When you are planning a holiday it’s important to consider how to protect your investment, because as we know things can change at short notice.

We’ve put together a summary of the protection that is available and what to look out for.

If the rules change and your holiday cannot go ahead

Package Travel Regulations

Booking a package gives you more protection than booking elements of your holiday separately.

Any holiday where the flight and accommodation are booked with the same company at the same time is considered a package and as such it falls under the Package Travel Regulations.

This means that a travel company has a legal duty to provide you with the holiday you booked, if they are unable to do so, for instance due to a change in travel rules in the UK or in your destination, they are obliged to provide you with a full refund or an alternative trip.

If you have any problems whilst you are away you are also likely to get much more support from your travel provider if you have booked a package because they are responsible for the whole trip, not just an individual element.

More information: https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/is-my-holiday-protected/new-package-travel-regulations

ABTA bonding

Many travel agents and tour operators are also members of ABTA, this means they must abide by its code of conduct which offers further protection for customers.  

More information: https://www.abta.com/about-us/code-of-conduct

Independently booked holidays

If you choose to book flights and accommodation separately you should check the terms and conditions to see what your rights are if the different elements of your holiday cannot go ahead.

In the case of airlines, if they cancel the flight, you will be entitled to a full refund.  However, you should be aware that airlines could still operate a flight even if the government are advising against non-essential travel and in that instance, you may not be able to get a refund.  Or you could find yourself in a situation where the flight is cancelled but you are still obliged you pay for your accommodation.

When booking elements separately it is important to look at the terms and conditions of each element to know where you stand.

If your holiday provider becomes insolvent

ATOL Protection 

If you book flights and accommodation, or flights and car hire through an ATOL bonded tour operator your trip will be ATOL protected.  This means that if your travel provider becomes insolvent, you will be able to claim a refund from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), or if you are already abroad, they will arrange your transport home.

More information: https://www.caa.co.uk/ATOL-protection/Consumers/About-ATOL/

Pay by credit card

Using your credit card to pay for your holiday also gives you another level of protection. 
If you use a credit card to buy goods or a service, including holidays, costing between £100 and £30,000, you’re covered by ‘section 75’ of the Consumer Credit Act.

The credit card company has equal responsibility with the seller if there’s a problem with the things you’ve bought or the company you’ve bought them from fails, meaning that you are able to make a claim from your credit card provider if your holiday is not provided as promised.

More information: https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/section-75-of-the-consumer-credit-act

Travel Insurance - Cancellation protection

If you are planning a holiday, it’s a good idea to buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked.  That way the money you’ve invested is protected against the risk of you having to cancel.

Gold, Platinum and Cruise Specific policies from Goodtogoinsurance.com provide cover for cancellation for the following reasons:

• Illness or injury (incl. contracting covid-19 if you have Covid+ cover)
• Redundancy
• Your home becoming uninhabitable
• Requirements of HM Forces
• Court appearance or jury service

We are flexible.  

If you need to change the dates or destination of your trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can move your single trip insurance to match, with no admin charge*.

All of our policies include Emergency Medical Expenses and Repatriation (bringing you home) if you contract COVID-19 abroad.  Covid+ policies also include cover for cancellation if you, or anyone insured on the policy contract COVID-19 before you travel.

* Flexible cover. Trip changes? We'll change your single trip policy to match with no admin charge. The new dates must be within 20 months of the original issue date. If the new trip is for a longer period, to a different destination or more than 12 months from the original issue date, there may be an additional premium due to increased risk.