But there’s plenty you can do to protect your plans, and your money, starting today.
Over the past few months, flights have been delayed or cancelled due to closed airspace and airports in the Middle East.
Closer to home, the roll-out of Europe’s new biometric border checks has also caused chaos for British travellers in several countries.
Read on for eight mistakes you should avoid if you’re travelling this year.
1. Booking without checking a holiday company’s surcharge policy
UK holiday firms can legally, in some cases, add up to 8% to the cost of your package holiday without giving you the right to free cancellation – and that includes when fuel prices increase.
But you can protect yourself by booking with a holiday company that’s a Which? Recommended Provider, as all of these companies have pledged no unexpected costs for your holiday.
2. Cancelling a trip pre-emptively amid disruption
If you’re concerned about disruption, resist the urge to cancel flights, as doing so waives your rights to potential refunds, compensation and other assistance under EC261 regulations. Instead, hold your nerve and wait for the airline to cancel your flight for you, before requesting a refund.
The same goes for accommodation: don’t cancel. Instead, get in touch with the host or hotel via the booking platform’s chat function, or give it a call. Sometimes, accommodation providers may use their discretion – one Which? travel expert managed to avoid losing hundreds of pounds on a hotel stay amid disruption by picking up the phone.
3. Buying travel insurance at the last minute
Every day you procrastinate on buying travel insurance for an upcoming trip is another day you risk losing money if something goes wrong before you travel. It’s simply not worth the risk – especially as policies rarely get cheaper closer to your travel dates.
So, buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked a trip – that way your money is better protected from day one.
4. Booking accommodation with zero flexibility
Many hotels and short-let booking platforms offer cancellation for a full or partial refund, sometimes up until just days before check-in. If you find a reasonably priced stay on a reputable platform offering this sort of flexibility, it could prove useful if your trip is disrupted later down the line, and you aren’t eligible for compensation from the airline or reimbursement via travel insurance.
5. Overlooking tourist taxes
As overtourism becomes more commonplace, many destinations have introduced fees to stem the tide of travellers across Europe, and in some cases further afield. These can be extra overnight taxes added to hotel costs, port disembarkation fees added to cruise ship and ferry fares (commonly seen on popular Greek islands), or landing fees for those arriving by plane, added to flight tickets.
Some destinations are even charging non-residents fees to enter attractions – visiting a single national park in the USA will cost a UK traveller $100 (approximately £74) per person, or $250 (approx $185) for an annual pass.
6. Volunteering to give up your seat on a flight
What’s more, volunteering means waiving your right to other help while you wait for your next flight, meaning hotel stays and food and drink could come out of your own pocket, costing potentially hundreds or thousands of pounds.
As a rule of thumb, it’s usually safest to keep your seat – especially this summer, as flight disruption is likely to hit a high.
7. Arriving at the airport with less than two hours before a flight
This summer, I’ll be arriving at the airport no later than two hours before flights, even if they’re short-haul, and even if I don’t have a checked bag.
What’s more, with airspace closures and restrictions, along with the threat of airport and airline strikes this summer, airports may become busier still. That’s why I’ll be giving myself plenty of time to make it through security and passport control, arriving earlier still if I have a bag to check, and steering clear of self-transfers with short transit windows.
8. Paying via unexpected phone calls, emails and text messages
Time and time again, we hear about British travellers who fall victim to scams after a convincing phone call, email or SMS prompts them to pay to settle a holiday or hotel booking.
The scammer may convincingly impersonate a holiday company, platform, or accommodation host and lure travellers into providing payment details or transferring large sums of money to ‘secure’ or settle the booking.
If you receive an email prompting you to pay, remember you can always head to the company website yourself instead. Log in, or look up your booking with the reference number, and check for yourself to see if there’s a bill to be settled.
If you receive an incoming call regarding booking or paying for a trip, hang up without responding (as some scammers now use voice imitation software). Look up the company’s phone number online and call them back – any reputable travel company will be understanding and happy to reassure you if the call was legitimate and wait for you to call back.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/travel-need-to-know-cancellations-insurance-refunds-a8A0z8B3YzsP