Your airline is legally obligated to offer a refund if it cancels the flight, but you might have to ask twice. Many carriers will first push a voucher or rebooking credit, which feels like a consolation prize. Stand your ground politely—a cash refund is your right under most air passenger protection laws.
Hotels and tour operators are a trickier beast. Booking through a third-party site like Expedia or Airbnb adds an extra layer of bureaucracy. Contact them immediately; many have "extenuating circumstances" policies that trigger a full refund when war breaks out in a region.
Fun fact: During the 2011 Egyptian revolution, thousands of tourists were stranded, but airlines and hotels globally learned to create force majeure templates. Today, your cancellation email might get processed faster than that time you tried to return a sweater.
Your Digital Safety Net
Check your credit card’s travel benefits before you do anything else. Premium cards often include trip cancellation or interruption insurance that covers geopolitical events. You paid an annual fee for those perks—now is the moment to use them.
If your trip is a package holiday booked through a company like TUI or Thomas Cook, EU laws (and similar ones in the UK) protect you with package travel regulations. The operator must offer a full refund or an alternative trip, no questions asked, if the destination becomes unsafe.
Cultural side note: In Japan, there is a concept called gaman—enduring the unbearable with patience. While you shouldn’t suffer in silence, channeling a little zen during the phone hold time can keep your blood pressure down.
Holiday Havoc in the year of Covid-19 - Focus
