Last Updated March 6th: In an effort to keep our travellers updated on how the spread of Covid-19 (Corona Virus) may impact their trip booking or future bookings we have created this article. We will update it regularly (daily) for as long as the situation demands it.
Current Status of Scheduled Tours:
As of right now, all of our tours are running as scheduled. As long as there are not travel restrictions put in place by the countries we operate in, this will be the case.
We are endeavouring to respond to COVID-19 in a measured and consistent way, proportionate to the public health threat and based on local risk assessment, involving every part of the tourism value chain – public bodies, private companies, and travellers. International collaboration and cooperation are needed to ensure pandemic panic does not paralyze the tourism industry which is so important to the global economy.
This is what we know:
As of right now, the biggest impact on our travellers has been travel restrictions which make flights difficult. It is important to understand that if an airline chooses to cancel your flight, or if a travel restriction imposed by a country dictates that flight can no longer operate, the airline is required to ‘re-accommodate’ you, which means they need to give you a full refund on your flight, or more likely outcome of rebooking you onto a new flight which gets you to your destination.
If you are in the process of booking flights and want are looking for information about which countries to avoid, here are our suggestions:
United States
Try to avoid booking flights with connections in China, South Korea, Japan, Iran & Italy. These have been identified as high risk transmission countries. As of right now, if you return from one of these countries to the USA you will be asked to stay home for 14 days to reduce the risk of inadvertently spreading the virus.
Travel Restriction: Foreign nationals who have visited China or Iran in the past 14 days may not enter the United States. Source
Australia
All Australian airports are open and, with the exception of flights to and from China, Iran and South Korea all international air services into Australia are generally operating as normal. Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family (including spouses, dependents and legal guardians) will still be able to enter Australia but will be required to self-isolate for 14 days after the date they left mainland China, Iran or the Republic of Korea. You do not need to isolate yourself if you have only travelled in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.
Travel Restriction: Foreign nationals (excluding permanent residents) who have been in mainland China, Iran or the Republic of Korea, are not allowed to enter Australia until 14 days after they have left or transited through these countries. Source
Canada
Canada currently has travel advisories in place for the following countries:
China
Hong Kong
Iran
Japan
Northern Italy
Singapore
South Korea
There are no travel restriction in place in Canada for citizens or foreign nationals but they do ask the following. If you have travelled to Hubei province, China, or Iran in the last 14 days, limit your contact with others for a total of 14 days, starting the day you began your journey to Canada. This means self-isolate and stay at home. In addition, contact the local public health authority in your province or territory within 24 hours of arriving in Canada.
United Kingdom
The UK does not currently have any travel restrictions in place for citizens or foreign nationals, but you can ee the latest information and advice for the public on the outbreak of coronavirus from the Department of Health and Social Care. This covers the current situation in the UK and abroad, and provides specific advice for travellers returning to the UK from:
mainland China
Hong Kong
Macao
Cambodia
Iran
Italy
Japan
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
The UK does ask that travellers returning from China, Iran, South Korea or Northern Italy self quarintine for 14 days and if returning from any of the above countries, stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you’ve travelled to the UK and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath.
The Countries We Operate In:
Croatia: No active restrictions. We have received an update from our yacht partners that the normal cancellation policy remains in place as there are no advisories / restrictions against travelling. They’ve also assured us that their crew members will be receiving training on best practises for sanitation & reducing the risk of transmission. They have let us know that IF the situation evolves and worsens then they will postpone the date to 2021, but that decision has not yet been made. We know some people are nervous that Ultra Europe will be cancelled because Ultra Miami recently announced they are cancelling. We’ve reached out to our contacts and this is not the case for Ultra Europe at this time. It will be operating unless otherwise stated. As of March 5th Croatia has 10 confirmed cases of Coronavirus. Source.
