If you like to arrange your own travel and accommodation independently, rather than booking a package holiday, make sure you check out our independent travellers cover. This will cover such things as flight cancellations including volcanic ash , denied boarding, delayed or missed connections and loss of unused accommodation due to the insolvency of your accommodation provider, and necessary additional costs, such as extra transport or alternative accommodation.
Independent travellers cover will also cover you for up to £3,000 of cancellation cover per person if the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against travelling to your holiday destination, as long as your holiday was booked before the FCO advice was issued.
If you require a quotation to include Independent Travellers please contact us on:
01223 446 914.
Further information on why cover for independent travel can be a necessary addition to your travel insurance policy can be found below.
History of holiday bookings
Traditionally the majority of holidays were booked via travel agents or tour operators with the customer buying a 'package' of services such as flights and accommodation together.
Other tourist services such as car hire, airport parking, excursions and transfers could also be included in the holiday booking to form part of the customers travel itinerary.
In 1992 The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations were enacted to give travellers booking 'package holidays' (as defined under the Regulations) some financial protection. Provided the 'package' booked included at least two of the following components the Regulations would apply:
1. transport
2. accommodation
3. other tourist services not directly necessary to or part of the transport or accommodation and accounting for a significant proportion of the package.
Further details of these Regulations can be downloaded from the website of the Government's Office of Public Sector Information.
These regulations ensured that the traveller was compensated by the tour operator or travel agent who arranged the 'package' if all or some of the services purchased were not provided. Where problems arose (such as a flight delay or cancellation) the tour operator or travel agent had to make suitable alternative arrangements at no cost to the traveller, such as the provision of food and drink, overnight accommodation and alternative flights.
With the amount of protection given to travellers booking package holidays, travel insurance products only needed (at that time) to provide cover for events outside of the responsibilities of the travel agent or tour operator to provide financial and other assistance to their customers.
If you require a quotation to include Independent Travellers please contact us on:
01223 446 914.
Airline Passenger Rights
These rights were issued in 2004 by the European Union to provide compensation and assistance to air passengers who are denied boarding or whose flights are cancelled or delayed for more than 2 hours. They came into force in the United Kingdom from 17th February 2005.
These rights apply, provided you check in on time, for any flight, including charters:
• from an EU airport, or
• to an EU airport from one outside the EU, when operated by an EU airline.
Details of these rights can be downloaded from the website of the European Commission.
Whilst these rights give air passengers some of the protection enjoyed by those booking package holidays, they only apply to flights. They do not for example provide financial assistance in relation to loss of accommodation where alternative flights offered by the airline following a flight cancellation, are not suitable for the booked holiday to continue.
In addition, if a connecting flight is missed because you did not check in on time then you lose these rights as mentioned above.
If you require a quotation to include Independent Travellers please contact us on:
01223 446 914.
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