Yes the voluntary quarantine will hopefully be dropped when we drop ours in a few weeks fingers crossed and Portugal asked to be left out apparently...
Anyone know what the insurance rules are if HO keeps the no travel guidance? What happens to validity of travel, car and breakdown policies?
Your insurance would be invalid
What happens to validity of travel, car and breakdown policies?
Depends on the explicit wording on the policy, you'll have to read the small print to find out, but a lot will probably say that they're invalid in their entirety, or sections will be invalid.
I got back yesterday after my mission to UK. Marginally more hassle at the borders, couple of random checkpoints at peage stations. French hotels were open, but I kipped in the van. I saw plenty of UK registered cars around, obviously nothing like normal numbers for mid June, but some clearly stretching the definition of travel for "compelling family reasons" (eg the retired couple in the Chunnel queue with a car full of house paint and decorating gear)!
Back in Spain - city is rammed with daytrippers (currently travel is limited to within province), borders open on 21st and there is a pilot scheme under way in the Balearic Islands allowing 12,000 Germans to visit. I can see things getting back to normal very quickly..
I can see things getting back to normal very quickly.
That will depend on the virus, I really can't see normality returning without cases spiking again, hopefully it can be contained with "track and trace" and localised lock downs, but I have my doubts.
There will be no "normal" this year
Looks like summer alps trips are increasingly likely. France announced this morning it will open up to free travel from the 15th June for all EU, schengen and uk. The only restriction now is Boris‘s quarantine on return which the French are insisting they will reciprocate
Got a positive email from our Annecy campsite today. Travel industry are confident in quarantine being relaxed by 29 June.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/coronavirus-quarantine-travel-self-isolation-june-holidays-uk-a9555681.html
Looks like summer alps trips are increasingly likely. France announced this morning it will open up to free travel from the 15th June for all EU, schengen and uk. The only restriction now is Boris‘s quarantine on return which the French are insisting they will reciprocate
I know... I did feel like a lone, frankly crazy voice in the dark claiming we'd actually be able to go on Holiday this summer.
Of course I chickened out when everyone told me I was mad and have moved both bookings to 2021.
We are still hopeful. We have a ferry ticket for the last 2 weeks of July we bought at Christmas so hoping to take the van
Slightly alarming piece on BBC news about a rare Easyjet flight arriving in Glasgow, 500% hike in fare price!
Am hoping that's just a blip, any chance prices could remain significantly higher for longer?
I'm getting increasingly optimistic about our trip to France in late August which I had pegged at about 50/50 till now. Via car/chunnel to a friend's house that we have use of. The hotel we are stopping at on the way down had already sent me a "we would like you to cancel, please click here to do so" email but that's not the end of the world as we could drive it in one long day if needs be.
Slightly alarming piece on BBC news about a rare Easyjet flight arriving in Glasgow, 500% hike in fare price!
3 seats per passenger IIRC.
Ooh, things are getting so tantalizingly close now ;0)
I really feel that within a month from now an Alps roadtrip will be a goer... (commentators curse always a possibility of course)
Anyone know what the insurance rules are if HO keeps the no travel guidance? What happens to validity of travel, car and breakdown policies?
We have an annual policy but they have an FAQ and it clearly states there is no coverage whilst the FCO advice remains essential travel only. All these news articles about various countries opening up and not a single mention about lack of insurance.
Got my credit note through from the campsite we had booked BsM for mid/end-July. Valid for 18 months from date of issue, and they'll refund all or any amount remaining unused at end of those 18 months. Plus we can get 2020 prices for a booking next year if we make it before mid-Sept this year. Best we could hope for. Only thing we've lost is £75 ferry deposit.
Sod's Law now means everything will be open and we'd have been able to go after all!
Similar pickle here, due to fly to Innsbruck on 1st July for Solden. Had to cancel hotel today as they pushed and pushed back their cancellation policy to two weeks before departure.
