Bangkok - what will happen to my booking if FCO advise against travel

vegasvisitor

Hi

I'm sure this type of thing may have been asked before.

We're going to Bangkok on the 22nd January. The 'shutdown' is due to begin on the 13th for up to 20 days to disrupt the election on the 2nd February.

Currently the FCO advice is to avoid protests etc, and that it may escalate from 13th. No actual advice not to travel at this stage.

I'm wondering, if this changes, what will happen to my booking - if the FCO advice changes to 'don't travel'. We have booked a 'package' (flight + hotel) with ebookers. Flights are with Emirates.

If we can't go, will they allow us to cancel completely, change dates, change to another destination etc? Reason I ask is we may consider taking the holiday at another time. We might also consider just cancelling and going somewhere warm like Sharm, but that wouldn't be with ebookers (more likely Thompson).

I basically would like to know what the options might be in the event we can't take our planned trip.

agrinnall

I think you would need to claim on your travel insurance unless Emirates cancel the flights and the hotel closes down.

vegasvisitor

Just found this.

If the FCO advises against travel to your destination and you are due to travel within 48 hours, your holiday organiser will cancel your holiday. If this happens they’ll have to offer you:

an alternative holiday of the same or better quality, or

an alternative holiday and a refund of the difference in price

a full refund

This is good news, however I'm not looking forward to having to wait until 48 hours before travel...not fun!

callum9999

lesley74 wrote: »

Just found this.

If the FCO advises against travel to your destination and you are due to travel within 48 hours, your holiday organiser will cancel your holiday. If this happens they’ll have to offer you:

an alternative holiday of the same or better quality, or

an alternative holiday and a refund of the difference in price

a full refund

This is good news, however I'm not looking forward to having to wait until 48 hours before travel...not fun!

That depends whether a flight+hotel booking on Ebookers counts as a package booking. If it doesn't then I believe there is no such right to a refund.

vegasvisitor

According to their terms and conditions their flight plus hotel is a package...managed to find a bit about it on their website. Hopefully should be ok in that sense but just a terrible rush to sort it out if we have to cancel/change 2 days before travel!

NiftyDigits

Just don't stop in Bangkok if that is that case. Fly on to another place/island. Perhaps Koh Samui or Trat(for Koh Chang) for instance and change your accommodation accordingly.

littlereddevil

I doubt very much Emirates will cancel their flights

vegasvisitor

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Just don't stop in Bangkok if that is that case. Fly on to another place/island. Perhaps Koh Samui or Trat(for Koh Chang) for instance and change your accommodation accordingly.

We were never looking for a beach holiday but I guess that is an option. Completely unprepared though in terms of other destination having never even been in South East Asia

Another concern I have now though if we have to change destination is that we need to make sure we don't choose an area with Malaria or anything else that you really need jabs/tablets for in advance. Also we need to be careful of visas.

Thanks for the suggestions!

kazwookie

Visas~ how long are you going for? if under 28 days to get a card on the plane, fill this in at the airport stand on the yellow feet, and the person behind the counter will stamp passport and form, and put the 2nd part in your passport for when you leave.

Just move out of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport is not actually in Bangkok but South of it.

NiftyDigits

kazwookie wrote: »

Visas~ how long are you going for? if under 28 days to get a card on the plane, fill this in at the airport stand on the yellow feet, and the person behind the counter will stamp passport and form, and put the 2nd part in your passport for when you leave.

Just move out of Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport is not actually in Bangkok but South of it.

Can hardly make sense of this post. Did the OP ask about Visas or Visa Waivers?

I'm sure the OP was thinking of Visas for other destinations at short notice.

It is 30 days and under for the Visa Waiver and really no need to wait until you arrive in BKK to fill out your Arrival and Departure Card.
You can just do it on the aeroplane.

The airport is east of Bangkok.

vegasvisitor

Yes, I was meaning Visas for other destinations. We don't need an advance visa for Thailand.

As for moving out of the city, the purpose of our visit is to see Bangkok, and we have a hotel booked as part of our package at the Riverside. I don't want to go and pay for another hotel and stay outside the city and not be able to see it. If we don't go it will be because FCO advise against travel to Bangkok, so in that case we won't be using our flight there either.

I did look up Vietnam, and discovered there were Visa issues. It also seems that you can get a letter authorising you to collect a visa at the airport on arrival. Still takes time though, and something I worry too much about doing within 48 hours of travel.

We've started organising for packing assuming that we are going, but unfortunately we will just have to see what the situation is over the next week or so, and more specifically in the 48 hours prior to departure. Feels like terribly short notice for a long haul trip.