I’m back in action after taking a 2 month break. My editorial calendar is already full of fabulous women travelers. Recording starts next month and Season 3 launches in May.

Meanwhile, like many of you, I’ve become increasingly concerned as I’ve watched the very real drama of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) unfold on the world stage.

It has now literally hit close to home. The majority of U.S. fatalities from the virus have happened during the last 10 days, just 12 miles down the road from me.

As you can imagine I had some travel plans this year. I recently turned 50 (yes I’m getting real about that) and to celebrate I was planning DNA travel to Ireland, Italy, Albania, Mozambique, Senegal and South Africa. I have several reasons why ancestral travel is important to me – including being African-American with slavery in my family history, and being an adoptee.

But I’m taking a hard look at my plans and am willing to shift those if necessary. Some will be postponed, others are still a go. One trip in particular was canceled. There was no way we were going to take my 84 year old, medically fragile father on a cruise from Seattle to Alaska in June.

The situation is real and it’s probably going to affect travel decisions for a while. If you are an avid traveler like I am, the possibility of having to postpone or cancel trips isn’t fun, but I’d much rather be home than risk getting the virus, or even worse, be part of spreading it further.

More to be revealed. In the meantime, I’m sharing some resources for travelers wondering what to do (or not do) next:

• Coronavirus Information for Travel – CDC
  This page includes information about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for travelers and travel related industries.

• What travel insurance covers for coronavirus — and what it doesn’t
  Informative USA Today article about travel insurance options.

• What to do if your travel plans are impacted by the coronavirus
  This article by Million Mile Secrets explains what protections travelers have if they need to cancel or rebook their trips, and what they should keep in mind when traveling under advisories. 

• The Truth About Coronavirus and What Travelers Need to Know
  This excellent webinar hosted by Wanderful provides factual information, real tips and mythbusting. The discussion is led by my episode 30 guest Dr. Nadeen White, Physician & Travel Blogger at The Sophisticated Life.

• Also check out Nadeen’s extremely informative article: The Truth About Coronavirus Infection: What Everyone Needs To Know. She also recently appeared on CNN to discuss travel and the novel coronovirus – see below.

This situation won’t last forever. We can view this period as an opportunity to research future trips, explore our own backyards, and save money for travel. I’m choosing to focus on the last option in particular.

I’ve always been great about saving money through travel hacking, but not so good at setting aside money for trips. That’s changing thanks to Affording Travel, a book by travel finance blogger and podcaster Danielle Desir, who attributes traveling to over 27 countries to making travel a financial priority in her life. She shares her best savings strategies and how to make travel a realistic part of your lifestyle (also check out my interview with her).

So grow some travel funds if you ended up being grounded for a while. That’s one way to stay positive. And most importantly, stay healthy and informed!