Travelling via any means is bonkers right now , so you may not be thinking about booking a trip anytime soon. Or maybe you are revenge travelling and booking all of the trips — either way, if you have e-credits or vouchers from trips that were cancelled during the pandemic, you should probably use them soon or find out how to save, extend, or get credit for them before they expire. As the Washington Post points out , travel companies were quick to hand out vouchers — rather than issue refunds, even when required to do so — for cancellations on the assumption that customers wouldn’t actually use them before they expired. And that’s exactly what’s happening. If you can’t use your vouchers or credits in the near future, here are a few ways to avoid losing them.

Check the status and policies for your vouchers

First, gather all the information. Log into your travel accounts and note what vouchers or credits you have, how much they’re worth, when they expire, and any policies or limitations for redemption.

Ask for a refund instead

Customers and company representatives who spoke to the Post reported that vouchers can often be redeemed for a full refund, which airlines, cruise lines, and other travel operators may be required to offer based on their terms and conditions if they cancelled your trip with no alternative. Of course, this may not apply if you cancelled. But it doesn’t hurt to ask — firmly.

Use only part of your expiring credit

If you have an e-credit for a certain dollar amount that’s set to expire, you may be able to keep it active by spending part of the money on a super cheap itinerary (like a one-way flight) and saving the rest for the future. Another hack: book travel using points or e-credits and cancel it within the 24-hour no-penalty window, which re-deposits the credit to your account and resets the expiration date. Note that there may be fees or restrictions for this.

Prevent general travel points from expiring

Another thing to check is whether the frequent flyer miles or travel points (and other benefits) you’ve accumulated over time are set to expire soon. Many rewards programs suspended mileage expiration and extended existing premium membership benefits, but those limitations are starting to kick in once again. For example, American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire after 24 months of inactivity, meaning no earning or spending on your account. American paused mileage expiration during the pandemic but reinstated the rule on April 1. To keep your account alive , you only need to make one transaction, which could include a credit card charge, redemption for a cheap flight or other travel, or a cash/mileage donation to charity.

Plan that trip anyway

Depending on the type of voucher you have, you may get pretty good bang for your buck when booking right now. For example, a cruise line may charge less than the total of your original credit, so you can cover more of your cost. If you want to get away, feel safe doing so, and have some flexibility, this may be better than letting your money go to waste.

The post Don’t Let Your Pandemic Travel Credits Go to Waste appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .

On Wednesday night, with a winter storm of historic magnitude battering Texas and leaving millions of residents without electricity or potable water, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz decamped for the sunny climes of Cancun, Mexico with his family.

What could have been merely an insidious Twitter rumour was soon confirmed — via photos of the senator holding a boarding pass and wearing familiar sneakers and his signature mask, emblazoned with his favourite second amendment rallying cry, “Come and take it,” and by major news outlets, including Fox News . Twitter was soon riddled with contempt for Cruz (even more than usual, anyway) for appearing to abandon his constituents and colleagues in an hour of crisis.

The outpouring seems to have been enough to wrest Cruz from the warm embrace of an oceanfront vacation, as reports indicate he was Texas-bound by Thursday morning. But it’s anyone’s guess whether Cruz — who’s as fond of tweeting as he apparently is a sun-dappled sojourn during a Congressional recess — learned any lessons from the episode, even as he left other Texans to do his job for him .

Though a high-profile example, Cruz’s missteps can prove instructional for the general, working populace in how to use your vacation time without leaving your colleagues in the lurch.

Don’t take leisure time off during a busy season

Chances are you aren’t a public official beholden to the needs of a broad base of constituents, but as a general rule, it’s best not to schedule your time off during a period when your colleagues will be under a more intense workload than usual.

Most industries have times of year that are busier than others, and you’ll do your reputation a service by resisting the urge to abscond when your abilities are needed most. In the case of Cruz, it’s likely that his family vacation wasn’t planned on a whim. But with millions of the state’s residents deprived of the electricity necessary to weather unusually frigid temperatures, he might have realised his efforts were needed closer to home.

Understand what times of year require an all-hands-on-deck approach, and plan your getaways accordingly. If a personal or family crisis arises even during a hectic schedule, then all of this goes out the window, obviously — your personal and family needs will always prevail over those of your employer.

Tell your colleagues when you’re leaving

If you’re afraid that your well-earned vacation will leave your co-workers buried under a deluge of your responsibilities, leave them a detailed note outlining what exactly it is you do that shouldn’t be ignored in your absence. If your duties have to be picked up by someone else, delineate those tasks in a memo to your colleagues.

They’ll appreciate your candor and that you’ve left them a clear outline demonstrating how you do your job, so they don’t have to scramble to figure it out themselves. If you fail to provide this, don’t be surprised if your colleagues take to lambasting you in private.

Thank your coworkers for picking up the slack

You don’t need to grovel — everyone deserves a holiday, and to use their time off how they want to. But show your colleagues that you appreciate the courtesy if they had to add to their plates in your absence. You can do this with another written note, or by offering a different token of appreciation, such as a small gift or tasty snack (when your office is safely open again). Obviously you shouldn’t feel the need to lavish them with praise, but letting them know you appreciate how they’ve stepped up while you dipped your toes in a white sandy beach will surely be endearing.

The post How to Take Time Off Without Screwing Over Your Coworkers appeared first on Lifehacker Australia .