Editor’s note (March 28, 2020): I wrote this post what feels like a lifetime ago, when the evidence of the pandemic’s reach and the thread facing us was not obvious to those of us in the US yet. In case it isn’t obvious, no one should be traveling right now. Please read my other and up-to-date coverage of coronavirus-related travel issues in these posts:
- Airline Change Fee Waivers for COVID-19
- Travel Lessons Already Learned in Trying Times
- FAQs about Disneyland’s Closing
- How to Handle Flight Schedule Changes
America is kind of freaking out about COVID-19 coronavirus. The number of questions I’ve gotten from readers worried about their spring break plans or wondering if they should travel at all is pretty astounding. My family is still planning to head to Disneyland in a few weeks for a vacation we have planned. We have not cancelled any future travel plans we have within the US and Canada either.
To be sure, I don’t mean to minimize the valid medical risks and fears. For the elderly and for immunocompromised individuals, many of those fears are rational when it comes to COVID-19 coronavirus. And for anyone with a trip booked to international destinations with significant outbreaks (China, Italy, Japan, South Korea, or Singapore), I totally understand why it’s prudent to postpone travel there – if only because major tourist attractions are often closed and the threat of quarantine upon return could be really life-disrupting.
But there are a lot of us who simply see no reason to lock ourselves in the house for the next few months and cave to the media hype. I’m not saying we all shouldn’t be cautious, but I personally feel that life – and travel – goes on. This is especially true for the young and healthy (including kids who don’t seem to get serious versions of this disease at all) and for travel to and from destinations within the United States.
For those of you who love travel and don’t want to stop doing it, the good news is that there are some extreme travel deals just starting to hit the scene due to COVID-19 coronavirus suppressing travel demand. I fully expect more to be coming in the next few days and weeks. I figured it was time to create a landing page where I can post these deals as they are released so you can jump on them as fast as possible. Spring break has never been cheaper for families. And for those of you who can travel later in April and May, there may be some truly screaming deals on the table.
Here are the coronavirus travel deals you should be considering:
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Current Coronavirus Flight Deals
Remember that a number of airlines currently are waiving change fees due to coronavirus concerns for travel booked in the next few weeks, so all the more reason to jump on some of these deals when travel is at its most flexible!
Southwest Airlines Sales
See my tips for how to maximize a Southwest Airlines fare sale first, and then jump on the following Southwest flight deals:
- Hawaii flights from California destinations as low as $139 each way for travel from March 24 through May 20, 2020. (Sale ends Thursday, March 5).
- Caribbean, Mexico, & Central America destinations as low as $79 each way for travel April 14 through May 14, 2020. (Sale ends Thursday, March 5).
- Many other domestic travel destinations as low as $49 each way for travel from March 21 through June 6, 2020. May 21-22 & 25, 2020 blacked out. (Sale ends Thursday, March 5).
Alaska Airlines Sales
- Hawaii flights from California destinations as low as $99 each way for travel from April 21 through May 20, 2020 (Sale ends Thursday, March 5).
Current Disneyland Deals
Spring Disneyland Ticket Savings
For anyone headed Disneyland from now through May 21, Disneyland already had some amazing spring ticket deals worth snagging. Use Trips With Tykes partner Get Away Today to book the same e-tickets you’d get directly from Disney at an extra discount.
- Kids Spring Sale: Save $86(!!!!) per child on all kids 3 day tickets (ages 3-9). This deal applies to all tickets, including those with and without the park hopper and MaxPass options. The deal makes 3 day kids prices cheaper than the usual cost of a 2 day Disneyland ticket. Valid through May 21, 2020.
- Spring Southern California Resident Ticket Offer: The SoCal Spring Ticket Deal allows locals to go to the parks for as little as $67 a day for any three days between now and May 21, 2020. Get Away Today is now able to offer this same awesome offer at an extra $5 per ticket discount off of official Disney prices. Note that proof of SoCal residency is required. Tickets are valid through May 21, 2020 and must be purchased by May 18.
Get Away Today Disneyland Hotel & Package Deals
Get Away Today has much more than Disneyland tickets of course! In fact, GAT is currently making the deals and discounts of their hotel partners available on their platform as well, meaning you can save just as much and sometimes even more than some of the deals you might be seeing advertised by hotels directly, especially when stacked with ticket savings. Use my code TYKES10 to save an extra $10 on vacation packages.
Right now, the very best deals are for the upcoming weekend (March 6-8, 2020) – some hotels are up to 50% off! Deals later in the spring may be coming, so keep checking for your preferred travel dates.
Current Cruise Deals
I’m still scouring the internet for cruise deals, but fully expect those are coming in a big way. My friend Shawn at Miles to Memories has already spotted some cruise offers that are pretty tempting.
The Final Word
Check back here often as the deals keep coming!
In the meantime, I want to hear from all of you – are you still traveling just as much as you always have during this time of coronavirus? Are you cutting back on international but still doing US travel? Are you perhaps going to travel more chasing some of these deals?