Holiday travel advice has arguably never been more important.
With all the cancellations and delays due to the pandemic, travelling can become stressful and frustrating. Here is some holiday travel advice to keep things on track or remedy problems if they occur.
The information on this page does not represent all of your rights. Visit the links on this page for further details on your rights or contact us for advice.
1. Delays and cancellations
Sitting in the boarding area or on a plane, waiting to go on holiday can be hard-going. You may be entitled to compensation if the airline is responsible for your delay. However, stuff outside of the airline’s control, like the weather or a security risk are difficult to claim against.
You may be able to claim from the airline or through your travel insurance for delays or cancellations. So, check what your insurance policy covers.
Delays
Compensation for delayed flights leaving from the UK depends on the flight distance and the length of the delay. Compensation can includes:
- For a two-hour delay, food and drink, access to phone calls and emails, accommodation and travel to a hotel if the flight is delayed overnight.
- For a three-hour delay, between £220 to £550 of compensation.
Find out more and match the flight distance and length of delay to compensation here.
For a delay of more than five hours, you don’t have to take the flight.
If you don’t take the flight, the airline legally has to give you:
- A full refund for other flights from the airline you won’t use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights.
- A flight back to the original departure airport if you’re partway through a journey.
If you do take the flight, you can still claim up to £520 depending on the flight distance, destination and how late it arrived.
Cancellations
For flights that are cancelled, you’re entitled to either a replacement flight to your destination or a full refund. This includes flights from the airline you won’t use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights.
You can find out more by visiting this page.
2. Insurance
Travelling is often fun and exciting, but it can also be dangerous. It’s easy to find vacation horror stories wherever you’re going. So, it’s good to have insurance cover that is suitable for the place you’re visiting and what you’re doing.
It’s especially important if you’ll be driving in a different country. Check you have the correct insurance for driving and how long you can drive abroad. Find out more here.
If you have a health issue, a within-date European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will cover you in EU countries and Switzerland if you’re a UK or Swiss national, or an EU citizen.
However, you’ll need to get a new EHIC to have cover in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Find out if you’re eligible for an EHIC by visiting here.
A Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) can get you reduced or free ‘medically necessary’ healthcare in EU countries. Medically necessary healthcare means that it can’t wait till you get back to the UK. You can use it in Switzerland, if you’re a UK or Swiss national or an EU citizen.
If you’re travelling to Norway, then use your UK passport for medically necessary health care.
Check if you’re eligible for a GHIC by visiting here.
Both cards are available for free by registering on the NHS website, so don’t get caught out by companies that charge to get them for you.
Let your insurance provider know if you have a pre-existing health concern as they might not cover you and you may need to get specialist insurance. Find out more about that here.
No matter where you travel you should have insurance. To have the right insurance for the type of holiday you’re going on, it’s important to know the types of insurance available, the policies, and how to make a claim. Check our top tips on how to choose your insurance policy!
3. Getting airline compensation for lost or delayed luggage
You’ve finally found your passport, made it onto the plane just before the gate closed, endured a lengthy flight and landed safely. Now you’re ready for your long-awaited holiday. However, your luggage is missing…
If your bag does get delayed or lost, make sure you report it immediately or preferably within seven days.
You may be entitled to:
- Compensation from the airline.
- The provisions of bare essentials if your luggage is delayed.
You can find out more on the Citizens Advice website on airline compensation, alongside what you can do if you have insurance.
4. Mobile phone holiday travel advice
Mobile phones mean that now someone from work or home can interrupt your holiday no matter where you are in the world. Here are a few things to consider when taking your phone on holiday.
Before you go:
- Find out how much you’ll be charged for using your phone abroad. Charges may vary depending on where you’re going and can quickly add up.
- Make sure you understand how to turn off mobile roaming on your phone. This is usually in the phone’s ‘settings’ menu under ‘mobile roaming’.
- Check if you have a data bundle and if it can be used abroad.
- If you don’t have a data bundle, check how much using data abroad will cost abroad.
- Find out how much your bundle will cost after you’ve used it up. Once you’ve used up to £45 of data, you’ll get a warning message that you’ll need to reply to in order to use more.
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