AIBU to cancel holiday?

[Nostrings457]

Booked to go to Malta in May - holiday balance is due tomorrow (over 6k). Travelling with young children and 1 aduly is aged 65+

Malta has no coronavirus cases currently but who knows what will happen between now and May. I dont want to pay the balance and then risk trying to claim off insurance if we dont go.

I suppose its more a what would you do than aibu?

(I know the risk is so low, influenza kills more people etc.. but i dont want to end up in quarantine with 3 young kids somewhere either)

I'd still go!

Do you have travel insurance?

Not that travel insurance covers you if you just decide to cancel, but it would if there is FCO order not to go to certain countries. How much would you lose and are you sure if you cancel now it's just the deposit you're liable for ?

I'd go unless the foreign office said not to.

I'd go .

Cancel OP. People are in denial. This is a pandemic so it's not sensible to try to continue doing things that put you at unnecessary increased risk.

It's not the same as flu. Twenty per cent of people need respiratory support. One in five will need medical help..

If check your T&Cs very carefully before cancelling/not paying the balance, you don't want to get stung.

Yes if we cancel now its just the deposit we would lose. We do have travel insirance but youre right thats only valid if the foreign office advise not to travel.

My worry is that the amount this is being hyped up in the media, its going to get a lot worse in next few months before it gets better

That's still a couple of months away and you can claim if the foreign office bans travel, Ive been having the same worries only we go to Thailand in the first week of April so we can't cancel

Don’t go sorry

It’s hard OP, we’ve booked for turkey in June, balance due in April. I still foresee us going. Im banking on a combination of good travel insurance, paying on credit card and flu season calming down all will be ok.

Oh gosh OP, I honestly don't know what I'd do. The safe thing is to cancel, but it's presumably a reasonable chunk of money to lose - could you phone the travel agents and see if there is a possibility of postponing the holiday until next year ? It's a long shot but worth asking As BA was letting people change flight dates earlier this month, although that was in impacted areas.

We just had the same decision and decided to cancel. We can't afford to loose the money. I figure we can always rebook closer to the time if things calm down. Still have our flights and won't do anything about them

In the same position as you op.

I booked a week away to the Canaries in the Easter hols for me, Ds, and DM. It's fully paid for and I really don't want to take the chance in going and getting stuck abroad.

According to Simon Calder, if the govt advise against all travel to a certain area then its the travel firm who would reimburse costs, not the travel insurance.
Anyone know if this is correct?

I'd still go.

I wouldn’t go. Airports are the last place I want to be right now.

I am due to go to Florida on the 17th march and this morning have seen that florida has 150 cases of the virus, its giving me pause for concern as there's alot of people in the disney/universal parks but so far we are still going.

If i were you I would just lose the deposit and go later after all this blows over.

Sadly for us I've paid for everything and its 11k so we are going unless it turns into a no go area.

Thegirl if a flight is cancelled then it's definitely the airlines responsibility to refund you, so I guess that might be the same if your hotel is included in a package. I've got a series of small trips booked and most are around the refund limit, so will just wait and see - we're due to go to Costa Rica in the summer but I'd be reluctant to go if this hasn't been sorted as wouldn't be comfortable with quality of medical facilities if anything happened.

According to Simon Calder, if the govt advise against all travel to a certain area then its the travel firm who would reimburse costs, not the travel insurance.

That's what my insurance policy says.

I had actually posted last night that I had ensured I took out insurance when I booked my holiday this year, when usually I leave it until nearer the time, because cancellation was never on my radar before. But the insurance is for claiming if one of us became ill, but if the government advise against travel then it's on the holiday company.

For 6k I think I would cancel. If nearer the time all is ok you could probably book something for cheaper.
.

@chattylass
Where did you see those Florida cases. Not showing up on anything I’ve seen

I would 100% cancel. I couldn't take the risk when it's such a large amount of money

Chattylass, there are no confirmed cases in Florida, they were originally testing 700 but this has dropped down to 150. 150 cases would be big news.

I wouldn’t go. Not because of the venue but because of being in airports in both England and Malta. Think of all those people you’d be mingling with who have come from who knows where I’m the world and could potentially be carrying the virus.

Me, my DH and two sons are due to go to Turkey in 6 weeks and I have told him I don’t want to go. He told me I’m being ridiculous and he’s not wasting all that money by not going. I have told him he can go on his own and me and the children will stay at home.

He thinks I’m joking but I’m really not.

We often go to Malta and are due to soon. I’m not sure about going. There is currently panic buying In places and some supermarkets are empty, which isn’t a problem as long as imports still arrive. As yet no cases.