Senior News Line: Do you dare to go on your vacation?

You budgeted all winter, building up the cash that would take you on vacation this summer. And now all your plans are in doubt.

Now we have the coronavirus rampaging around the globe, with more cases popping up in more countries on a daily basis. Do you dare to still go on your vacation?

To help make a decision about whether go, first stay current on the general facts:

• Keep an eye on the advisory levels on the U.S. State Department website at travel.state.gov. More and more countries have been added to the list of places where it warns people not to travel.

• Stay updated on locations of coronavirus cases here in the U.S. Watch the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's travel notices at wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices. Watch the airlines, if you'd planned to fly. More flights to more areas are being canceled every day.

Then take a close look at your individual situation:

• If you’re over the age of 65, or planning to travel with someone who is, or if there is already a health condition, consider whether travel is worth the risk of being exposed to the virus. Seniors are hit the hardest by the effect of the coronavirus and have a heightened risk of contracting it as well as pneumonia.

• Do your plans involve being in crowds at tourist sites, with pathogens that are spread through the air? Are you prepared to be put in a quarantine situation if you test positive and have no symptoms?

The biggest question is this: If you do go on your intended trip, could you relax and enjoy yourself? Or, would you be worried the whole time about being exposed to the virus?

Remember: If you cancel your summer vacation plans, you won’t be the only one to do that.