Volcanic ash - insurance - booking diy

[pinkhart]

I am in the process of booking our holiday for August 2011, so far have separately booked flydrive with Virgin and 3 day Disney cruise, but am concerned about booking DIY and not being able to get travel insurance against cancelling the holiday due to flights being cancelled because of volcanic ash.

What do you all you DIY bookers think?

I realise it is unlikely to affect us as it's a long way off yet, but it is unlikely events that you insure against! We had been planning on booking the rest of our holiday with Disney UK and getting free dining but it would be alot of money to lose if we had to cancel.

So I am considering two possibilities: 1)Change flydrive to package and book everything except cruise through Virgin so would only lose cruise money. 2)Add disney tickets to virgin booking and book offsite hotel separately with good cancellation policy.

 

[rachelanne]

Hello, ive just been getting insurance quotes and most say that after April they wont cover new claims due to volcanic ash now, because it is a known risk, but said it is your flight provider that will be responsible first,but if no joy contact them anyway!Disney said they would do everything they could to reararange hotel rooms and i took cancellation cover on other hotel.
Maybe someone else knows a bit more than me on here,hope it all blows away by November

 

[fairytale]

Just a thought have you checked with your Home Insurance or Bank.

We are HSBC customers and get free travel insurance with our Bank Accounts. Out of interest I checked on their website yesterday and the first page that hits you is a statement from them stating that they will be covering all claims relating to the Volcanic Ash Situation

My new Home Insurance also covers us for Travelling, although I'm not sure what level as we always relay on our HSBC cover.

just a thought

 

[2Tiggies]

M&S credit cards and Halifax Ultimate Reward Accounts also include travel cover. The Halifax one is pretty good in terms of level of cover. I haven't checked their position on the volcanic ash situation though.

 

[pinkhart]

Have had a bit of a google and read a couple of news articles and it would appear it would currently be impossible to get a new travel insurance policy that would cover volcanic ash as it is a known event.
So my question is really, assuming I cannot get travel insurance to cover that eventually, what else could I do to protect myself? I am specifically concerned about having to cancel rather than what would happen if we were out there.

 

[Claireybear]

Hi - we are also in the process of booking DIY for next August . We have so far booked flights with First Choice who would fully refund or rebook if there was a cancellation. We have booked our disney accomodation with Complete Orlando who said that Disney have been great at moving or fully refunding bookings due to the ash. We are going to book car hire through alamo brits which we would pay when we collect the car. The rest of the accomodation will be booked with Universal and Tradewinds - both of which only take 1 night deposit which you may lose on cancellation but I could live with that (or more probable they would move the booking for you).
Hope that makes sense. I think there is a lot of scaremongering about booking DIY and although it is not as secure as a package theres no way Virgin were going to get the exta £3000 they wanted for our holiday for the benefit of a package when they've been so poor looking after their guests already affected by the ash!
Good luck with your planning,
Claire.

 

[Kath2003]

So my question is really, assuming I cannot get travel insurance to cover that eventually, what else could I do to protect myself? I am specifically concerned about having to cancel rather than what would happen if we were out there.

Book tickets and hotels which allow refunds. It'll cost you much more, but that's the price you pay for protection.

 

[Scrap_Vamp]

The problem we have is that we've booked DIY for this August and haven't bought our travel insurance yet.

I'm particularly worried about the coming back aspect, as we are due to land on August 30th and I'm back at work (teacher) on 1st September this year. If I got stuck, didn't get paid, AND had no insurance cover we'd really suffer!

 

[joolz1910]

The problem we have is that we've booked DIY for this August and haven't bought our travel insurance yet.

I'm particularly worried about the coming back aspect, as we are due to land on August 30th and I'm back at work (teacher) on 1st September this year. If I got stuck, didn't get paid, AND had no insurance cover we'd really suffer!

I think it's unlikely that you wouldn't get paid. I have quite a few colleagues who were stranded and they were all paid. One authority did mention not paying teachers and the Unions jumped all over it. It might be worth getting advice from your professional association.

 

[Scrap_Vamp]

I think it's unlikely that you wouldn't get paid. I have quite a few colleagues who were stranded and they were all paid. One authority did mention not paying teachers and the Unions jumped all over it. It might be worth getting advice from your professional association.

Thanks. I am just worried that they would say it was our own fault for going if we knew what the possible consequences would be!

