Q Can travel provider change its mind about giving me a refund?

spots on earth (with) stunning beaches, great food, places to shop and plenty to do.

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child? And did you love it? Or … not so much?

A. My parents’ work was ministry, which had them traveling the world with me from the time I was a baby. The first trip I ever made was to Malaysia when I was 3 months old (so) I obviously don’t remember it. I have really fond memories of being in the USA a lot as a child.

Q. What is the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?

A. The world makes the best teacher. I believe my worldview is so much larger from my experiences traveling. I love learning about people and culture, what makes us unique and yet the same all over the world.

Q. If you could only pick one, would you choose a low-key meal at a street cart or fine dining at a nice restaurant?

A. Can I choose both? Probably a casual meal with friends, but I do love a restaurant experience.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. To the beach, always. Sydney has beautiful beaches and we get there as much as we can on the weekends.

Q. Where is the most romantic destination?

A. Amalfi Coast, Italy.

Q. If you’ve ever gone away over the holidays, which was the best trip?

A. New York during Christmas season is pretty magical.

Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?

A. I don’t do a whole lot of research, but I tend to know people around the world. So I often will get in touch with them to give me advice on where to get a good coffee mostly.

For more from the reporter, visit www.jaehakim.com.

A: I’m sorry that Overseas Adventure Travel canceled your cruise. I think you and your wife would have had a great adventure in Italy, Croatia and Greece. OAT did the right thing by canceling your cruise. It wasn’t safe to travel.

But your case has absolutely nothing to do with the coronavirus. OAT sent you not one, but two emails offering a refund. You accepted the refund. Case closed.

You can’t revise an offer like that. Once you put it in writing, you have to honor it.

Now, that’s not to say I’m unsympathetic to OAT’s position. Like other travel companies, it’s facing an apocalyptic event. The

My wife and I were scheduled to go on an Overseas Adventure Travel cruise to the Dalmatian Coast and Greece this spring. OAT canceled the trip because of the coronavirus. It offered to either rebook another tour and receive $500 per person or receive a full refund.

We chose a refund. Two weeks later, an OAT representative called and said they “changed their mind.” No refunds would be available. We could either rebook or get a voucher.

Although I have sent many emails and have had three subsequent phone calls, OAT will not give us a refund. We are hoping that you can help us get our $30,000 back.

— John Gardner, Lakewood, Wash. cruise industry is particularly hard-hit by all the COVID-19 cancellations. I can understand why it would prefer to offer you a voucher.

But a deal’s a deal. You could have appealed your case to someone higher up at Overseas Adventure Travel. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the executives at Grand Circle Travel, which owns OAT, on my consumer-advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to one of them would have probably shaken a refund loose.

And if that didn’t work? I might have contacted your credit card company. OAT’s email offering a refund would have made your credit-card dispute an easy win. Alternatively, you could have filed a case in small claims court, although you would have had to limit your claim to $5,000.

I contacted Overseas Adventure Travel on your behalf. It refunded the $30,000, as promised.

If you need help with a coronavirus-related refund, please contact me. You can send details through my consumer advocacy site or email me.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.

HILLSONG YOUNG & FREE