I just escalated my call with Road Scholar to a supervisor and she helped me to understand their policy. I do not agree, but now I understand. To my surprise, COVID is not a good reason for us to cancel our trip with Road Scholar. Unlike the cruise industry who is refunding customers (I have 4 friends who received full refunds for their European cruises), Road Scholar is a non-profit and can't due this. The insurance company that we purchase the Protection Program through does not consider a worldwide pandemic as a good reason to cancel! They term it "fear of flying", which is not covered.
So the only solution is that your deposit is kept for a credit toward future travel.
When I pointed out that this trip to Portugal is going to be impacted by the EU decision not to let Americans into their countries due to spiking increase of COVID cases in the US, the supervisor said, "Well the EU will rethink this every 2 weeks". WOW! I have no faith that USA will get the COVID pandemic under control any time soon. I'd like to cancel on my own and not wait for Road Scholar to make that determination.
I don't think I will be traveling with this organization again.
-- Karen
When's your trip?
You'll probably just have to outwait them on the cancellation for your tour...which they are now calling a "suspension". To me it's a cancellation but they can play with shades of meaning all they want.
I do think their attitude is going to come back to bite them for future business. I understand about staying in business and I'd like for them to continue. I don't understand emails where a company asks you to start a Crowdfunding fundraiser.
-->editing to add: I saw on your other post where your trip is in September. I would guess they will wind up cancelling the whole Fall season. I base this guess on another tour company (Rick Steves) who just yesterday cancelled the rest of his 2020 season including Portugal. It is heartbreaking to know they had to do this but I suspect all tour companies who are concerned about their program members, staff and hotel/restaurant connections will also cancel. Plus as you indicate, EU may not allow US passport holders in by then anyway. They are looking at the US as a whole even though some areas are doing OK, others are not. BTW, I had also looked at doing a US trip during September and it is off the website now...the company is not running it this year, so to my mind, September programs will fall next.
~Pam
Just wait for them to cancel. You'll get all your money back, no problem. RS will HAVE to cancel if the US entry restriction is still on - which I suspect it still will be in the near future.
Mary_A, since the OP posted a month ago RS has since cancelled all programming thru September 2020. Hopefully they waited RS out and were able to get their refund. I'm guessing October cancellations will be next.
https://www.roadscholar.org/policies/