Worried about the swine flu outbreak in Mexico, vacationing Rhode Islanders are heading to the Bahamas or elsewhere, travel agents said Wednesday.

Others are canceling or postponing trips to Mexico, where the outbreak is believed to have killed more than 150 people.

At Anyplace Travel in Johnston, 40 clients have changed their vacation plans, said president Nancy DiGiglio. Some Mexico-bound travelers have had to pay airline fees — up to $150 — to change flight dates. And some hotels aren’t refunding money.

Meanwhile, the cost of going elsewhere “is creeping up,” DiGiglio said. “Obviously, people are concerned.”

“No one is going to Mexico City,” said Kris Levy, an agent at Donovan Travel in East Greenwich. Several clients recently canceled their plans. But a 50-person wedding party headed for Riviera Maya earlier this week, as the outbreak story unfolded. The coastal spot, south of Cancun, is a popular destination.

The same thing is happening elsewhere, said William Sutherland, vice president of travel at AAA Southern New England. “A number of people are asking, should we go to Mexico? And if they’re already there, they’re asking, what do I do now?”

On Tuesday, American Airlines said it would extend a cancel-without-penalty policy for Mexican trips through May 16. Passengers can get a refund, change destinations or postpone a trip. Passengers on other airlines have less time to change plans.

Meanwhile, some cruise lines are not stopping at Mexican ports.

Travelers who booked a trip through an agent should use the same agent to try to change those plans, Sutherland said.

Mexico is a popular vacation destination in the winter and spring, agents say. In recent years it has also been a bargain, with roundtrip fares costing as little as $350.

“Mexico is wonderful,” said Run-A-Way Travel agent Lois Giustini, who visited the country in December. In Mexico, she said, you can see people wearing gowns next to people wearing flip-flops. “It’s laid back.”

The vacation jitters couldn’t come at a worse time, agents say. The industry is already grappling with a bad economy.

The companies that package tours for travel agencies “are suffering,” said Candy Adriance, the owner of Yankee Travel in South Kingstown. Meanwhile, agents are working hard to find alternative destinations for worried travelers, she said. “We’re getting calls. There’s concern, but not panic.”

Sommer Haney, a 25-year-old asset manager in Dallas, Texas, used Yankee Travel to book a June honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun. She and her fiancé planned to explore Mayan ruins and an underground river.

“When I heard about the outbreak, I freaked a little,” Haney said. Her fiancé calmed her down.

Still, she said, she’s looking at Jamaica. “We may switch our plans if things don’t clear up.”

pdavis@projo.com