The only spanner in the works is the quarantine, as the flights are still “going”. If quarantine is eased on the 29th, we might yet get there.
I did wonder what the position would be with cover if Foreign Office drops the advice against travel and the only reason we can’t go is the quarantine faff there and back.
Booked on the chunnel for 6th July, bike holiday in Bourg from 18th. After reading about Huttopia on here i think we'll book up for a few days there if they have space.
Brother and parents crossed earlier today (Monday 15th via tunnel)
They had to sign papers to enter France stating that they did not have C19.
Bear in mind mother is French and brother has dual nationality + travelling to French home
50/50 uk/France and plenty of documentation on hand to prove.
Euro tunnel offering free cancellation or amendments if booked by tomorrow for trips by September 2020.
So I've booked both of my holiday crossings (July 11+aug 1).
We're still sitting on the fence not knowing what to do. We've a house in southwest France which we closed down for the winter back at the end of October/beginning November. Normally we'd have been over a couple of times by now.
We normally take the ferry but feel that the tunnel would offer better separation/isolation. I think we need to book by tomorrow if we are to qualify for the Chunnel cancellation offer.
The quarantine the French side seems to be voluntary but not sure how our French friends and neighbours would view us if we just carried on as normal.
It is not a legal requirement to have travel insurance in order to travel - the airlines and holiday companies try and make out that it is so they can flog it. A few years ago they were censured for insisting people have it in order to buy flights. If you are that keen on a holiday you can carry the risk yourself.
Does that self-insure approach stand for motoring abroad or would your car insurance use it to get out of paying out in a claim?
If not I might be tempted to self-insure if going on a gentle family trip, but as I was due to fling my untalented self down the mountains of the PDS, I think I'll wait until I know I have all the insurance cover I can get.
No insurance is all fun and games until you get the helicopter bill
Does that self-insure approach stand for motoring abroad or would your car insurance use it to get out of paying out in a claim?
No, the country you're driving your own car in will require that you have valid insurance, just like in UK. You'll need to read the small print in your policy or speak to the insurers to find out if it is not valid with the current fco advice.
It's just generic travel insurance that is optional, I have to say I'd be fairly comfortable travelling in Europe without generic travel insurance, but I probably wouldn't be OK travelling in the wider world. If my flight is flying in July, and Spain are not imposing quarantine then we're going on hols with or without travel insurance,and regardless of the fco advice.
Keeping an eye on things to replace our Balearic holiday with something last minute:
a) The hotel we'd use has posted some COVID advice, which basically comes down to 50% occupancy, 2m between tables in the restraunts and masks needed in any congested indoor areas - restaurants, reception & the gym
b) Its package price has dropped by 10%
c) Ibiza seems to have gone up by about 20%
Well i have gone through the car insurance policy document and can find nothing about travelling against FCO guidance. In fact the only thing i did find was on the website, which was if you are abroad when lockdown hits don't worry your still covered.
Just have to see if the UK government can screw this up even more and have us all trapped on plague island.
Interesting that the first confirmed cases of Covid in NZ in over a month were... UK arrivals...
Following on from my earlier post we've done a bit more investigation.
Our car insurance which has European travel included is still valid and not affected,
Our health insurance (in addition to EHIC) is on an annual basis through our bank. We do pay an age supplement plus some health supplements. We spoke with them and, at the moment, it would not cover us going France for non essential travel (as per current UK Government travel guidelines). They never 100% said that they wouldn't cover but it would be up to the assessors if any claim was submitted, but thought it wouldn't as it would be travel to a second home.
So, we've decided we'll book the tunnel today (17th) as it's the last day of the cancel no questions asked, full refund.
If the government travel guidlines don't change we'll cancel - don't fancy being uninsured or having to quarantine back in the UK.
It’s just generic travel insurance that is optional, I have to say I’d be fairly comfortable travelling in Europe without generic travel insurance, but I probably wouldn’t be OK travelling in the wider world.
