Insuring a trip to Barbados for parents

doveman

I'm planning to send my 71-year old parents to Barbados for their Golden Anniversary in July but I've never travelled much myself and I don't have a clue about travel insurance.

If I pay for their holiday, will they be able to claim on their travel insurance if anything goes wrong? I'm looking at the Nationwide Flex Account travel insurance and if it provides what they'll need, they could transfer their current account (I read that if they have a joint account, the insurance will cover them both but I need to check that, as it doesn't seem to state that in the policy) but I can pay for single-trip insurance if necessary. They won't be doing any dangerous water sports and they don't have any serious health conditions but I think they both take prescription drugs for some minor ailments.

I'm also not sure whether I need to pay for flights+hotel from one supplier. I've been looking at Virgin Holidays as Virgin's Premium Economy seats, which are the most I can afford and will hopefully make them a bit more comfortable for the 9h flight, are quite a bit cheaper than BA's and I've read that Virgin's PE is better than BA's anyway. I don't know if I could cut the costs significantly by purchasing flights and hotel separately and if so, whether that would cause issues in terms of insurance?

So any advice about insurance would be appreciated, as would any other advice about organising this trip, especially from anyone who has been to Barbados before.

My Mum gets a headache if she has more than a glass of wine or a vodka and orange and my Dad doesn't drink much either, maybe a couple of glasses of wine with a meal, a can of cider on a sunny afternoon and the occasional whisky, so it's not worth paying for All Inclusive as a lot of the price is to cover the drinks and I think it'll be a nicer experience if they can go to different local restaurants each night, so I'm looking at rooms with kitchens/kitchenettes which they can stock with stuff from the local grocery stores and markets to make light meals for the daytime but I'll hopefully find somewhere that provides a nice fresh breakfast to start the day off.

foxtrotoscar_2

I believe the free Nationwide travel insurance only covers Europe.

doveman

foxtrotoscar wrote: »

I believe the free Nationwide travel insurance only covers Europe.

It has an optional upgrade for Worldwide for £40 I believe.

Voyager2002

Travel insurance for people over 70 is not going to be straightforward. I suggest that you look for quotes for them rather than trying to get the "free" insurance that comes with bank accounts, which will not be free for people of their age travelling outside Europe.

Booking flights and accommodation separately would not cause any issues with insurance, and sounds sensible.

agrinnall

While it's fine for you to do some research I would suggest that they take out the insurance themselves (even if you pay for it) so that they can give accurate answers to the questions they will be asked.

Goldiegirl

You say you are 'sending' them to Barbados - is that what they actually want to do?


Perhaps it's be worth discussing it with them, as they may want to go somewhere else, or may have preferences about what type of accommodation they stay in, or what type of resort.


They may even prefer to do something completely different, such as going on a cruise, sailing from Southampton. Flying gets less attractive the older you get!


With reference to the insurance, they should buy it themselves, as they need to give accurate answers to all the questions. If the questions aren't answered correctly, in the event of a claim, the company may not pay out, so it's very important to get this right

doveman

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll have to just research the policies and get them to take out the travel insurance themselves then.

The reason I'm concerned about buying the flights and hotel separately is because the MSE guide http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-holiday-haggling-guide says that such DIY packages won't be ATOL protected, unless you buy them both from the same website. I've been looking at virginholidays which I assume is a separate company to Virgin Airlines and thus doesn't come under the exception "'Flight plus' holidays booked through an airline are not covered, unless booked via a subsidiary of the airline which sells Atol-protected holidays."

I don't think my credit card limit is sufficient to pay for the holiday but if I understand correctly, even if I just pay the initial deposit(s) to reserve the flight and hotel and pay the rest some other way, I can still use Section 75 to claim for the whole amount. I guess it shouldn't matter that I'm paying for a holiday for someone else, as the contract is between myself and the supplier(s), so if they fail to deliver/go bust, then I should be able to claim if necessary.

It seems there's three levels of protection, Section 75, ATOL and travel insurance. Section 75 only covers against the supplier failing to deliver or going bust as does ATOL as far as I can tell. I don't think Section 75 would allow me to claim for the hotel costs if only the airline fails to deliver or vice-versa though, whereas with ATOL if the airline goes bust or your flight is delayed by days then I think it would pay for an alternative flight to get you to your destination on time or for extra days in the hotel (or for alternative accommodation of a similar standard if the original hotel cannot extend your stay). If that's correct, then Section 75 protection seems superfluous.

Travel insurance also includes cover against supplier failure and as such part of the premium is paying for something worthless, as we'd just use the ATOL protection in the event of any such problems, so I wonder if we'd be able to get a cheaper policy that doesn't include this redundant cover?

I'm still doubtful that they could claim on their travel insurance policy for costs I've incurred, so I'm not sure we'd have any cover if they have to cancel the holiday or return early (other than the ATOL protection against supplier failure). Their policy will protect them if they need emergency health care, suffer loss or theft, etc. but the £20,000 for permanent blinding, loss of limbs or total disablement in the policies that I've looked at seems rather low, especially compared to the £50,000 for legal advice, £2m for personal liability, etc. I guess if someone else was responsible for your permanent blinding or disablement you'd normally file a claim against them but they might not have any cover or might disappear without identifying themselves.

The Nationwide Flex Account cover might be OK, as it covers up to age 75 and it's only £40/year to extend it to cover Worldwide trips, which is a lot cheaper than the MSE recommended Leisure Guard Worldwide policy at £89. Nationwide will also give my parents and myself £100 each if they transfer their account on my referral. I got a quote from Holiday Safe for their Premier single trip policy with £5000 cover for unable to go/having to return early (for reasons other than supplier failure) and that's £71.63 but I need to compare their policy with Nationwide's in detail. It's frustrating as I can't book anything until I know they have a policy that will allow them to claim for costs I've incurred, so I just hope the hotels on my shortlist don't get booked up whilst I'm trying to sort this out!

Oh and yes, they do want to go to a Caribbean island and hate the very idea of going on a cruise. It's a gift for a special occasion so I'm trying to arrange as much as possible without them having to get involved or worry about the details or cost and make it a nice surprise for them.

doveman

Can anyone advise whether travel insurance will cover a holiday paid for on behalf of the persons travelling and named in the policy and if not, how I can arrange for it to be insured without having to give the money to my parents and have them pay for it, which I really don't want to do?