 

[wayneg]

Very difficult to know who to insure with now. We were with Insure & Go, would not pay a penny for our 4 day delay at Easter even though we took their top policy which cost more per year than Marks & Spencers who did pay out. Cost me about £600 + 3 days lost wages, we were lucky it cost other people a lot more.

I read this on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/a...no-Travel-insurance-wont-cover-ash-cloud.html

Among those that had paid out some claims before but have now closed the door on future travellers are Britain's biggest insurer Aviva, Barclays, Churchill, Direct Line, More Than and Natwest.
HSBC, First Direct, M&S Money and Santander are among just a handful that will pay out.

Ours is due for renewal on the 19th, I think I am going with M&S.

 

[Scrap_Vamp]

I was thinking M&S seemed like the best bet, Wayne.

 

[wayneg]

I was thinking M&S seemed like the best bet, Wayne.

You probably know but they do 3 options.
http://money.marksandspencer.com/premium-club/overview/
This is £10/month give free insurance & 48 x £2.50 drinks vouchers/year, triple M&S points & other gifts. Although cover is OK I prefer benefits of their annual policy.

Annual, 2 policies. Cheaper one only covers upto 17 day trips(benefits not as good either), no use for us. I am going for the dearer one that covers upto 45 days. http://money.marksandspencer.com/insurance/travel-insurance/premier-cover/

Also £8 cashback thru Quidco.

 

[maznorm]

Greenbee state on their website that they will cover for the VOlcanic Ash with their independent travellers insurance. I would still look into it though before you purchase. We have a package booked for June but are still worried. This is the first time I have not had travel insurance at the time of booking my holiday. I usually just keep my annual insurance renewed but it has been 3 years since our last holiday. So we just left it. Mind you we usually go with Insure and Go so it wouldn't have helped anyway. Wayne, are you saying that HSBC, M&S, Santander & First Direct are covering if you take out insurance with them now. I know it's a long shot, mind you.

I am getting so worried about this Ash Cloud. If our flights get cancelled, we will just rebook for November or Christmas, I think. What I am really dreading is a long delay, particularly if we are stuck at the Airport (on either side). We are travelling with 2 small children and a disabled traveller. We are flying from East Midlands (boring) into Sanford (even more boring).

 

[wayneg]

We have a package booked for June but are still worried.

Wayne, are you saying that HSBC, M&S, Santander & First Direct are covering if you take out insurance with them now. I know it's a long shot, mind you.

Do you have a package with a tour op or a DIY package? If its with a tour op they should look after you, some better than others, Thomsons got a lot of praise over Easter, Virgin didn't do as well. Still need good insurance for any trip to US but its more important for DIY packages.

When the article was written on 12th May I believe these 4 were still giving cover for new policies taken out.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

For airlines based in Europe, the EU law covers this situation and the carrier is responsible for your hotel and food costs.
However if you book with an American based airline, then your are not covered by the EU law.

 

[Katies Dad]

I`be been looking at quotes from the companies mentioned in the piece in the Daily Mail and unless I am missing something none of them seem to be offering cover for policies taken out now. Has anyone had any luck or am I missing something?

wayneg, have you found that the M & S one offers volcano ash cover?
M & S is the most expensive quote I have had, Santander being a lot cheaper but don`t know much about their insurance.

Does anyone know any more? or have any more advice/info?

Thanks

 

[wayneg]

Maybe they have changed their cover since it was written, I still haven't checked.

 

[Katies Dad]

I really got my hopes up when I read the article, so the next day had a look at all the companies mentioned. Santander are more than half the price of M & S so need to spend an hour or so comparing all the cover.

We are some of the daft ones who booked flights in Feb and didn`t sort out insurance. Also flying with US Airways so not covered under EU airlines..so can only hope for the best..that the volcanic ash will have died down or be blowing in the opposite direction in August

 

[2Tiggies]

We are some of the daft ones who booked flights in Feb and didn`t sort out insurance. Also flying with US Airways so not covered under EU airlines..so can only hope for the best..that the volcanic ash will have died down or be blowing in the opposite direction in August

No, not daft at all. I booked last May for this October and still haven't taken out insurance. Now if we had KNOWN about it at the time we booked, yes, then maybe daft. But you can't knock yourself for what you couldn't know at the time. Now I, on the other hand, have always taken out insurance at the time of booking .... It's life! And it is really just a matter of finding the balance between being sensible and being paranoid. I prefer sensible