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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Cancelling holiday

96 replies

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 16:00

Ds has decided he isn't going ahead with his holiday to Greece in 3 days time. I know I know what on earth is he playing at. Anyway its been up in the air since the day they booked it with some of his mates dropping out etc and then some not having been vaccinated. Anyway ots down to 3 of them and they have lost the enthusiasm for it now. It is questionable now if ds should have gone anyway due to a ear infection and feeling unwell he is on antibiotics etc. Ds had taken out travel insurance which starts on the 2nd the date he is meant to go. Do you think he can get his money back through that because of the ear infection or would insurance only cover for something more serious.

OP posts:

Original poster

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 22:36

His friend doesn't want to go anyway but he is happy to just simply not turn up for the holiday without actually letting the holiday company know he isn't going.

OP posts:

Original poster

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 22:41

God young ones hey

OP posts:

Original poster

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 22:42

It all went tits up when one mate said I've got a new job and don't want to isolate.

OP posts:

LawnFever · 30/08/2021 23:12

@Tevion28

His friend doesn't want to go anyway but he is happy to just simply not turn up for the holiday without actually letting the holiday company know he isn't going.

So it doesn’t even matter about his friends booking being with his then?

Original poster

Tevion28 · 30/08/2021 23:13

Lawnfever I guess not so likely they will just refund ds half.

OP posts:

Watapalava · 30/08/2021 23:22

When my dh did his back in all member on booking got refund as travelling as one party

BoredZelda · 30/08/2021 23:53

Insurance must be booked the minute after the trip is booked. The minute after

Is this a joke, am I missing some context, because it isn’t true. It’s what travel agents tell you to try to get you to purchase their overpriced policies.

Watapalava · 31/08/2021 07:21

it kind of is true BoredZelda

If you book a holiday now for travel in Nov and are made redundant next month you'd be glad you had a policy or you wouldnt be covered

Thatsd why policies should be taken out immediately as whatever money you have handed over isnt safe until you buy it

Single trip policies cover your holiday from the mminute you book - you are covefred for any cancellation reason in their policy right up til departure

Anything can happen in the 6 or so months before you travel

e.g Those people who had holidays in 2020 and has pre booked insurance pre covid were massively covered. I booked a holiday for April 2020 in 2019 but didn't buy insurance. Once covid hit in March i simply couldn't get it. Others in our group were fully covered

Booknooks · 31/08/2021 07:24

He needs to contact them, policies tend to vary a fair bit. If he went for the cheapest option I'd suspect he won't be covered but not necessarily.

knittingaddict · 31/08/2021 07:38

@CommanderBurnham

His cover starts on the date of the policy. Therefore if it's single trip, I doubt he's covered.

Why not? Even for a single trip policy you get covered for cancellation as soon as you've arranged the insurance.

Crockof · 31/08/2021 07:50

@BoredZelda

Insurance must be booked the minute after the trip is booked. The minute after

Is this a joke, am I missing some context, because it isn’t true. It’s what travel agents tell you to try to get you to purchase their overpriced policies.

It's true as far as I understand. If anything happens between me booking the holiday and booking my travel insurance it then becomes a pre exisisting condition and it maybe impossible to get insurance.

Plus pre exisisting doesn't mean cancer or something serious you have to list all your pre exisisting conditions even if they don't affect the premium. So many people don't get pay outs because they don't inform the insurance company about minor pre exisisting conditions. (

knittingaddict · 31/08/2021 07:53

I think it's the "must" that is a bit misleading. You absolutely can book insurance at any point between booking and going away, but the longer you leave it the riskier it is.

lap90 · 31/08/2021 07:55

Blimey, you'd have thought they'd just get on with it whether people have dropped out or not.

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 31/08/2021 07:57

@Crockof no it's not a joke and you are being silly . Most travel agents don't even care if you buy their own policy these days ( the commission on it is about 20p) I sell luxury holidays but not insurance but I have to advise people to purchase insurance as soon as possible. Once you have paid your balance on a 20k holiday but get made redundant/ break a leg etc before you travel how else will you get your money back ???

Crockof · 31/08/2021 08:30

[quote Dontforgetyourbrolly]@Crockof no it's not a joke and you are being silly . Most travel agents don't even care if you buy their own policy these days ( the commission on it is about 20p) I sell luxury holidays but not insurance but I have to advise people to purchase insurance as soon as possible. Once you have paid your balance on a 20k holiday but get made redundant/ break a leg etc before you travel how else will you get your money back ???[/quote]
What? Maybe not clear but I was disputing what BoredZelda said. It depresses me when people say there is no rush to book travel insurance, but then they are quick to complain about the unfairness when they aren't covered. I always sort my own insurance, but always sort it the same day as I book.

Crockof · 31/08/2021 08:32

@knittingaddict

I think it's the "must" that is a bit misleading. You absolutely can book insurance at any point between booking and going away, but the longer you leave it the riskier it is.

But you 'must' if you want to be covered and protect your money. If you don't wish to protect yourself you can do it anytime.

You could book at holiday in the morning and then have a bad car crash in the evening, without insurance you wouldn't be covered. Unlikely but why postpone something you have to buy anyway.

BeenAroundTheWorldAndIII · 31/08/2021 08:39

If he has a doctors note saying he is not fit for travel he should get a refund (obviously it depends on the policy he took out). I'm not sure about his friend but I would image he would too if on the same policy?
We had to cancel a holiday a few years ago when my daughter came out in chicken pox 12 hours before we were due to fly. We had to fill in a form and had to pay (about £25) to get the gp to fill in a form which confirmed that my daughter did have confirmed chicken pox and was unable to safely fly. We did let the airline know we would not be on the flight though as they were open. We couldn't speak to the insurance company until after we had missed our flight as they were closed. Paid out no issues in our case for the full package (two adults and DD)

knittingaddict · 31/08/2021 08:39

Of course you could Crockof, which is why we book our insurance asap. Others will take more of a risk apparently, which is fine as long as they know it's a risk.

Ive heard some people on here say that they never take out travel insurance, which blows my mind. On one memorable occasion they were travelling to the US.

Hugoslavia · 31/08/2021 14:39

I don't understand why you are sorting this out for him. If he's old enough to book a holiday and go abroad on his own, surely he's capable of reading the insurance details or calling up the company.

Mindymomo · 31/08/2021 18:32

Your son just needs the booking reference and travel company details to make a claim. My 21 year old son had to make a claim after he was mugged in Magaluf a couple of years ago. We put in a claim together online, but I did the filling in of online forms. We must have done it right, as they paid out.

MrMeSeeks · 31/08/2021 18:50

Why are you doing it?
He’s an adult, he booked, he sorts it ( if he even wants too).
Why did he take out insurance for after he goes…

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