Thailand: No travel restrictions in place but is screening travellers at the airport upon arrival, and our on the ground partners have let us know that Thai authorities have unleashed a small army of ‘sanitizers’ literally keeping the country clean. Their economy depends on tourism and they are taking reducing the risk of transmission very seriously. It is unclear at this point if travellers from high risk countries need to self quarantine or not. We are hoping for further clarification by Monday. The Mayor of Koh Phangan recently announced that the Full Moon Party would be cancelled until further notice. This is an included experience in many of our Thailand tours, and we will ensure we do something fun in lieu of this. Source. As of March 6th Thailand has one additional case of Coronavirus taking the total to 48 confirmed cases since January. Source
Vietnam: Vietnam updated its restrictions on March 2nd and they now state that "all travellers entering Vietnam from China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran must carry out medical declarations and 14-day medical quarantine before entering the country." Vietnam reported a new coronavirus case on Friday March 6th, the first in three weeks, Hanoi city chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said. This brings the total since transmission began in January to 17 total cases of Coronavirus in Vietnam. Source.
Indonesia:
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has banned travelers from Iran, Italy and South Korea from entering Indonesia as the three countries continue to struggle to contain a widespread Covid-19 outbreak. This ban will begin on March 8th and is in addition to a ban on all travellers from China which began on Feb 2nd, 2020. Indonesia has reported 2 cases of Coronavirus of of March 6th. Source
Central America & Peru:
Peru: no travel restrictions in place and first case of Coronavirus in the country reported today (March 6th). Source.
Central America: (Panama/Nicarugua/Costa Rica): Costa Rica confirms first coronavirus case in Central America today (March 6th). No travel restrictions in place. Source.
What We Are Doing:
We are monitoring the travel advisories from the countries we operate in closely along with the countries that our travellers travel from and our on the ground suppliers. We will continue to update this post to provide this information to you, but we do encourage you to double check advisories before booking flights as the situation can change.
The wellbeing and enjoyment of our guests is the paramount priority. We will remain active with high hygiene standards, with additional preventative on trip protocols implemented.
LBW’s Cancellation Policy
All Tours (Except for YachtLife)
If a tour is cancelled more than 3 months prior to departure, all payments (except for your deposit) are refundable.
If a tour is cancelled from 2-3 months prior to departure, there will be a cancellation fee equal to 25% of the tour cost.
If a tour is cancelled from 2 weeks - 2 months prior to departure, there will be a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the tour cost.
If a tour is cancelled less than 2 weeks prior to departure, 100% of the tour cost is forfeited + the tour deposit.
YachtLife Cancellation Policy
CLICK HERE to see the YachtLife Terms & Conditions for the Cancellation Policy.
If you would like to discuss cancelling or changing your tour date please email our team. Due to this situation we have WAIVED date change fees, so you can change your tour date without penalty as long as you are 30 days prior to departure. If you are within 30 days prior please email us to find out what we can do.
FAQ
What Is The Risk of Getting Covid-19 on an Airplane?
Because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes, most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on airplanes. Although the risk of infection on an airplane is low, travelers should try to avoid contact with sick passengers and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that contain 60%–95% alcohol.
For more information: Exposure Risk During Travel
What precautions should I take?
Remember, Covid-19 is the same virus family as the common cold, so that means you can use the same tools to avoid contracting or spreading it. Everyone should practise good hygiene and other measures to protect against infections. These measures include:
Washing your hands;
Covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing; and
Avoiding contact with wild or farm animals.
You can also do things to boost your own immune system like take a daily multi-vitamin and Vitamin C.
Have any other questions we should include? Drop us a note in the comments!
Recommendations for travellers
Check your health insurance to see if you are covered when abroad in case the situation arises that you need medical care
Monitor the World Health Organization’s site and your own country’s precautions
Check your itinerary to see if any border closures have been put in place
Bring extra medication in case you are delayed returning home due to quarantines or border closures
Follow the recommended health safety recommendations regarding handwashing and wipe surfaces while traveling as an extra precaution
If you want or need to cancel your plans, check your traveler’s insurance to see if it covers your reason for cancellation.
If you do not yet have travel insurance for a booked trip, definitely buy travel insurance.
Other Info
If you are interested in another point of view on the Corona Virus outbreak, this article compares it to the annual amount of flu transmissions.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the LBWtravel.com team with any questions about travelling and corona virus! We are here to help and happy to work with you to plan your trip of a lifetime.