Protests in Hong Kong yesterday caused hundreds of departing flights to be cancelled, leaving thousands of travellers stranded. While flights have resumed now, the initial cancellations and delays have cost affected travellers lots of money.

CKDM reached out to Tami Turner, a local travel agent, who told us there are some steps you can take before travelling to help if you ever end up in a situation like the one in Hong Kong.

Turner recommends booking with a travel agent. It’s their job to make the necessary calls to either reroute your trip or put you in a hotel until a reroute is possible. This will allow you to be on your way again as quickly as possible.

Second, she said to always get cancellation insurance. Without it, you are at the mercy of the airline, who is trying to help thousands of other passengers. Having cancellation insurance will help with any money spent or lost while stranded or waiting for another flight.

Turner says it’s never too late to reroute your flights, so, if you know that your flight will be delayed or cancelled, its best to call your travel agent as soon as possible.

Turner adds that while these scenarios are rare and can’t be predicted, it’s always best to be prepared.