What to Do If Your Dream Vacation Has Been Cancelled
You might have been looking forward to this vacation for a while now. Maybe you’ve spent a small fortune on booking your dream accommodation in a beautiful part of the world. Your bags are packed and you’re basically read to go. But then the trip gets cancelled.
This is a scenario that happens more often than you would think. It might be down to administration errors by the tour operator, the travel company you booked with going bust, or another reason. At the time, the reason will rarely matter to you on a personal level; all you know is the vacation you have been looking forward to is no longer going ahead.
If this is a situation you are currently in, or maybe you just want to be prepared for the possibility of a cancelled trip, then this article is here to help. It will outline three of the key steps you must follow to ensure your trip cancellation is covered.
Check You Meet the Specified Requirements for Trip Cancellation
No matter your trip, you should always select a travel insurance policy that meets your personal requirements. Not only will this protect your health and belongings while traveling, a high-quality policy will offer trip cancellation coverage, too. Although some people believe this will allow them to get their money back after cancelling for any reason, this is not the case. You must select insurance for travel that includes this additional benefit.
Trip cancellations only cover vacations that have been cancelled, or interrupted, for certain reasons. You can see the list of covered reasons if you look at the insurance plan documents. The reasons that are covers will be named events or situations, although they will vary depending on the level of coverage you purchase. International Citizens Insurance recommends Safe Travels Voyager and World Nomads Travel Insurance to ensure your investment is protected if you need to cancel or change your travel plans.
With travel insurance, you will need to ensure you meet the specific requirements for trip cancellation based on your provider. If the travel operator has gone bankrupt, then it is unlikely there is anything you can do to change this. However, if you fall ill before the date of departure, you should check that the policy states that illness is a covered reason. The policy might specify that the illness must be disabling enough to justify cancelling, and a doctor will have to confirm this before or with 72 hours of your trip cancellation.
Try to Reschedule Cancelled Flights
If it is only your flights that have been cancelled, then you shouldn’t write off the entire trip. Instead, you should try to continue your journey some other way. This is necessary to ensure you receive adequate compensation from your travel insurance provider if you cannot go ahead with your trip at all.
Even if you have travel insurance, the airline you are flying with is generally responsible for providing you with assistance, potentially refunding you, or arranging an alternative flight. You should contact the airline as soon as you become aware that your original flight has been cancelled or delayed for a specific amount of time. For example, if the departure or arrival times for a domestic flight exceeds three hours or those of an international flight exceeds six hours. In the situation of a delayed flight, a cash refund can only be issued by the airline if you do not take the original flight that you booked.
Thankfully, if you need to make alternative plans due to a delayed or cancelled flight and you need to pay, your travel insurance will reimburse you. This will cover accommodation, communication, meals, and transportation costs that have been caused by the delay, but only if the trip is delayed for a covered reason.
Ensure You Keep a Record of Everything
When you first hear that your trip has been cancelled, or delayed, you must document everything that proves your trip cancellation claim is valid. You will need to submit a record of everything that shows why the trip has been cancelled and the total amount you will need to be reimbursed.
You should include digital and paper documents related to your vacation, such as the original booking confirmation, proof of payment, cancellation confirmation, travel tickets, etc. Depending on the reason for your cancellation, you might need to provide a signed medical note from a doctor, which will state they have advised you not to travel. You must ensure the documents are sent to your insurance provider within the stated timeframe.
To conclude, while cancelling a vacation can be a nightmare in itself, the situation you experience afterward doesn’t have to be. With the correct knowledge and preparations, particularly the purchase of travel insurance, you will not be left out of pocket if a trip is cancelled in the future.
