Can't make a trip? 4 tips to get some of your money back.

Sometimes life gets in the way of your travel plans

Family wearing sunglasses sitting on the couch next to their suitcases looking sad because of canceled trip
According to the Department of Transportation, passengers are due a refund if their flight is canceled — not just that measly voucher an airline may try to offer you
(Image credit: ozgurcankaya / Getty Images)

We may be out of the days of peak COVID cancellations, but life can still disrupt even the best laid plans. If you find yourself in a situation where you can no longer go on a trip you booked, it's not just the memories you will be missing out on — any money you already paid is also on the line.

Maybe you were proactive enough to purchase travel insurance, in which case you are probably not sweating it. But if that's not the situation you are in, here are some tips for hopefully recouping some of the money you stand to lose. After all, missing a trip already stings enough. 

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Becca Stanek, The Week US

Becca Stanek has worked as an editor and writer in the personal finance space since 2017. She previously served as a deputy editor and later a managing editor overseeing investing and savings content at LendingTree and as an editor at the financial startup SmartAsset, where she focused on retirement- and financial-adviser-related content. Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.