Getting a Refund on Your Egyptian Trip

This weekend my father and I fielded a call, on the radio show we host, from a listener who had booked a trip to Eygpt and was now trying to get her deposit back. The trip was scheduled for September. She'd picked a reputable company and put down a $200 deposit. When she'd called the tour operator on Thursday requesting the $200 back, they'd refused, saying the deposit was non-refundable.

(Luxor, Egypt; photo by John Thomas)

Our advice on Sunday was, and remains, call back in a few days. With the situation escalating so rapidly in Egypt, many of the travel companies who do business there are scrambling to catch up and policies are changing from day to day.

Plus, it is possible that by September Egypt will be calm enough to visit once more. I, for one, sincerely hope it is. Tourism is one of the top industries in Egypt and without the revenue it generates, many Egyptians will go hungry. We can onlypray that this situation resolves itself soon and without further bloodshed. (I strongly urge you to read NBC's Richard Engle's tweets and reports on the situation. His reporting is not only heroic, but tremendously insightful).

In the meantime, Carol Pucci, of the Seattle Times, has written an excellent piece detailing how a number of major tour operators, cruise lines and insurance companies are reacting to the crisis. Most of the tour operators she cites are giving full refunds or credits toward future trips to those booked to vacation in Egypt in February, and in a few cases through March. Cruiselines are cancelling their stops in Egypt without offerring compensation to passengers for the change in itinerary. And those who purchased travel insurance are likely to be woefully disappointed. With the exception of those who booked with American Express, or booked pricey "cancel for any reason" policies, most travelers are finding that their insurance does not cover trip cancellation in cases of civil unrest.

For complete details, click on the link above.