Speculation Booking, over Short Ribs

Posted On April 8, 2021

This past month we found ourselves in the midst of a historic blizzard. Any hopes of March 2021 being different from 2020 were dashed – we were back to being trapped at home, working over Zoom from the living room, and scrounging up creative dinners from the pantry. Our original plans for the month were for a road trip to Santa Fe NM to work from “home” with a change of scenery. With the interstate closed for days, our plans had to be cancelled.

Which brings us to the topic of speculation booking. With vaccination rates climbing and COVID numbers dropping, many people – yours truly included – are dreaming of traveling in the upcoming months. However, this snowstorm was a quick reminder that the best of plans can implode in an instant – whether it be related to illness, pandemic related border closures, or weather. I think it is important in this day and age to plan in ways that minimize loss and with contingency strategies in place. Here are my tips for planning your post-vaccination future travels:

Book with Points….or Make Refundable Plans: The massive changes in airline policies were one of the greatest wins of 2020. The elimination of many change fees makes booking travel during a pandemic a lot more feasible. By using points and miles for upcoming speculation travel, we also would not be out any cash. If the trip had to be cancelled, our points can be redeposited in a matter of seconds, no questions asked.

Flights: While I am sure better points and miles bargains exist, we opted to book the majority of our speculation flights on Southwest (for domestic) or United (for international). We have a vast number of points in our United accounts leftover from cancelled 2020 plans, and we were very comfortable and understanding of the cancellation/rebooking policies of both airlines. For our first international trip post-vaccination, our plan was to book Saver award economy flights – but there were plenty of business class Saver award options, and with much of the world still unvaccinated, we were still a little hesitant to take a long international flight in potentially cramped economy seats. Given that we had plenty of United miles – which very well may be devalued in the next year anyway, might as well splurge! Not something we would have normally done (it was hard to part with that many hard earned points all at once!), but we feel safer doing this – and flying business/first class tends to come with exceptional customer service, which could come in handy should there be an issue with COVID testing or other logistics in our travels.

If it seems unlikely an international flight or, in particular, an internal flight on a foreign airline, is not going to sell out, another strategy is to book within 60 days prior to the flight. Reason: if there is any issue with the flight being cancelled, you have an additional option to dispute the charge (which must be done within 60 days of purchase). We had to do this last year when our April trip to Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui was cancelled due to the pandemic and border closures, yet the airline refused to refund our money. I disputed the charge through Chase and had my money back the next day. (our Chase Sapphire Reserve card does come with trip cancellation insurance which could also be evoked, but I found disputing the charge to be quicker and a lot less hassle). Book refundable hotels and be weary of home rentals. Normally I love AirBnB and VRBO so that I can “live like a local”. However, if you have to cancel a rental, it is often impossible to get all your money back – even in the setting of a border closure or other catastrophe. Never book a non-refundable room unless there is absolutely no doubt you will cancel – which is almost never. It is not a gamble with taking.

Tour guides: It has been a hard year for tour guides and the industry is begging for business. But, be careful. If booking with a tour company, be sure your trip is completely refundable if at all possible. Rather than booking a whole package, see if you can just book the tour guide and/or driver. Some companies will want to include internal flights, hotels, ad other items that you can easily book on your own – while it might seem hassle-free to let the tour company do all the work, you may be better off booking what you can on your own (using points if possible) so that in the event of a cancellation, you don’t have quite as much money tied up with a tour company and out of your control. Read the cancellation and rebooking policies carefully.

Rental cars: Book rental cars far in advance and make sure your reservation is refundable. Some rental car companies downsized their inventory during the pandemic, and car rentals are likely to surge as travel resumes and cautious travelers try to avoid public transportation or tour groups. Car rentals are usually refundable up until the day of your trip, so book them as soon as you have committed yourself to planning a trip.

Don’t forget restaurants: Unless you are planning to do take-out, book restaurants well in advance as well. Between pandemic related closures and limited capacity for indoor dining in most parts of the world, options are tight. We still prefer outdoor dining only, and outdoor sections at restaurants are also high in demand.

