Lonely Planet on Summer Travel: Cope, Don’t Cancel

You’ve seen and heard the horror stories of travel plans gone awry in May and June, and now Lonely Planet is stepping up with advice for travelers that skittish travel businesses would welcome: “DO NOT let the threat of a cancellation keep you home. It’s been a long pandemic. It’s time to get out there again.”

In an email, Lonely Planet said that is the counsel from its editor-at-large, Sebastian Modak.

Among Modak’s tips:

• Research a specific flight’s past performance to see if it is prone toward delays and cancellations.
• Be on the lookout for news about endless security lanes and baggage gone missing.
• Think about doing domestic trips instead of traveling abroad.
• Try not to avoid holiday or even weekend travel.
• Consider alternative airports that may not be as popular.
• In the U.S., consider Amtrak, which has increased its schedules, instead of flying.

Meanwhile, with all of the angst out there because of disrupted travel plans, online travel company Hopper reported that purchases of its flight protection products, which provide certain safeguards to thwart delays, cancelled flights or missed connections, jumped 28 percent over the last month.

On the other hand, in China, where Covid lockdowns have been intense, staycations in local hotels have become a trend. That might not be a bad idea for the less-adventurous among us.