protecting your holiday Most of us wouldn’t ever think of going away without making sure our homes are secure. But we can be remarkably lax about safeguarding our holiday, especially when it comes to dealing with the unexpected. Volcanic eruptions in Chile, extreme weather incidents at UK airports, or the collapse of tour operators or airlines in these tough economic times have left many of us stranded overseas or out of pocket. It’s therefore worth looking at holidays protected by leading bonding schemes - mainly through ATOL, ABTA, or AITO. If you buy a trip from an operator that’s a member of one of these organisations, there’s a chance you’ll get your money back if things go wrong.
brochures, and if your agent offers protection make sure it is in writing and read what they’re offering. If the Foreign Office advises against all non-essential travel to a country and you’ve booked through a bonded tour operator you may be eligible to a full refund or an alternative holiday. By law, all travel firms that sell you a package holiday which includes flights must have an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL). If the airline fails, either the tour operator or the Civil Aviation Authority will come to your aid.
If you haven’t got on your flight, you’ll get a refund, and if you’re overseas, they’ll fly you home at the end of your time away. But bonding is not a substitute for good Travel companies display the insurance there’s a limit to what relevant logos on their websites and these schemes cover.
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