We’re all dreaming of holiday freedom; the hot climate of a new country, the bustling crowds of a new city and the promise of ice cream for breakfast. Holidays give us the freedom to do exactly what we want and create memories that’ll last a lifetime – and like you, we’ve missed the jet setter way of life.
Travel is looking a more hopeful prospect for all you eagerholiday goers. The lifting of restrictions can mean a huge step forward butit’s also a slightly cautious step too – and it’s important to be wary of whatthe new kind of travel will look like post-COVID.
If your holiday has beencancelled due to COVID and you’re feeling uncertain on the next steps, here iseverything you need to know.
The first port of call if your holiday is cancelled is to contact the provider you booked it through, whether that was independently (separate flights and accommodation) or a travel package holiday and to also contact any separately pre-booked excursions or events for your trip.
Independentholidays
Independent holidays can beslightly more of a long process when it comes to contacting and looking at youroptions on what to do. You’ll need to contact the flight company, accommodation(whether that’s a hotel, hostel or AirBnB), any excursions and transfers too.
The protocol of what you’reentitled to in terms of a refund or date amendment will be dependent on theprovider, and what the terms and conditions state when you booked the trip.It’s worth looking at the terms and conditions prior to contacting them as anassurance to know where you stand for compensation.
It’s also worth checking ifyour independent providers have ATOL or ABTA protection for your trip. Both areUK financial protection schemes which protect mostly travel packages but mayalso apply to your providers too – and are there if travel providers fall intodifficulty.
Travel packageholidays
Travel package holidays can bea lot easier to contact and understand the status of your cancelled holiday asyou only need to contact one provider. Many travel package holidays also haveATOL or ABTA protection already in place.
Similar to independent holidays, it’ll be down to your travel package holiday to determine whether they’re looking to refund, amend your dates or offer some other form of compensation. More information can be found here.
Pre-bookexcursions/events
Excursions are always one ofthe most exciting parts of a holiday, whether they’re a safari ride, a guidedtour or going on a mountain hike. But, they’re not so great when your holidayhas been cancelled due to Covid and you’re unsure what to do.
If your excursion is bookedthrough your package holiday, you’ll be able to find all the information thatway when contacting your provider. However, if it has been bookedindependently, you’ll need to look at the terms and conditions of the excursionand see what that provider is able to offer in terms of compensation.
Holiday providers can offeryou a range of options in regards to compensation and that’ll be dependent onhow you booked your holiday and who your provider is.
Refund or vouchers
The most popular option whichmany holiday goers would prefer is a refund or form of monetary compensationsuch as vouchers. It’s the easiest and most effective form, however, sometimesit may not be offered in full or offered at all, and that’s why othercompensation methods can be put in place. If you choose the voucher choice,you’ll then have the opportunity to book your trip when Covid travelrestrictions in the UK have been fully lifted.
Refunds may take a lot longerat the minute as many people are asking for them rather than amendments orvouchers so it’s important to make a note of that when you’re asking for arefund –and therefore, other options may be more suitable for you.
Amending yourdates
The other option your providermay offer is amending your dates for your holiday, which can be a blessing in asense, as you won’t need to go down the route of researching and bookinganother trip, and you’ll still have a holiday to look forward to. The providermay suggest dates for you to change to or give you the option to pick furtherinto the future to give you the assurance when we can travel a little morefreely after restrictions.
Although those two forms ofcompensation are what the majority of holiday providers should offer, this maynot always be the case and they could refuse to offer it for many differentreasons – such as the business going into administration.
As worrying as your providerrefusing compensation may be, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose out onyour holiday or the compensation for it. This is where having a Covid travelinsurance policy can be really come in handy, and you can put it into good use.
Check what yourtravel insurance policy covers for
Buying travel insurance whenbooking your trip is the most important thing because it can really can benefityou when it comes to claiming, and especially for now if your holiday iscancelled due to Covid.
The first step before you leap into the claims process is to read your policy wordings, see what level of cover you have and where you stand in terms of cancellation cover for Covid.
If you look under the‘Cancellation’ section on your documents, it’ll state exactly what you’recovered for in lots of different cancellation situations and if you have thegrounds to make a claim.
Submit a claimwith your travel insurance provider
After contacting your travel providers, reading your policy wordings and understanding what you’re covered for, you can begin the claims process. When making a claim, it’s important to submit every document you have about your holiday and to put the claim through as soon as possible, to get the quickest and most effective outcome – and so our appointed claims team won’t have to keep asking for additional documents.
But rest assured, if yourholiday has been cancelled, there is always hope. You’ll be back on that planesoon, jetting off and creating stories to tell in years to come. Holidayfreedom will be once more.
If you need more information about if your holiday is cancelled due to Covid, find out more on our Covid page.
Holidaysafe is a trading name of Travel Insurance Facilities Plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 306537. Registered Office: 1 Tower View, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4UY. Travel Insurance Facilities Plc registered in England No. 3220410. All rights reserved. All policies offered are on a non-advised basis.
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