Pandemic specific planning: Pre-2020, the usual preparation for an international trip included the purchase of visas and a quick glance at the CDC recommendations for vaccinations and infectious precautions for our desintation country (for example, a mandatory Yellow Fever vaccine is required for entry to certain African countries; malaria prophylaxis is necessary in many parts of the world). Add COVID to the list. I recommend visiting the US Embassy’s page for the country you are visiting to get a sense of current testing requirements for border entry and other precautions in place related to the pandemic – and then make a plan for testing (we use Vault at home test kits – and we always send 2-3 test kits through different FedEx drop offs in case one gets lost or is delayed in resulting). Since a COVID test is currently required to re-enter the US, determine when and how you will be tested 72 hours prior to your departing flight to the US – the US Embassy pages will often list sites where COVID testing is available. Make sure you find a place with rapid testing so that you have your results before your flight departs. Also check whether the country you are visiting requires the purchase of health insurance that covers quarantine related expenses (one of our destinations did; we have used Allianz for past travels and their “emergency medical” travel policy does include quarantine coverage, as well as travel delay coverage).

See our post: Traveling Safely during a Pandemic, for other tips on testing, masks, and related topics.

Have a contingency plan. In the event of a cancellation, is this a trip you will postpone? If you are stuck with PTO dates that can’t be changed, is there a back up destination or staycation option? Also prepare for how you will handle cancelling and rescheduling plans:

1. Use a credit card with travel insurance, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve.
2. Know the airline’s policy on rebooking if you need to cancel. Major US airlines are allowing free schedule changes, so for example, if conditions look unsafe at your destination action or if you become ill, you can rebook at a later date – and even change your destination. Keep in mind that United will not refund the difference in cost if you have to change from a more expensive to a less expensive itinerary – if your new flight costs a lot less, it may be with booking a new reservation and waiting to see if your original flight gets cancelled or significantly delayed (allowing you a full refund) or use the travel credit later on for a trip with a flight cost equivalent to your original flight.
3. If your flight gets canceled, ask for a full refund and do not accept a travel credit. Airlines are required by federal guidelines to provide a refund if they cancel a flight, but often you will be “tricked” into thinking that a travel credit is your only option – often, the credit is automatically issued to the customer, implying there is no other option. It is in your best interest to keep your money in your pocket, not the airline’s, and it gives you far more flexibility since flight credits have an expiration date. You may need to call the airline, but it is time well spent. If dealing with a foreign based airline who refuses a refund, dispute the charge on your credit card. Last March, we went rounds with Air Tahiti trying to get our money refunded from our cancelled flight with no luck…we finally disputed the charge with Chase and had our money back within 48 hours no questions asked.

Braised Short Ribs

While planning your next travels, why not cook up something warm and cozy? This past month, watching the snow fall endlessly, comfort food was definitely on order. This short rib recipe is a combination of recipes from Balthazar (a favorite NYC French restaurant) and Cook Beautiful, a lovely cookbook recently gifted to me by a friend. As is the case with current times, modify if needed based on what is in your fridge and pantry. For 2-3 servings you’ll need:

• 2-3 lb beef short ribs
• 2 ounces pancetta
• 1 onions, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into 2″ pieces on the diagonal
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups red wine, full bodied (think Cabernet, Merlot, or red zin – something you don’t mind drinking since you’ll have a little leftover, which is for you, the chef)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (preferably homemade, a great use for all that leftover bread)
• 1/4 cup minced parsley

Instructions:

• 24-48 hours prior to cooking, liberally salt all surfaces of the short ribs, which will help flavor and tenderize this tough cut of meat. Don’t skip this step!
• In a sauté pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, brown the short ribs over medium high heat. Transfer to crock pot.
• If using pancetta, add it to your skillet and sautée until lightly browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to crock pot, leaving 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the pan (remove excess).
• Add the onions, celery, and carrots to skillet. Cook over medium until softened, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and stir in. Add thyme, fennel, and tomato paste and stir, cooking another 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste starts to brown. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Cook for about 5 minutes to allow some of the liquid to boil off.
• Add veggies to crock pot along with 1 cup beef broth and tomatoes.
• Cool on low 4-6 hours until meat and carrots are tender, which gives you plenty of time to plan your trip – or enjoy some outdoor time!
• For the bread crumb topping: heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium. Add 1 smashed garlic clove and sautée 1 minute, until it infuses the oil with garlic. Add bread crumbs, coat in oil, and toast until lightly browned. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
• Serve the short ribs, topped with bread crumbs, over mashed potatoes, celeriac, parsnips, or a combination of the above (we used half parsnips, half Yukon gold potatoes). Polenta would also be delicious. As would one of those lovely red wines you picked up in your travels that you’ve been “saving” for that special occasion. Every day should be special.