There are 22 presumptive cases of Covid-19 in Pennsylvania, all to our east. Will the virus make it here to Pittsburgh? Yes. Should that bring your life and everything you and your family normally do to a screeching halt? NO.
And that's why I encourage you to do what I just did. Plan a summer vacation.
Grab your kids, sit down with your spouse and DREAM! Where would you like to travel? California? Hawaii? The Canadian Rockies? Because of the hysteria surrounding Covid-19 (the Allegheny Health Department just reiterated that this virus represents itself in most patients as a mild illness...) the airlines are losing money. So are cruise lines, travel agents, restaurants and Uber drivers, convention centers, hotels and resorts, you name it. Have your kids always wanted to visit Disney? Now's the time to book it! And if you think I'm just making this up, listen to my interview with Marita Williams, the manager of travel promotions at AAA.
"We seeing airfares to California right now for $89 one way," Williams told me. "It's incredible!"
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Williams says the smartest things for all travelers is to book future travel through a travel agent. Agents know the ins and outs and secrets of scoring great deals and also act as a liason between you and hotels, car rental firms and the like if you need to cancel, change or postpone a trip.
"You should always get travel insurance, too," Williams said. "A lot of travelers don't know their health insurance may not offer them coverage without travel insurance if they're out of the country."
And, as always, we need to be our own best investigators. Check in with the CDC to ensure the country or locale your family wants to visit is safe and open for business.
I'll be thinking of you all this summer as Joe and I take the boys back to one of our favorite family vacation spots: Cedar Point! We booked two nights at the Kalahari resort and learned they, like most hotels, have very clear (and modified) cancellation policies should anything regarding Covid-19 impact America's travel plans.
I don't know about you, but Joe, Michael, Jack, Ryan, Bobby, Chris and I NEED something to look forward to now that everything we enjoy seems to have either shut down or been postponed. Time to book a fun trip so that we all feel something fun is on the horizon.