Abroad next year?

[innitbloodysuper]

So far we have had 6 UK holidays cancelled, our next two are hanging on by a thread as our city has been identified on the government hotspot list.

We've been looking to go to Ibiza with our two children for a few years now. It's a fab deal at the beginning of July, meaning kids will miss last two weeks of school which doesn't worry me. What does worry me however is COVID. So my question is, has anyone booked anything for next year yet? What insurance is best? I don't normally book insurance while the last minute but I presume I'll need it from the time of booking. I can self isolate in return as I'm home based anyway (NHS), but my partner would need to return to work.

Is anyone else risking booking, or is it best to wait?

Truthfully without meaning to be judgy, I’d be concerned about the missing two weeks of school bit - that’s quite a lot of time! 2 days fine, 2 weeks is less on. Your call though obviously and with so many breaks you’ve had to cancel, I get totally why you really feel the need to get away!

Trying to be more helpful, we’ve booked for next summer, I just needed something to look forward too! I looked at it from a whats not going to cost us if everything goes tits up again perspective so used Booking.com which will allow me to cancel at the last minute. Sounds like you’re looking at a package? What are the cancellation/postponement Terms if you can’t go? I did research Travel Insurance though - I only found 2 companies offering Coronavirus Protection (Staysure & Trailfinders) which offer quarantine and medical assistance for CV. They didn’t cover Lockdown cancellation specifically or Supplier/Scheduled Airline Failure though (although if you are looking at a package you should be covered by ATOL if your supplier/airline goes bankrupt). There is also some kind of war zone insurance you can buy (Battleface?) that will cover you if at the time the Foreign Office advise against travel to Ibiza but you still want to go.

To sum up then, just make sure if you need to cancel you can either get your money back or postpone! Here’s hoping we both get to go!

We haven't booked yet, but we will do so next month when flights for next August become available. We have future travel vouchers from BA for a cancelled trip this year and we're booking hotels that can be cancelled up until the last minute. I think we'll go with Trailfinders insurance when we need to renew in October.

I'm hoping/assuming that by next summer most western countries will have got their shit together with regard to Covid and that those of us who are willing to travel and take whatever precautions are necessary will be able to do so. I just can't see how major world economies can be shut down or subject to rolling shut-downs for over a year. Once this winter is out of the way and we've had a full year of dealing with Covid in all seasons I think we'll all have a much better idea what we're dealing with. I'm also very hopeful that a vaccine or vaccines will be available and as soon as there is a safe one we'll be getting it!

We've transferred/amended the 2 holidays we'd booked for this year to next. Tenerife in April and Kos in August.

I've booked for june next year on the proviso that if we can't move the holiday for whatever reason if required then we lose our deposit. I kind of (maybe naively) think that if there is no vaccine or dramatic drop in covid cases by next year we'll just have to largely go about our lives as before taking whatever precautions we can otherwise I can't see any economy surviving.

But willing to move my holiday or forgo my deposit if needed.

I'm waiting but we have a hotel in Thailand from this year which has given credit voucher until next year and about £800 in AirAsia credits for use of up to 2 years from this years holiday. However, I won't go there until covid situation is resolved and will take loss if not.

Insurance, all I know is not Insure and Go and read all the small print. Look up recent reviews and will give good idea of issues. Ours will pay out nothing depsite having to cancel holiday and covid cover in theory being covered, booking a year ago. Loads of small print get outs and excess is also per event per person per type of claim. So hotel room for 4, says excess is £60 but later on says £60 per person so £240 per hotel booking is the excess. Also FCO allow travel there even though you are banned from entry so insurance get out of everything but can't go.

We went to the UK this year and had lovely time. Next year if all resolved will go to Asia, if not it might be UK again. If we do venture abroad will most likely be Europe and will be very careful what we book re refund policy and look at reviews. Would only do package with a company that has refunded fine this year or book individually with an airline thats refunded and refundable bookings via something like Booking.com. Having said that we had issues with one refundable booking this year and heard others having same issue. But packages tend to be to busy hotels which I'ld want to avoid if covid is still an issue. I now wouldn't be bothered about missing 2 weeks of school, would have never have done it before, but this year they missed months of school and at the start no work was sent home so have got all the sources. Depends on ages those, those doing exam years I would attend school.

Other issue is making sure you are covered for bankruptcy, would imagine a lot will go under in next year.

Thanks everyone. It's a package deal with Jet2 but their Jet2 promise seems to have gone off their website so it's putting me off.

And @SJaneS48 I didn't think you were being judgy. Each to their own, we've gone those two weeks most years and my eldest is 12 now. I just normally get grunts from the kids that they're missing sports day, but this is long forgotten once we are there! From experience most schooling is over and done with by then, they just miss the "fun" bits.

@innitbloodysuper - totally agree re the last week or so being a bit of a waste of time & @KoalasandRabbit makes a good point about this years time off putting it all in perspective. DH is a Chair of Governors though and parents taking kids out of school is a bugbear for him - I’d never get him agree to it in a million years!

Jet2 taking their promise off the website would concern me too (although they’ve a good reputation I’m sure they want to keep!)

@SJaneS48 my best friend is a governor at my school, so I feel your pain as she likes to remind me of the rules. I've only once been fined however, and that was simply because my daughter had an operation earlier in the year, so her attendance was already low.

We have another UK holiday booked for next week and so far, it's on. We are however in a COVID hotspot, so if we go on local lockdown then that'll be another holiday cancelled. It really is turbulent times, which is why I still haven't taken the plunge and booked.