The first step is not to panic! I live in Ohio, and since my agency is based in Ohio, most of my clients only experience when it comes to hurricanes is watching Jim Cantore get blown around on The Weather Channel. I don’t want to make light of hurricanes, they can be a serious problem and life threatening if it’s a severe storm. Obviously if your trip is in the path of a severe storm, we will be helping you cancel. But not every tropical storm or hurricane is that severe. Of course our first priority is our clients safety. And I’m sure that’s your first priority too! Our agency will be here for you every step of the way if you have utilized our services to book your trip. One of the major advantages of working with a travel agent is, if something goes wrong, we will have your back and help you out!
If you’re traveling to a hurricane prone area during hurricane season (June 1- November 1) we generally recommend that you buy travel insurance early. Why early? Insurance companies generally won’t cover a policy bought after a storm has been “named.”
So what happens if you have a trip planned and then a minor hurricane hits the area? It’s going to depend on a few factors.
If you are taking a cruise that is supposed to travel through the path of a hurricane, the cruise line will almost certainly change the itinerary. I like to say it’s a multi billion dollar boat, they aren’t going to drive it into a hurricane. Once we get an updated itinerary from the cruise line, we can go over it with you and discuss your options. If you really had your heart set on a particular destination that they are now skipping, we can look at cancelling/postponing. If you like the new itinerary, then we can help you make any changes you might need to make to shore excursions and the like.
If you have a land vacation, you might be wondering if you should still go? There’s a few factors to consider. How severe is the storm? Is your destination right in the path of the storm or on the edges? How far inland will you be? Will the attractions you want to visit be open? How comfortable do you feel visiting? Can you easily reschedule?
I highly suggest checking local news in your destination if you’re worried about the impact of the storm on your trip. You should be able to find a few local news station with a google search. If you’re heading to the Orlando area, I’m a big fan of Eric Burris. I follow him on social media year round since our agency has a lot of clients heading to Central Florida.
When I was in high school, my family visited Myrtle Beach right after Hurricane Charlie had come through. Charlie hit Myrtle Beach on our arrival day, so we simply delayed our arrival by a few hours. It was a category 1 storm, so other than the some lounge chairs in the condo pool, it really didn’t affect our vacation. I even have a t shirt that says “I survived Hurricane Charlie”, although as my cousin pointed out, we really just hid out from Charlie in West Virginia! I had clients move their trip to Charleston SC to avoid a hurricane in Florida, and they ended up loving Charleston so much they go there every year!
Aida's Adventures Travel Agency 