HOW TO AVOID LOSING YOUR VACATION TO BAD WEATHER

You made your vacation plans a year in advance, so you could get exactly what you wanted on the best dates, and have been anticipating this special holiday ever since.  So what do you do if catastrophic weather makes your dream vacation impossible?

Many people are having their travel plans disrupted right now with the unprecedented flooding in Europe, which has disrupted river cruising on the Main and Danube Rivers, two important European river arteries.  A number of cruises had to be canceled, and others changed their itineraries.  Many cruises are still in doubt, as the high waters continue to make normal traffic on the rivers impossible and have flooded many towns and even major cities such as Budapest, while a state of emergency has been declared in the Czech Republic.

Every year we face the same weather lottery with potentially life threatening hurricanes in the Caribbean, Mexico, and coastal U.S. from June until November, or sometimes even later.  It is not unusual for ships to have to change course to avoid storms or bypass a port that is in the path of a hurricane.

Caribbean resorts have to undertake extraordinary safety measures to protect their guests from dangerous storms.  If there is time and planes can still fly into the area, guests are evacuated and the resort is closed.  Even if your vacation is a couple of weeks later, damage to your resort may keep it closed for repairs during several months.

So what can you do to avoid losing your vacation to bad weather?

1.  ALWAYS, ALWAYS buy trip insurance.  It is not about whether you are positive you will be able to go on your vacation, but to protect yourself from all of the unforeseen circumstances over which you have no control, especially the weather.

2.  Work with a good travel consultant, who is monitoring the conditions for your trip and can suggest possible last minute alternatives, so you do not lose your vacation time completely, along with your expensive air fare.

For the river cruises in Europe that have been canceled recently or are still in doubt, travel consultants have been able to place their clients on land itineraries out of the flooded areas and keep the air arrangements.

3.  Do not be seduced by low cruise fares without weighing the risks.  Although fall cruise prices to the Caribbean are enticingly low, you must always keep in mind that the itinerary may change in case of bad weather.  If you have your heart set on visiting a particular port, keep in mind that you might not be able to go there if the captain decides it is unsafe.  Be prepared to accept any itinerary changes made by the captain for safety reasons.

4.  Be flexible and open to an alternate back-up vacation plan.  Several years ago, we were on our way to Paris for a much-anticipated barge trip on the Seine when volcanic ash over Europe grounded virtually all of the planes, and we were stopped in Madrid.  Once it became clear we would not be able to get to Paris in time, we spent a week taking daily train trips from Madrid to the beautiful, historic towns in the area.  I still regret missing the barge trip, but we had a truly enjoyable back-up vacation in Spain.

Do you have any strategies for protecting your vacation plans?