http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal...t-job-lo-4187/


If you’re worried about a pink slip on the horizon, your vacation plans may have taken a backseat to other priorities. But the travel industry internationally has been working hard to diminish the fears of the job-insecure with innovative solutions and marketing campaigns. JetBlue’s recent offer to refund fares for those just laid off and British carrier Flybe’s “redundancy cancellation cover” are a couple such examples.

And in the last week, cruising entities have begun to hop aboard the trend. On Feb. 25, Norwegian Cruise Lines announced its “BookSafe Travel Protection Plan,” a “safety net” that guarantees a full refund to those who want to cancel a trip due to job loss.

NCL’s plan is valid for any cruise scheduled to depart on or after May 1, 2009. Unlike the aforementioned flight offers, this extra protection doesn’t come free, but for some, the peace of mind attained may be worth it: The enhanced plan costs $29 and up per person, depending on cruise fare.

On Feb. 27, major cruise retailers CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. announced their CruiseAssurance plan, which is in essence a job-loss travel insurance policy, covering travel on any cruise, on any line, booked through one of the sister companies’ U.S. agents. If you book a cruise running March 1 through May 2, 2009, the policy allows you to cancel anytime, even during the cruise, if you end up losing your job.

Cover qualification requires the purchase of a basic Travel Guard travel-insurance plan from your agent. To secure a refund, you’ll need to show your termination letter from your place of employment, where you’ve been for a minimum of one year.

In a recent post, USA Today’s Laura Bly cited other layoff-related programs, such as Intrepid Travel’s 15%-off discounts and a SkyRoll.com offer to discount luggage 50% for those who have lost their jobs.

Who’s next? I’m hoping that we’ll see fewer of these offers because soon there won’t be a need for them, but with bleak economic projections for the remainder of 2009, I’m guessing that more travel retailers will be stepping up with recession-related campaigns of their own.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Holland America's Westerdam in Grand Turk Islands. Credit: Tom Burton / Orlando Sentinel]