Are You Trip Stacking? I Bet You Are

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B.C. (Before COVID), most people planned their travel one trip at a time. Take Joe and me – we’d have a pretty good idea of most of the “big” vacations we’d be taking for the next 12 to 18 months (not necessarily every detail, but at least where and when we’d like to go). But when we were planning the “next trip,” it would just be to one set place.

Not anymore.

Thanks to COVID, lots of people are doing something called “trip stacking.”

The term hasn’t made it into Urban Dictionary yet, but the best explanation of it that I’ve seen has been, “…booking multiple trips to different locations so that travelers have the option to pick what they want closer to the vacation date, based on the ever-changing travel restrictions.” (thanks, CNBC TV 18!)

It makes perfect sense. I mean, how many of us have had to cancel trips in the past year and a half, if not more? After a while, you realize that having a backup plan (or two) might be a good idea.

So…let’s say you may have planned that November trip to Sweden and the Netherlands back when the E.U. reopened to Americans. You got your plane tickets and your hotel reservations are all made. But now Sweden’s closed to us through October 31st and the Netherlands just introduced a required 10-day quarantine (regardless of vaccination/test status) for people with U.S. passports, and who knows HOW long that’s going to last.

That November trip may be in peril but you still want to go SOMEWHERE. So you might decide to put a deposit down on a Caribbean cruise for that same week. If the Europe trip happens, great! If not, you’ve got your cruise.

BUT if cruises somehow become COVID hot spots again, you also have a road trip to Dollywood half-planned in your head, “just in case,” and you’ve grabbed an Airbnb in the area while they’re still available.

You’re trip stacking.

It means having a lot of deposits “out there” at the same time, and planning some trips that aren’t even going to happen (at least at that time). But at least you know you’ll be going SOMEWHERE. You just don’t know where yet. 😉

Heads up that if you decide to trip stack, you want to be mindful of cancellation policies for each portion of each trip – each cruise, flight, the place you’re lodging, etc.- so you can cancel whichever’s whatever in time to not be penalized (of course, it’s best to reserve flights with miles, so you can get a full refund. Otherwise you’ll be stuck with a voucher).

Oh, and as a matter of courtesy, it’s best to tell each place as early as you can, so they have time to rebook with someone else.

Farväl, bon voyage or don’t forget the trick to get Dolly’s cinnamon bread– whichever one happens!

Feature Photo: Pixabay

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary