How does my friend get home?

[Wherearemyspex]

Asking for a friend "Jane".

Jane was on a tour of northern Italy but, unfortunately, tested positive for Covid earlier in the week. She is now isolating for 10 days according to Italian rules, in a small hotel, while the rest of her tour has moved on, leaving her and another lady stranded. She is completely asymptomatic. She has been in touch with her travel company and her insurance company (thankfully has her phone and iPad with her and good internet connection) but is unsure about who is responsible for getting her home, how this is organised and what to do next.

I think her travel company have a duty of care and should organise her onward travel home, but they are saying (by email) that it is the insurance company's responsibility to make arrangements. She has asked for my advice, but I have no ideas other than to book a flight herself to a UK airport form her nearest Italian airport as soon as she is free to go, then sort out the cost etc with the insurance company afterwards.

Has anyone ever been in this situation and able to offer any advice? Thank you.

But she managed to book herself a holiday?

I dont really know what packages entail to be honest, Ive never been on a package/tour holiday is this different in some way?

There should be a rep from the tour company she's with who can give her some advice. That's why you go with a company and not as an independent traveller. And presumably she might need some language assistance. What she can do will depend what the rules in Italy are for travelling after covid.

Oh bless, for someone so worldy wise, how can you be so clueless? 😆 The whole point of a package is the travel agent makes all the bookings, but I think you knew that.

@bellac11 ... she booked a package holiday through a British tour company and had expected to be escorted the whole time by a competent, italian speaking travel rep. She is now alone in a country where she doesn't speak the language, and effectively on house arrest, trying to navigate her way through the rules and testing processes, while the rep has moved on with the rest of her group. She's lonely, scared and overwhelmed and doesn't know what to do. Hence my concern. I'm just trying to help by getting some answers and guidance, at least.

She has a phone and iPad

Ive never been to a travel agent, not sure why that makes me clueless. I dont know what it entails or what it would mean for her getting home or why its different. Why so sarcastic.

Does the company have local resort reps as well as tour guides?

What you need is the emergency company attached to the travel insurance not the insurance company itself really. Assuming she has covid cover then they should make all the arrangements. This would include guaranteeing the additional hotel stay and booking flights and if necessary transport to airport both ends.

Perhaps The insurance Co can't assist with flights until she is fit to fly?

She needs to ask what her insurers need to know to arrange her flight home.
Will they arrange it or should she?
If she needs to arrange it are there any restrictions?

@Wherearemyspex Honestly, you're not being over-reactive, over-protective or anything else. Regardless of the fact that the tour rep has moved on with the group, there should be someone from the tour company who should be in touch to give her some help and guidance. She's in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language, trying to deal with rules she doesn't know or understand. That's why you pay the extra to have a tour rep. Do people really think if they went on a holiday with TUI, they wouldn't speak to the resort rep about help to get home?

If you want to help her, get the name of the tour company, ring them and kick their butt into action. I had to do that once with TUI when my mum went into hospital in Tenerife and my dad was completely lost. It's bloody shocking service.