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When to Trust Your Instincts and Cancel a Trip - Travel Tip Tuesday · Travel Mug Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey everyone, and welcome back to Travel Tip Tuesday.
• 0:03
  I'm Meggan joined as always by Jenn.
• 0:05
  Jenn, how are you?
• 0:06
  I know the snow has been a lot lately.
• 0:08
  Um, we're all over winter at this point.
• 0:11
  How are you dealing?
• 0:12
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 0:14
  Hopefully by the time this comes out, the snow is melting and it's getting warmer.
• 0:18
  But current, Jenn, as of recording, just got an, uh, foot plus of snow yesterday.
• 0:27
  So yeah, I'm ready to, uh, move on from that.
• 0:31
  Well, again, I, we gotta move away from the weather 'cause I do wanna touch on something that has actually come up quite a bit lately in the news.
• 0:39
  Maybe not when people are listening to this, but I'm sure there'll be new happenings.
• 0:43
  And it was also kind of inspired by a friend's recent trip to Columbia.
• 0:48
  So there have been issues lately in this time in 2026, in and around Puerto Vallarta as well as Cuba that have made the news and have been big stories.
• 0:57
  And of course many other things are happening in the world all the time, ongoing wars and conflicts.
• 1:01
  But those two things have been really in the news as of late.
• 1:06
  My friend in Columbia, she is safe and having a good time, but in messaging with her, she actually mentioned that their hiking plans couldn't happen due to a national park being closed as tourists were being robbed by locals with guns.
• 1:18
  So, having said that, I also follow a lot of travel agents on Facebook, and I am sure lately, they have been crazy busy and doing their best to keep everyone up to date with the most recent information.
• 1:31
  That seems to be changing a lot depending on conditions.
• 1:34
  So all of this got me thinking regardless of assurances that let's say.
• 1:39
  Other parts of Mexico are safe, or before Cuba, flights were officially canceled, people were being told it's still okay to travel there.
• 1:47
  Some resorts are open, it's gonna be fine.
• 1:52
  Like I started thinking to myself, when do you draw the line and make a decision for yourself?
• 1:59
  Even as Canadians, we hear stories from a small group of people who have crossed into the US and not had good experiences.
• 2:06
  And of course that is a small subset of folks, but it is still happening at times.
• 2:10
  And these are the stories that you hear.
• 2:12
  So when do you listen to your gut?
• 2:15
  When do you say, even though most people aren't having issues, there's still something happening and what should I do personally?
• 2:22
  Well, I think there's a number of things you can do and should do before making your own decision and truly trusting how you feel.
• 2:29
  Once you have the full picture.
• 2:31
  So a couple of suggestions that I have is, first and foremost, and we've talked about this before in the podcast, is look at your government's travel advisories.
• 2:39
  This should be something that you always should start with before deciding on any travel really.
• 2:45
  Secondly, look at regions, so not a country as a whole.
• 2:48
  So if there's a polar bear attack in Churchill, Manitoba.
• 2:53
  That should not deter you from visiting Nova Scotia.
• 2:57
  That is literally just an example.
• 2:58
  Although if there hasn't, there has not been an attack.
• 3:00
  Please don't spread any rumors.
• 3:02
  It's just an example of looking at regions versus what's happening on one side of a country.
• 3:08
  Compare multiple sources, not just headlines.
• 3:12
  As we always say.
• 3:14
  Do your research and don't rely on Facebook or TikTok.
• 3:17
  Use multiple reliable sources, including of course, the hardworking travel advisors.
• 3:23
  I think you should take some time and ask yourself, what kind of traveler am I?
• 3:27
  Are you okay with some risk?
• 3:29
  Like my friend in Columbia.
• 3:31
  They had to pivot.
• 3:32
  They're off doing something else now and they're really having a good time.
• 3:35
  So obviously some risk is okay for her, but what kind of traveler are you?
• 3:39
  Are you going to be comfortable taking this trip under these circumstances?
• 3:44
  You know you best.
• 3:45
  So really introspection I think is gonna be key.
• 3:49
  Next, what is the purpose of your trip?
• 3:52
  This can help guide you on where to stay, what activities to plan and research, if those are safe and reliable options and areas for you.
• 4:01
  Like why are you going and what do you want this trip to accomplish?
• 4:04
  And if you don't feel you can do that safely, why go there?
• 4:09
  And then six, finally listen to your instincts.
• 4:12
  Let's say you've done all of the above.
• 4:14
  You feel in the pit of your stomach that you're still concerned.
• 4:18
  You really need to take this into deep consideration.
• 4:21
  But on the other hand, if you've done your research and it has eased your worries.
• 4:25
  Maybe you go for it.
• 4:27
  Instinct and intuition can be really valuable tools.
• 4:31
  Don't decide things on emotion.
• 4:32
  You should educate yourself and then consider if it feels right or not.
• 4:37
  Travel can be complicated and stuff is happening all over the world, good and bad.
• 4:42
  And in the end you need to decide what is best for you.
• 4:46
  So Jenn, what are your thoughts around this topic?
• 4:49
  'Cause it is quite relevant right now.
• 4:51
  Yeah, it definitely is, and it's definitely complicated and I would say that I'm like a pretty risk averse person, like in general, honestly.
• 5:00
  And I would probably err on the side of like canceling or rescheduling if, if.
• 5:06
  If I felt truly that I, I was going to be unsafe.
• 5:10
  Um, also a reminder that you can register with the government, at least here in Canada, I'm sure other countries as well, when you leave the country.
• 5:19
  And this helps them know that you are A: there, and B: allows them to contact you in case in of emergency, um, a natural disaster or civil unrest like.
• 5:31
  If you're going somewhere that maybe there's going to be an issue, having the government at least know that you're there and hopefully be able to get you out of there, I, I think, is, uh, a good thing.
• 5:44
  so yeah, it, it's complicated.
• 5:46
  it is.
• 5:47
  And it really is a person to person and you really have to know, like you said, who you are, but are you okay with some risk, completely risk averse?
• 5:55
  A little bit maybe, but I don't know.
• 5:57
  I think, I think it's something that people need to start thinking, but especially with all the things going on lately and people saying, no, you should still go.
• 6:04
  It's fine here.
• 6:05
  But does that still make you feel good?
• 6:07
  Like just because, uh, maybe a travel agent or someone else is staying yes, that's over there, but over here is fine.
• 6:14
  Is that good enough for you?
• 6:15
  Hmm.
• 6:16
  Yeah.
• 6:16
  are the big questions, you know.
• 6:18
  Mm-hmm.
• 6:19
  Well, that is it for this week's travel tip Tuesday.
• 6:21
  Hopefully gave you some food for thought.
• 6:23
  And thank you as always, uh, for tuning in.
• 6:26
  We hope you like what we're doing here and there's lots of ways to support us, including following us, and interacting on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
• 6:34
  You can buy us a coffee to help keep, uh, this operation up and running.
• 6:38
  Uh, the link for that is in the show notes.
• 6:40
  Um, and until next time, travel safe and bye.