AIBU to tell you to advise you to get insurance when you travel?

[Frannyhy]

Airbnb guest arriving yesterday had her flight cancelled. She asked me to change her reservation to today. I called Airbnb for advice. Of course they will alter a reservation which I am quite happy with.

But and it’s a big but, they say any refund is at my discretion. I’m not giving her one - this is the third time this has happened this year and I’m not taking the hit for this. I have refused everyone.

Of course if they wish to cancel the reservation and get a partial refund that’s up to them.

A few pounds spent on travel insurance would avoid this. It’s money well spent.

I guess but cheap travel insurance often has very high excess so may not be worth a claim

Or just get into trouble then set up a gofundme page. That seems to be the thing to do nowadays.

It's almost certainly not up to you to refund, although you should make sure your cancellation/amendment terms are clear, eg no refund if cancelling less than a month before travel, or whatever.

If people ask for a refund from you, you should just direct them towards their travel insurance, which of course they should have. Its extremely risky travelling abroad without insurance.

If the flight was cancelled and the journey was within the EU, they are likely to be entitled to significant compensation, unless it wasn't the airline's fault, eg strikes, weather.

But yes, flight cancellation may be something that's a matter between your customer and their insurer.

I always have travel insurance but yes the excess often makes it’s not worth claiming. The only real reason I have it is in case of illness/accident and high medical bills.

I agree she needs to claim on her insurance. She may have a policy and just trying it on. I wouldn’t give a refund.

Is your cancellation policy clear? When I stayed this summer, it was 100% refund more than a month out. 50% two weeks out.

Is she planning to stay an extra day or leave on the original day?

The cancellation policy is set by Airbnb and is visible on my listing. It was up to her to read it.

Its extremely risky travelling abroad without insurance. Or indeed in the UK. There are all sorts of things that can mean you miss a day on your UK hotel/B&B booking.

Downside with travel insurance is that small print usually excludes illness of over 80 year olds. The most likely thing to affect our holidays is serious illness of a nearly 100-year old parent with multiple health conditions, and I haven't yet found an insurance that will cover for this.

I have already booked flights for next August and I bought travel insurance on the same day!
We are a family of 4 with health conditions to declare and the policy was £78 with £0 excess to pay if we make a claim.

I don't understand why people cut corners on insurance!!!

I wouldn't bother earning people. Natural selection, if people are stupid enough to travel without it it's their look out.

*warning

We all have medical conditions and enj

Sorry my post went through unfinished and unable to delete of edit.
What I was writing is that desipte medical conditions we enjoy holidays. We always cost travel insurance into our holidays. We would never dreamof going without it. I broke my arm in several places abroad and needed surgery ,another time we needed a dr as one of us was ill. Then we had to cancel a city break once this is over 20years period . But still you never would be without it .
Jet 2 covers folk with medical conditions quite reasonably compared to the companies specializing in medical conditions.

Downside with travel insurance is that small print usually excludes illness of over 80 year olds.

Utter rubbish. It might exclude pre existing illnesses, or charge you a lot of money to cover them. And travel insurance is expensive if you're 80 anyway.

The most likely thing to affect our holidays is serious illness of a nearly 100-year old parent with multiple health conditions, and I haven't yet found an insurance that will cover for this.

Well of course not, it's a business, not a charity. No insurance company will cover anyone for anything if the likelihood of a claim is sky high.

I broke my arm in several places abroad

What, like Italy, Spain, & Greece. You sound very careless.

Very unlikely they don't have it as it's just standard to have. But most would need the evidence of a turned down request.

Travel insurance can have all sorts of small print, eg it may be invalid if you're undergoing investigations. You're still a fool if you don't have any unless you have cash reserves sufficient to cover treatment in a private hospital abroad and timely repatriation.

As to accommodation costs - you pays your money and you takes your choice. DH travels a fair bit, within the U.K. he'll book via booking.com at places with full refund available if we're not 100% sure, otherwise book direct but know that we take the hit if we have to cancel.

But, be aware that some insurance won’t cover the UK.

I had to cancel a trip to Poland for a hen weekend (reclaimed the tax on the flight, wasn’t worth an insurance claim), a trip to Spain for family holiday (again reclaim tax only as no booked accommodation) and then UK accommodation booked for a wedding that our normal travel insurance didn’t cover. Fortunately I had an extra policy with my bank account which did pay out on that one.

All complications from same pregnancy. Other than that we cancelled flights due to chickenpox, again only claimed tax back on flights as travelled by car instead.

There is a perfect example in the news of people not paying for travel insurance and ending up in dire straits. Six months pregnant, baby born prematurely in the US, costs are escalating and baby likely to need neonatal care for at least three months. Of course a go fund me has been set up. news.google.com/articles/CAIiEMDrlqkJFLlOHM6ZjxFhBxYqGAgEKg8IACoHCAowqa6gCTCuoHAw3oqLAw?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen

We’ve had this due to airline cancelling flight. The host refunded 50% which was very gracious of her.

We actually were entitled to reimbursement from the airline that more than covered the flight and other expenses and left us with some extra. Of course we’d have preferred our long weekend in Lisbon!

Check out European Passenger Rights Regulation EC261 04

I don’t think it applies in all cancellations but did with ours (no reason, just not a full enough flight I think)

I travel without it in the UK because I can afford to lose the cost of a few nights' hotel.

But not abroad, as I can't necessarily afford medical bills (and I cannot believe the number of ill-informed people who think, especially on here, that having an EHIC will always get you free NHS standard treatment in the EU), or medical repatriation.

People who travel without are INSANE.

Surely it's up to people how they judge risk and what they deem "worth it"? If someone gets ill abroad and has to pay thousands, as long as they can afford it and aren't asking you for money, it's not really your problem.

If I had to cancel accommodation I would never expect money back anyway, most places are non-refundable.

Nooneever those people To travel to the US where every man and his dog knows how £££ hospital care will be, whilst pregnant without insurance is spectacularly fucking stupid! But hey, there are always plenty of idiots who will pay into a Go Fund Me.

Yes, it is up to people to judge their own risk, but how many of them do it rationally and with any degree of accuracy?

If they did, people wouldn't be begging on Gofundme because they were wracking up medical bills sufficient to bankrupt a small country due to premature births or accidents such as uninsured motorbike crashes.

I won't travel without medical insurance - the holiday we went on a few weeks ago I shelled out 80euros + cost of medicines due to a severe throat infection which I can claim back on my insurance. I think it's just so risky to travel without it; you never know when you may get ill/have an accident or airlines cancelling etc.
It's just not worth the risk to not have it IMO. I don't blame you for not refunding the money; if she hasn't got insurance then that's down to her. IT's not fair for you to be out of pocket especially when the cancellation terms are visable