International travel is slowly becoming more accessible. Airlines and airports have reported their busiest weekend since the beginning of the pandemic. School holidays have allowed families to start flocking into popular resorts in Spain and Greece.
Long delays
With the introduction of extra checks on vaccine status, testing and health declarations, getting through the airport can take longer than you remember. Reduced staffing in many airports is leading to long queues.
So if you are travelling this summer, leave plenty of time.
Amber Plus
When international travel seemed to be opening up, the UK government poured more cold water on the industry with the new 'amber plus’ list. Seemingly plucked from thin air, the new list reinstates the amber list testing and self-isolation requirements for UK travellers, even if you are vaccinated.
Removing the requirement to quarantine when returning from amber list countries, if fully vaccinated, has been primarily responsible for the increase in travel during July. The 'amber plus’ list throws more uncertainty into the traffic light system.
Currently, only France is on the ‘amber plus’ list. Newspaper reports suggest that Spain could be added following the next government review on 5th August.
Have you been pinged and can’t travel?
You may have seen the news recently regarding travel insurance and self-isolation, such as BBC News "Covid: Insurance threat for pinged holidaymakers".
If you’ve been told to self-isolate, what are your options? Firstly, self-isolation notifications from the NHS app are advisory only. Only direct requests from NHS Track and Trace are legally enforceable.
Secondly, travel insurance for cancellation due to self-isolation varies entirely depending on what product you buy. Not all cars come with the same features, and the same applies to travel insurance. More expensive, comprehensive policies will insure you for cancellation if you're required to self-isolate. However, less costly basic policies are unlikely to provide cancellation cover in this event.
For this reason, some of the products PayingTooMuch offers will cover you, and some won't. To find out more, have a look at your specific policy wording.
After purchasing travel insurance, you have a 14-day cooling-off period to cancel and receive a refund. If you have bought a policy in the last two weeks, but want to upgrade your policy, give our team a call on 01243 784000.
If you are unsure or need some assistance, our friendly travel insurance experts are on hand to help.
