Pay full amount or not?

[Piggywaspushed]

I am in such a dilemma wrt our summer holiday and would appreciate a kind of WWYD!

We booked a holiday back in January and paid a £1000 deposit . This is to Spain with Villa plus. It is a package so flights (Ryanair klaxon!!) included.

The remaining balance is due in two days and takes the whole spend to nearly £4000.

I was supposed to be awaiting a call from them but they did not call and I got an email today after I emailed them in a strop.

This basically says:
a) lose your deposit. We will not hold it for you and are not taking bookings yet for 2021 so, unlike prior emails, they are not even mentioning transferring payments to holiday credits.
b) pay whole amount. IF the holiday is cancelled you will get a refund
BUT
the holiday will be cancelled only if travel becomes impossible because of government actions, or Ryanair cancels the flight (fat chance) or the villa owner cancels the booking (also unlikely I reckon)

I know at the moment Spain is really Not Open but I just don't trust Ryanair or travel companies to not force people to travel just because they can fly people out.

For some further context, DH is medically vulnerable (not shielded) should they even care about that detail and is supposed to observe stringent social distancing to the extent that his workplace don't want him in.

The full amount is looming.

DH does not want to lose £1000 but even less do we want to lose £4000!

All the advice online says pay the full amount but I do think that assumes we will be happy to go in August if a flight can take us there and I don't think a full holiday is on the cards by August in Spain.

WWYD??

With no written reassurance in place from the holiday operator guaranteeing me a prompt & complete refund in the event of FCO advising against travel, I would not pay the balance!

We are in a similar position for a holiday booked to Sicily in late July. The hotel company said they were reopening on May 16th (some weeks ago when the balance was due ) so we should pay the balance, despite us asking for a delay. We just couldn’t take the risk of losing all that money so have not paid it and will just wait & see what the situation is nearer the time.

The advice to pay the full amount is based on an assumption that either the travel company will cancel if it’s not possible to operate, or your travel insurance will pay out if FCO advice is not to travel.

Unfortunately my best guess is neither will apply - the travel company will pretend to operate So they don’t have to refund and insurer will say it’s your choice not to go because you have to quarantine when you get there and/or when you get back, and your husband is fit to fly, he just doesn’t wan to risk it.

I think you’ll have to lose the deposit rather than risk losing the whole lot

OK, thanks all. We don't have insurance. DH needs specialised insurance which we always sort after booking. I don't think it would have covered this.

Reading between the lines. this tour operator will cancel if Ryanair does... pigs might fly. (well, maybe only with face masks)

They definitely have been refunding people for full holidays over the last six weeks or so but the whole situation is due to become a lot less black and white, I fear.

DH thinks we should pay the whole thing a she just thinks foreign travel will just not happen any time soon...