What shall I do about this holiday?

[1981m]

Not AIBU but need speedy reply with advice.

Ds (5) was sick on Monday in the night (now Wednesday here in Uk), lots of sick. Kept him off school yesterday and had a sofa day. He was fine in himself mostly. Up and down. Lying down sometimes but also jumping around. Saying his heart was hurting. No other symptoms except being sick.

Wasn't sure what to give him food wise. He had toast with butter for b fast and no lunch. Bacon sandwich for dinner with bread and butter. Dh thinks silly to give this. Was a bacon sandwich wrong?

Anyway, ds sick again last night, tiny amount of sick. Then a further three times with just water and bile. Again no other symptoms.

The problem is we are going on a long haul holiday tomorrow morning. We are meant to get up at 5 am, drive for two hours to the airport, then do 7 hour flight! We don't know if we should cancel holiday or still go. We would loose the total price of the holiday to cancel £6,500. Or £200 per person to try and change dates on it with hotel provider. The flights look like they are non- transferable and we would loose the cost automatically. We don't have travel insurance.

Dh wants to go and reckons its just a stomach bug. He reckons if we stave ds today and on the flight it will be ok. Reckons its a 24 hour bug.

I am reluctant as worried he will be sick again in the night. Worried about having strange food in a hot place will just make him sick again and he will just want to rest all holiday. Think the holiday will be ruined with moany ds. Don't want to risk taking him on long flight if he's ill, could be a nightmare. But we stand to loose £6,500 if we don't.

The reality is that the insurance company won't know that the OP's dc already has a vomiting bug unless her dh told them. Somehow I feel he probably didn't.

I would go on the holiday. DS has been sick. You're not worried he's dying!
I'd be interested to hear about when normal people buy travel insurance as we never buy until a few days before we're leaving or the day we are leaving, wouldn't think to buy it when booking the trip.
I wouldn't have thought you would be covered anyway if you're pulling out of a holiday just because DS has thrown up.

Don't give any dairy! My children are always sick again if they have dairy after a bug. I avoid it for at least 3 days after they start eating again. Plain digestive biscuits, pasta no spices/herbs, chicken,bananas, vegetables and other fruits in small amounts are fine. No fatty or spicy food either and he should be fine. It was probably the bitter rather than the bacon!

We book it before paying the full balance of the holiday. Otherwise you run the risk of loosing the full amount of the holiday if anything happens that means you have to cancel

Give him ice poles to suck on. The doctor recommend them to us and it's always settled the kids stomachs when they have a bug. And try not give him any food unless it's a dry cracker or toast, no dairy

Could you stay home for 24 hours with him and then get you pair on a later flight and the rest of your party go ahead as planned . Would be cheaper than having to rearrange everyone's flights .

ballerini I like to think I am a normal person but I don't have a certificate to prove it. Buy it well ahead. If I book a holiday in April for September I will get the insurance sorted as soon as. Then if something crops up in June, and I have to cancel, I'm covered. Otherwise, you lose it. As it really isn't terribly expensive, unless yo're doing extreme sports or something, it just seems to make sense. If someone goes on holiday more than once a year, I'd have an annual policy.

I have travel insurance through one of my bank accounts. Also aa road cover somewhat randomly. Are you sure you don't have that? Might be worth checking the small print - I was surprised at the things included!

Can't believe all the people saying they should go. What if it's contagious? Why should they ruin other people's holidays just because the OP didn't want to buy insurance. So selfish.

Rocket girl- that's what I am afraid of. He seems ok and is currently asleep. But what if he's sick on the plane. I am conscious of infecting others. That's why he was kept off school last two days. Worried as soon as we try to get him to eat something in strange country with unfamiliar and probably not very plain food he's sick again. Then we just end up stuck in a hotel room.

It's so hard to tell. I really thought he wouldn't be sick last night. He was back to himself.

Won't be answering comments about stupidity of not taking travel insurance out again. I know it was stupid. Telling me on a thread doesn't change that. I need practical solutions and to make a decision.

