Introduction to DIY Holiday Travel Insurance
Booking Travel Insurance for your DIY Holiday is essential to protect your investment. When booking separate DIY Holiday components with different companies you do not get the ATOL protection that package holidays offer but there are a few ways that you can protect your DIY Trip. In this blog I outline the main ways so you can book your DIY trip with confidence.
Contents
- Introduction to DIY Holiday Travel Insurance
- Benefits of DIY Holiday Travel Insurance
- 10 Ways to Protect Your DIY Trip
- 1. Take out a travel insurance policy as soon as you book your DIY holiday
- 2. Book your DIY trip using a credit card
- 3. Use ‘free cancellation’ options when booking accommodation and days out
- 4. Book flights direct with the airline, not with third party agents
- 5. Book accommodation and car hire with a reputable company
- 6. Never book a trip to a country that has a government ‘no travel’ advisory status
- 7. Apply for a GHIC Global Health Insurance Card
- 8. Check to see if your holiday is ATOL protected
- 9. Keep important documents handy
- 10. Know your rights
- Which Travel Insurance Company Do I Recommend?
Benefits of DIY Holiday Travel Insurance
If anything should go wrong, you will be covered for medical bills, lost luggage, hotel accommodation, repatriation, theft and flights costs.
If something should happen to you while you are abroad, illness and even death are very expensive. Medical bills and repatriation costs can be astronomical. Taking out good Travel Insurance cover is vital even when going on package holidays. It gives you peace of mind.
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10 Ways to Protect Your DIY Trip
1. Take out a travel insurance policy as soon as you book your DIY holiday
Research and compare policies
Search for the best Travel Insurance companies on price comparison websites like Comparethemarket.com. Make sure you read their policy carefully and compare it to others. The cheapest price might not give you the best cover.
Understand coverage and exclusions
Check that the policy gives you the best coverage and includes the country that you are travelling to. Watch out for exclusions and make sure they do not include anything that you need cover for.
SAFI Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance
Check to see that your travel insurance includes SAFI. This means that if the airline or agent you booked with goes under, you will be covered. Read the fine-print because some companies are excluded from this policy if they are in danger of financial failure.
Purchase travel insurance early
If you insure your holiday straight away, you will be protected from that moment, not just while you are on holiday. We take out annual travel insurance and our policy protects us all year.
Consider add-ons and upgrades
This is sometimes necessary for holidays like cruises and winter sports. Make sure your policy covers every aspect of your trip.
Learn more about Cover For You Travel Insurance
2. Book your DIY trip using a credit card
Make sure your credit card has ‘Charge back Protection’.
We found this invaluable during the pandemic. Unfortunately, we had to claim money back from a Travel Agent and a Spa company that were refusing to refund our money due to forced cancellations. We told the credit card company that we booked with and they refunded the amounts very quickly.
Section 75
Section 75 means that a credit card company like Visa or Mastercard can help you with a charge back claim if the company you have purchased from fails to uphold their end of the agreement. It only applies to purchases over £100, so often, budget airline tickets are not included as they are classed as single transactions for each journey per person.
3. Use ‘free cancellation’ options when booking accommodation and days out
This option is usually slightly more expensive but worth it for the peace of mind in case you change your mind, or an unforeseeable event happens. Check the fine-print, sometimes the ‘free cancellation’ runs out a few weeks before you are scheduled to go.
4. Book flights direct with the airline, not with third party agents
If you are using a price comparison site like Skyscanner, book with the link that takes you to the airline not a third party agent. This way, your contract is with the airline and not a third party. If you book through a third party and something goes wrong, the airline will direct you back to the agent as your contract is with them. It is then up to the agent to sort out the rescheduling, cancelled flight, etc. This can be very inconvenient if you are on the other side of the world and you can not get through to your agent.
5. Book accommodation and car hire with a reputable company
Make sure you book accommodation and car hire directly with the hotel or car hire company or use a trusted booking agent like Booking.com.
If you are unsure, check the company out on Trust Pilot.
Pay at the property or through the booking app. Be very careful about making payments through bank transfers direct to the hosts before arrival. Are you positive that the website is genuine and you are not being duped?
6. Never book a trip to a country that has a government ‘no travel’ advisory status
Before booking a trip, read the Government Travel Advice. If you travel to a country that is against the Government Travel Advice, your travel insurance becomes invalid.
7. Apply for a GHIC Global Health Insurance Card
The GHIC card covers you for emergency health care in the European Economic Area and some other countries. If you have an in date EHIC you can continue to use it until it expires. The card allows you to get necessary state health care on the same basis as a resident of that country. It is not a replacement for Travel Insurance. See more details and apply on the NHS website.
8. Check to see if your holiday is ATOL protected
Not all DIY holidays are excluded from ATOL protection. If you are booking without using a travel agent but are using the same website to book your flights and accommodation within 24 hours, check to see if they are ATOL protected. If it is you will receive a certificate of ATOL protection.
9. Keep important documents handy
Keep a copy of your travel insurance and GHIC card details on your phone or in your hand luggage. This way you can show proof when required and you will have important contact details and reference numbers on your person.
10. Know your rights
You have legal rights when flying from the UK or within the EU. Airlines are required to do certain things if your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes providing a reasonable amount of food and drink, providing accommodation and mode of transport to the accommodation if you are rerouted. If you end up having to make these arrangements yourself because of a lack of staff, keep all your receipts.
My daughter had a flight cancelled by EasyJet last year, which meant she had to sleep on the airport floor. She was able to claim compensation because the airline had failed to comply with the regulations. Despite the customer care team attempting not to accept her claim, she was refunded the cost of her ticket and more. She knew her rights and argued her case.
You can read about your rights on the UK Civil Aviation Authority website.
Which Travel Insurance Company Do I Recommend?
We have been using Cover For You Travel Insurance and Travel Car Insurance for a few years now. We have had to make a couple of claims and we had no difficulties. Whenever I have an inquiry, I have spoken to an advisor over the telephone and they have been very helpful.
Everyone’s circumstances are different so always compare policies with other insurers to make sure you are getting the best deal for you.
But whatever you decide – make sure you do get travel insurance!
Learn more about Cover For You Travel Insurance
🔗Blog to read: Staying Safe While Travelling Abroad
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