Am I Afraid to Travel?

I have read lots of reports from the experts like, Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization, seen the news from the State Department on their recommendations, and read some of the media hype.

I’ve been silent (at least publicly) so far -- but after the State Department recommended no cruise travel on Sunday evening (I KNOW it only said for those elderly with underlying medical conditions, but the original news reports buried that piece of clarification) I had to comment.  I’m not going to lie. With the government even hinting that people should stop traveling or cruising it felt like a gut punch.

After a while to digest and reflect on it, I decided it was time for me to add my 2cents as a travel professional.

If you were to call me today and ask if you should cruise - it would be irresponsible of me to not be completely honest with you.  Truthfully, it is not something I can answer easily or flippantly, because quite simply, I am not a medical professional. I am a Travel Professional.  This disease is a medical issue not a travel issue.

My suggestion is and always will be, “That is something you need to discuss with your medical professional.  Only then can you make your personal decision. I don’t know your medical issues or how they are being treated.”

I would then send you the above mentioned links to help you decide what questions to ask your healthcare provider.

Now, if you called to day and asked me if I were afraid to cruise today, personally, - again I would be completely honest with you.
I’m 65 years old with a compromised immune system with underlying medical conditions.  I am not afraid of catching CoVid19 from a cruise. My only concern would be that someone sneezes and people start the ‘Corona-Virus-plague-speak’ and we end up in quarantine somewhere.  Would I think twice about going into an area that has a known case? NO! In fact, just after it was announced on Monday that my neighboring county had a confirmed case, I went there to shop.

It's flu season!  The same precautions to prevent the seasonal flu are still your best defense against CoVid19.  

I’ve read the reports and seen the theories.  While some theories seem plausible to my non medical mind, others are just plain silly!  But then again, I am NOT a medical Professional.

I’ve seen the hysteria from someone reading the State Department recommendation and not comprehending the whole of it.
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I’ve seen the flippant remarks about how unlikely a person is to get this disease over another one.
I’ve seen the jokes and memes.
I’ve heard the real concerns.
I’ve heard the doom and gloom from the news media one minute and then telling people not to panic the next.
Do I think the Travel Industry will rebound from this?  Definitely! Because the bottom line is people will always have a need to travel and explore.  The smartest ones use a Travel Professional for those explorations!

And JMorris Travel will be here when you are ready to take that next adventure.
​#SmartTravelersUseATravelAgent

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