You don't mention him having a temperature and I am sure you will be checking him for rashes so hopefully it will be out of his system.
Bland food like dry toast, banana, potatoes, and rice and lots of fluid (water or heavily diluted squash).
If however he develops diarrhoea today I am sorry I would say your holiday is sunk.

What practical solutions can we offer? We're not doctors, we don't know what your child has got, nor are we mind readers to know whether he'll be totally fine tomorrow. As I said earlier, you might have it now and come down with it tomorrow. Or you may pass it on to other people on the plane and ruin their holidays.

Ok everyone I think OP has received the message about travel insurance! You can all stand down

OP is it worth speaking to your GP to get their view on whether he will be well enough?

You still have plenty of time - see how he is today before you make a decision.

It's the end of the winter - there are loads of bugs around and yes it is probably just a 48-hour bug. Personally, I'd keep him in clear fluids and very bland food today and see how he goes. I wouldn't cancel my holiday unless he throws up again today and seems really unwell.

As for 'forrin food', again you don't need to be giving him curry or raw fish when you arrive - keep to simple foods for a day or two - rice, bananas, toast (but prob. not with bacon!), just simple, easily digestible foods. And take some Calpol/Nurofen with you (I always do this, regardless).

Starve him then he won’t be vomiting.
Unless you kiss people on the flight, or share drinks or cutlery you won’t pass it on.
Imagine cancelling and then he is fine all week.

Those who only book a few days before what if something’s happens just after you book that means you can’t go? You would not be covered.

Op I know someone who was in the same situation and booked the insurance then claimed on it saying their DS was sick on the morning the flight was due to leave. They got the money from the insurance but were very very lucky. The insurance may even check if your DS has been in school for the past couple of days. Also if you have written anything on Social media, beware as they quite often look at this as well

If it’s a bug (and there is a massive norovirus outbreak where I live at the moment), your ds will be ok soon but most likely you and your dh will succumb, possibly just as you are about to board the plane...

Pfftkids- which ice lollies are best to buy? Thought sweet, sugary things are a no-no. Kicking myself giving him butter.

Off to the shop to buy him stuff.

Worried about what food we ll be able to get once on flight and whilst there. If we can't stick to plain foods he might have a relapse

Well you have a range of practical solutions, don't you:
-Hope he's better and go
-Pretend he's better and go

• Cancel and lose the money

-rearrange the dates and lose some of the money -Cancel and commit fraud - hopefully get your money back

What there isn't is any magic solution you haven't already thought of that makes everything ok.

Well you risk infecting an entire planeful of tourists and ruining their holiday, but so long as you get your £6.5k's worth that's all that matters, eh?

Tbh it sounds like bad acid reflux to me

Not a popular opinion but I would just go. If he seemed fine in himself then was sick again it was probably the last of the bug coming out.
Say it’s travel sickness if he’s sick on the plane but sounds as if he’ll be okay as you’ve not mentioned a temperature.

You can take out insurance and be covered straight away whilst away on holiday for any illnesses etc. But i'd be very surprised to be covered for cancellation straight away. I can't imagine a policy taken out on a Wednesday for a holiday booked some time ago, with a claim for cancellation on the Thursday for a holiday starting on the Friday would be covered.

I wouldn’t go. The money is spent whether you go and have a miserable time or stay at home and care for your child. 7 hours on a flight when he is sick or recovering sounds miserable for him - he’s only 5.

Being in a hotel without your home comforts is horrible when you just want your bed. Acclimatising is harder too, in my experience.

Your husband is a dick for criticising the bacon. Hate the blame game.

Insurance/fraud investigator here. Insurance will not pay out for a condition known prior to purchase. To make a claim for an undeclared illness could be seen as fraud and if not seen that way you're lucky, but still won't get a payout.

Just to add, they would be extremely unlikely to pay out for a sickness bug. You would need medical certification that your son would be unfit to fly.