Five Ways Women Can Change Travel for the Better in 2024

Carolyn Ray, Editor, JourneyWoman

What women can do:  Support travel companies that offer flexibility without exorbitant costs

As travellers, we are used to the constant changes that occur when flights, weather or situations change. I’m more than willing to adapt, but the travel industry is not. I remember vividly when the travel industry accommodated flexibility. It was easy to change a flight, adapt travel plans or make a decision on the fly. Today, however, it is practically impossible. With all the new rules and regulations, we are constricted to the point where additional costs to change anything literally suck the breath out of my body.

While flexible change or cancellation policies are heavily marketed, the reality is that flexibility comes with a hefty cost. It’s no longer possible to adapt to change cost-effectively – instead we are forced to plan travel to the teeth. We exist in a world of complex rules and regulations, where any misstep costs us more money. It’s no wonder there is so much stress and anxiety around travel. And when things do go wrong, we are often left unprotected. Even when we do purchase travel insurance, there is always some loophole or variable that could never have been considered that affects the outcome. I was shocked to discover that my travel insurance didn’t cover acts of war when I was travelling in the Middle East in October. However, to its credit, Air Canada offered flight changes from Tel Aviv without a change fee.

Hotels have changed too. In looking at a long-stay at an Airbnb, I search for apartments with flexible cancellation policies. When I find one to book, I see that places that offer ‘free cancellation’ cost more than non-refundable. In some cases, ‘free cancellation’ only lasts for hours or days before I am charged in full. Is that truly flexibility? Even Booking.com, which used to be my go-to for hotels, says that properties are ‘flexible to reschedule if plans change’ while also saying they are ‘non-refundable’ in the same listing. What that means, if you read the fine print, is that your booking can be rescheduled to a different date, but not not refunded, and that there may be an additional cost.  I now use Expedia, which allows for last-minute changes, and doesn’t bill in advance for car rentals.

When it comes to flights, one would hope that the goal of travel is to get us where we want to go quickly and efficiently. However, that only works if you conform to the rules. On Air Canada, I used to stand by on flights and hop on. Now there’s a hefty and unaffordable charge for a simple flight change to get me home earlier.  While the US Department of Transportation urges us to ‘be flexible in our travel plans to get the lowest fare’, it also notes that ‘discount fares are non-refundable’. And what about compensation when things happen beyond our control? At least in Canada, any passenger who is denied boarding for a reason that is within the airline’s control and is not required for safety – for example, commercial overbooking or a change in aircraft due to scheduled maintenance – is entitled to compensation. Read more here.

Another example of the lack of flexibility (and mind-boggling inconsistency) is carry-on luggage. We are encouraged to travel lightly, yet the rules for what is carry-on vary widely. What is a carry-on on one airline is refused at the next. What is allowed in one country’s security line is not permitted in another. Then there are the additional costs to reserve an actual seat itself after paying for the ticket. Does this mean the ticket doesn’t come with a seat? It’s like buying a car but having to pay more for the tires. All of these rules and regulations, which are designed to maximize profit, are the antithesis of flexibility. I will choose to travel with companies that respect my need to change my mind and my plans. I’d love to hear from our readers what companies they find flexible and adaptive, that don’t charge for every change.