Hurricane Irma is causing intense travel headaches as it churns through the Caribbean.
On Wednesday, travAlliancemedia President and CEO Mark Murphy stopped by FOX 29 Philadelphia to provide affected travelers with some helpful insight regarding what to expect and how to prepare.
"When you have an event like this, the airlines are going to go ahead and waive change fees and they're going to allow you to rebook, in many cases without a fare difference," said Murphy. "The key is you have to rebook it within a certain timeframe."
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In addition to airlines, cruise lines are avoiding Irma's project path.
"The cruise lines are proactively saying 'we're going to cancel those sailings, we're going to give you a full refund for that sailing and in the case of Royal Caribbean we're going to give you a 25 percent credit on a future sailing,'" said Murphy.
"With Norwegian Cruise Line you're going to get a 50 percent credit on a future sailing."
Guests having booked their hotel stay with a travel agent can also rest easy, according to Murphy.
"A lot of hotels are going to be flexible and you have to deal with the individual hotel property. If it was booked through a travel agent, they've got leverage with that hotel if they sell multiple people per year," said Murphy.
"They'll [hotels will] do things like credit you so you can take a future trip. In most cases, they're not going to take your money and say 'you've got to come anyway in the middle of a hurricane.'"
When it comes to purchasing travel insurance for extended trips, Murphy encourages travelers to ensure their covered for any potential medical emergencies that may arise: "Make sure you have medical coverage because if something goes awry down there your medical insurance up here is not going to cover that in most cases."
[READMORE]READ MORE: How Does Travel Insurance Work During a Hurricane?[/READMORE]
Murphy recommends companies like Allianz Global Assistance and Travel Guard for travelers seeking the freedom to cancel anytime or for any reason.
"These are all insurance companies that, in many cases, you would get advice from a travel agent as to what to buy," added Murphy.
You can view Murphy's appearance on FOX 29 Philadelphia in its entirety below:
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