I tried this approach years ago (relying on EHIC / E111 / whatever it was called that year). End result was 85 euros per stitch. (Greece)
That said, if its that or no holiday, I'd risk it for minor injuries and tummy bugs; but not for downhill MTB or skiing.
The quarantine the French side seems to be voluntary but not sure how our French friends and neighbours would view us if we just carried on as normal.
This is the real issue. Who wants to be on holiday sonewhere where you're treated as a pariah by the locals? It was bad enough being British with brexit, but now we're the dirty old covidman of Europe too!
I tried this approach years ago (relying on EHIC / E111 / whatever it was called that year). End result was 85 euros per stitch. (Greece)
I have prior experience of using the local emergency services where I'm going, last summer my son fainted, fell over and cut his head requiring 3 stitches, it was all sorted very quickly by the local a + e dept using just the ehic card.
The summer before my dad fainted, fell over and cut his hand, again a few stitches required, all done by local a +e and the ehic card.
I'm going to try not to faint this year.
The other half broke his arm in two places in BSM. Two nights in hospital, multiple Xrays, full anesthetic, titanium plate and screws. Bill was E46 with EHIC. Far lower than our excess. Year after, I went to the clinic in Les Gets to have a one inch splinter removed which was embedded below the skin. Local anesthetic, a couple of quick cuts with a scalpel and five stitches - E150.
So go to the hospital not the Drs or a clinic.
We don't book much in advance, use EHIC for medical bills and have Alpine Club of Austria membership to pay for extraction if required.
The selfishness of the english shining through.
I need to get to Spain for a funeral service and sort some stuff out, was planning on risking it at the and of July, (my father passed away in april) but with our pointless 14 day quarantine (self isolate unless you need to go out to get food) on arrival back in ingerlund, it means the Spanish may reciprocate so I might well face a restriction on arrival, making the trip a big waste of time. it's a fluid political situation from what I can tell.
A few locals I'm in touch with are already angry about random tourists sneaking in with UK plated vehicles swanning around, and to be fair, tourists from inland, Madrid etc. too.
Selfishness of a few English, but the same can be said of all countries can't it. Same at home though isn't it. Going to give everyone a bad reputation and become pariah's of Europe.
Greece has handled the virus very well but I'm afraid that their opening up to tourism (seeing as its so essential to their economy) may end in disaster. We are hoping to go in September, and planning to be self-isolated the whole time as far as possible - arranging for groceries to be delivered and whatnot. Not quite the same as usual, but the sun will be shining.
We have just renewed our annual policy with Yellow Jersey this morning, downgraded our daughters from Worldwide 60 days to Europe and 30 Days.
My daughter asked them the question about going to France and cover as she is thinking of disappearing for a bit, was told it the same as it always was, if HO say no travel guidance then no cover until they change it back.
DrJ, you booked with Dystopian holidays? 😮
UK government is a complete farce, the UK 14day quarantine on arrival wasn't worth the paper it was written on anyway, and they are back-tracking on it already.
The Spanish were about to reciprocate with quarantining people from the UK, so now they may or may not go ahead with that because the utterly stupid British government changes its mind every 22 seconds.
Absolute joke.
Greece has handled the virus very well but I’m afraid that their opening up to tourism (seeing as its so essential to their economy) may end in disaster. We are hoping to go in September, and planning to be self-isolated the whole time as far as possible – arranging for groceries to be delivered and whatnot. Not quite the same as usual, but the sun will be shining
We’re due out there in 3 weeks, still on as far as we’ve heard. Self catering so will need to visit shops, but aside from that we keep ourselves to ourselves anyway so distancing shouldn’t be much of an issue.
Restaurants will be interesting...
More speculative info: BBC NEWS story
An airbridge with Australia is as unlikely as unfettered migration between the two countries.
We've changed our flights from 10th july to 4th july - all looking good for it to happen so far.
