to look forward to at the moment…
My daughter and I were supposed to go to Europe this summer as her graduation gift. I’m concerned that things will not be open in time for us to do that. It has to be a summer trip because she is leaving to join the military. I was thinking of just changing our adventure and going to California instead. (We are from the East Coast and have not been there before.) It would be less stress about if things will be open/closed and we can still stimulate the economy with travel. Thanks for the encouragement!
I had to cancel 2 big trips this month unfortunately I couldn’t postpone them. It is so difficult to know if you should cancel or just postpone it. Thanks for all the great tips and the encouragement that at some point we will be able to get back to normal life again.
YAS GIRL! I’ve been thinking about Africa next too. Although I fear that they will take some time to recover from this outbreak. I have my fingers crossed for the whole world.
Hi Emma! Thanks for your article. I think to postpone is the ideal solution for the travel industry, however, I also see why it might be difficult for many to postpone instead of to cancel: maybe the planned day off at work will not be available anymore in few months, or maybe people can not just plan so much ahead…and the main reason is that many are scared of losing their job, and so they are unsure if they can afford their vacation in the future… Nevertheless, I agree with you and I am aware of the fact that cancelling is the worst-case scenario which is leading to an economic collapse in the industry. I am very curious how travel will change in the future – since I am a full-time nomad it is affecting my life strongly… Thank you for sharing!
oh this is so insightful Emma – thank you for sharing with us an insider’s perspective on the travel industry right now ❤️
I love your message here. I think alot of us travellers don’t realize the scope of the industry, and therefore, the mass amount of people in the travel industry who are being impacted by the effects of this pandemic. It’s important that we all keep are plans in place so that we can help with the industry’s recovery once it is safe to travel again. Thanks for this insight!
I absolutely love this. I work in a hotel normally and in the months of February and March, before effects of the crisis became so obvious in UK, we were dealing with heaps loads of cancellations.
We have a flexible cancellation policy normally so most people never got charged. We then made it more flexible by making it possible for people who we wouldn’t normally refund (late cancellation etc) keep their booking as a credit for a future stay.
Lots of people were still unhappy with this. I was professional of course but it made me angry. We are an expensive hotel, most of our clientele are extremely wealthy. I know that a good majority of these people would have barely even noticed the money, however them demanding a refund was putting an independent business into trouble. This came down on the staff who were losing hours and considerable amounts of money before lock down was even introduced.
Of course there are people who can’t afford to not get a refund but if everyone that can postponed instead of cancelling, it would help so much.
Postpone don’t Cancel is particularly important for independent businesses. Thank you for sharing this.
I have been doing just that – postponing rather than cancelling – after all I wanted to go this year so there’s no reason not to just look forward to the same trip next year. So far I’ve postponed France, Greece, Prague and Norway – all to the same dates next year. Got 2 more trips booked for later in the year so we will see how the land lies when that time comes.
that’s a lot of trips. I only had one actually booked for this year, and have put it on hold for now as it was around a travel conference. But was planning to go to a couple other places, just never booked them. 2021 is going to be a big travel year if we’re allowed
Indeed, the tourism industry is one of the industries that suffered the most during this time. These are crazy, unprecedented times that we live in. But countries are already opening borders and perhaps very soon we will be traveling!