Covid-19 Coronavirus Help

Pollycat

DG2000 said:

Hi, i would value any objective opinions on my dilemma, Myself, my wife and my mum are due to go on a Tui (Marella) cruise to Norway setting off on June 6th, we have paid £200 each deposit and the balance of £5264 is due 14th March (10 days away as i type), the two of us are fit and healthy, my mother has just turned 80 and has slight Asthma. I can stand losing the deposits no problem compared to the £5k and of course the possible risk to health. Would you pay the balance? Would you not pay, lose the deposit and possibly be able to re-book it cheaper or go somewhere else last minute if everything turns out ok.
As far as i'm aware we all have insurance in place but with it being a cruise do you think the risks are a lot higher?
What would you do? What would you advise?

As  far as you are aware...

It's impossible to say where we are likely to be in 3 months time with this virus.

I have a holiday to Greece booked for June (and August).

I too have to decide whether to pay the balance (I will pay).

I know I have insurance.

Pollycat

Darkangel said:

Hi, I've booked and paid for a short break to Naples in May with a few friends. The hotel is cancellable but seeings as I paid for everyone's flights what would happen if one of my friends didn't want to go because of the Coronavirus, even if Naples was still "safe" to visit? Would I be able to submit an insurance claim just for her flight or would I have put in a claim for everyones? I've never had to claim for anything before (touch wood) so advice welcome.

Wouldn't she be responsible for her own insurance claim?

Her policy's T&Cs would apply.

And - as advised by Westin - read the article.

Henbarrow

Can anyone please advise? After reading Martins article I was going to cancel or upgrade my travel insurance for one with better protection for the outbreak. But my MIL told me I don't need to worry about it as our hotel/plane/car hire is a package and ATOL protected anyway. She's usually right about everything, is ATOL plus regular travel insurance enough to travel this year? 

Westin

Henbarrow said:

Can anyone please advise? After reading Martins article I was going to cancel or upgrade my travel insurance for one with better protection for the outbreak. But my MIL told me I don't need to worry about it as our hotel/plane/car hire is a package and ATOL protected anyway. She's usually right about everything, is ATOL plus regular travel insurance enough to travel this year? 

You have much better consumer protection having chosen to book a ATOL protected package holiday.  

You should always ensure that you have good and suitable travel insurance in place but having a package arrangement does give extra financial safety and security.  

You haven’t mentioned when, where or which travel company you booked with but for example if booked with TUI to an area or region where the FCO has advised against travel (certain areas of Italy) then the tour operator would refund you in full, or if on holiday look after you and get you home safely. 

larkim

larkim said:

If, due to some workplace or other link to a confirmed case in my close proximity, I was required to self-isolate on clear instruction from the NHS or a GP just a few days before an overseas holiday, is my travel insurance likely to treat that as a akin to a serious illness which prevents me from travelling and honour the insurance arrangements?
My policy does not talk about "self-isolation" but rather "quarantine".  It says cancellation cover is in place on the event of:-

"1. the death or disablement by bodily injury, illness or being subject to quarantine of:

a. you; or

b. an immediate relative of yours, or

c. a travelling companion; or

d. any person you are intending to travel to

or stay with; or

e. a close business associate of yours;"

My insurer responded to the same question via twitter as follows:-
"Good question – you’re covered if you (or relative/travelling companion) have been told to self-isolate by a GP. The doctor would just need to certify it and we’d consider this quarantine. But not if anyone else asks you to self-isolate (e.g. school/employer)."
So on that basis, if I did think I met the criteria to self-isolate and perhaps had called NHS 111 and had that confirmed, if I was due to travel shortly afterwards and wanted to benefit from my travel insurance I'd need to get the GP to sign it off.  Perhaps that's a step I wouldn't need to do for my employer, but worth remembering in a travel insurance situation.

LesleyCully

Hello can you help please. We have booked and paid for a sports holiday to Rome next weekend to watch the Italy V England Six Nations Game, this has now been postponed and will not go ahead. The Travel operator has emailed us to say that the trip will go ahead just without the Rugby!? They will "try" and get us a refund on the Rugby tickets? We are not happy about this as we booked specifically for the rugby weekend and we are concerned about travelling as I have elderly vulnerable parents. What is the legal position on this? I understand Rome is not on the FCO list of places to avoid yet but feel that as we booked specifically for the Rugby our contract is not being served.

Aylesbury_Duck

LesleyCully said:

Hello can you help please. We have booked and paid for a sports holiday to Rome next weekend to watch the Italy V England Six Nations Game, this has now been postponed and will not go ahead. The Travel operator has emailed us to say that the trip will go ahead just without the Rugby!? They will "try" and get us a refund on the Rugby tickets? We are not happy about this as we booked specifically for the rugby weekend and we are concerned about travelling as I have elderly vulnerable parents. What is the legal position on this? I understand Rome is not on the FCO list of places to avoid yet but feel that as we booked specifically for the Rugby our contract is not being served.

It will depend upon the full itinerary and whether it was sold as a "rugby game plus a few extras" or a "holiday in Rome during which you can watch the rugby."  If the latter, their solution seems to be reasonable.  If the former, it's not.

You may have booked specifically for the rugby, but what exactly did you buy?

teambaloo

Hi!
New to the forum but listened to martin's Podcast from Monday, which was helpful and touched on some aspects of what I am about to ask.

We have a little bit of a complicated situation  - due to get married in northern Italy this July. One of us has an existing medical condition which is covered by our travel insurance, but we are yet to find wedding insurance that will cover this. The condition is a congenital heart defect. No medication or treatment but being monitored annually. 

3 Queries as follows:

1. Can you recommend any overseas Wedding insurance that covers a pre-existing condition?
2. Would our travel insurance cover any of this should we have to cancel? If so, who would you recommend? We have recently been unsuccessful claiming back cost of flights with Aviva to Turin despite a doctor's letter advising against travel because there was no FCO restriction in place.
3. Would the credit card guarantee cover any aspect of our booking if we cancelled? Would it only be effective in the event of the government stating to not travel?

Thank you in advance for all advice 

Stephenbw

I booked a package to travel to Greece in May with Olympic Holidays a few weeks ago, and recently realised that I hadn’t bought travel insurance. I did so a few days ago to cover my pr-existing medical conditions, but on reading the details I find that it says:  "Unless agreed with us there will be no cover if the FCO advise against travel to your destination”

Does this matter with an ABTA/ATOL protected package holiday? Won’t Olympic holidays refund the cost of the holiday if the FCO advises against travel to Greece at the time I’m due to travel there, or is it necessary to have insurance to cover this?

Westin

@stephenbw "Does this matter with an ABTA/ATOL protected package holiday? Won’t Olympic holidays refund the cost of the holiday if the FCO advises against travel to Greece at the time I’m due to travel there" - Yes, that would typically be what happens.
@LesleyCully  If a package sold on the basis of the rugby match being watched and the tickets provided, then I would have thought you had a good case to seek a full refund.