Holiday, travelling companions have COVID. Would you still go?

[Wazzzzzuuuuuuup]

We have been planning a holiday with my sister and her family, which has been rescheduled twice due to Covid restrictions.

We are due to travel on Thursday and one of my sister's kids has confirmed covid PCR today, and her husband is symptomatic.

We have booked the holiday together, I am lead passenger. Our options given by the travel agent are:

1.We all travel (not possible due to Covid)
2.We move the date with no admin fee
3.We cancel the booking and each family claims their portion of the cancellation on their own travel insurance, less an excess fee

If we go with option 2, the costs just go up and up as we head into the main summer season. We'd all need to synch our annual leave again, and would likely cost £1000 more (so £500 per family) to change the dates. The flights are worse on the new dates, as in further from home and later flight times which is not ideal with kids. We would lose car hire, excursions, parking, lounge etc as all booked separately and can't be moved.

If we go with option 3, we could either book something different altogether at a later date with the same caveats as 2. Or we could use our planned leave for the next ten days and book a last minute holiday somewhere just me, my dh and DCs. We could potentially keep some of the extras we have paid for separately if we travel to the same destination/on the same day. I'll be able to claim back the holiday cost, less £300 ish excess but could pay for another holiday whilst I'm waiting to be refunded. There are some really good deals around for last minute holidays. My DSis can also claim for her costs on her insurance and can book something at a later date.

I'm really desperate for a break, it's been a long two and a half years, my job is really stressful and I'm just generally fed up. However, I feel really disloyal continuing on our holiday without them.

AIBU to cancel the holiday, and rebook a bargain for this week?

Go for it. Just be nice and tell those who can't come you hope there'll be another chance. I mean, what can anyone do? Have you seen the posts from people forced to go to work after testing positive?

Option 3, obviously.

Definitely option 3

Option 3 and have a lovely time!

Why can't the others cancel, and you and your immediate family still go on the original holiday?

Definitely still go

It's not your fault they are poorly. But equally why should you be penalised.

I would first think what happened if we move this holiday to this time next year? Maybe costs won't be much more. Would you like to go away with them? Obviously that's your choice.

But whatever you chose as long as she's not out of pocket by your decision. (E.g. if she also has to pay the £300 excess and isn't in a financial position to do that then it could cause an issue...)

Has she checked with her insurance if she can still claim back her families part if you do option 1?

Slightly different as it was UK, but we had a large villa (or what ever they are called) at Centre Parc’s shared with another family. My kids got chicken pox two days before we were due to travel. Our friends still went and we claimed 50% off the cost back via our insurance. We just need a letter from Centre Parcs to confirm that we didn’t check in and confirmation from the docs that they had the pox.

Option 3.

If you rearrange, next time they might be fine, but your side might have Covid. You can't reliably plan for everyone to not be ill these days.

There’s no knowing that insurance would pay out for your family, you would have to check with them what the situation is, therefore you may loose all your money paid, so you might as well go. Obviously it’s not ideal, but these things happen.

Cancel, go somewhere else yourself.

Would your insurance even pay out when it’s not your family that is ill?

Like everyone else, phone your insurance this morning. I'm not sure you can claim if it's not your family with covid.

Can't she cancel her half of the holiday and claim ? Then your family go on the original trip ? I wouldn't want to claim and pay excess if I was still able to go.

Thanks for all your replies, my travel insurance has agreed they would pay out as the holiday company said we need to cancel.

However my DSis has contacted her insurance and they have told her the same as PP commented. Half the party can go and those who are unable to attend will be able to claim 50% costs back through insurance.

My sister can afford to pay the excess (recognising a replacement holiday could be more or less expensive) and actually that's not really within my control. That's why we have insurance, I guess, to offset things going wrong.

I suppose I need to get back to the travel agent and confirm that we can still show up at the airport on Thursday and ask them to issue a 50% cancellation that would allow my family to claim on their TI.

If we could go on the planned holiday that would be fab, if not I think I'll be rustling around for a last minute option, as there is only 1 seat on the flight, although we know there will be 7 if we cancel the holiday!