The global rollout of the vaccine has given many of us hope that international holidays will be possible again this summer.
In the UAE in particular the vaccination programme has been far-reaching and robust.
Which means there should soon be little stopping destinations from welcoming travellers – even if they may need a vaccine passport to make it past the border.
So, should you book a holiday abroad for this year? There’s plenty of evidence that popular destinations are already getting booked up for the second half of 2021, especially because prices are still relatively low.
But as we all know far too well, everything can change overnight during this pandemic.
By the time your trip rolls around, there’s no way of predicting whether your destination will still allow you to enter – nor whether you’ll have to pay for expensive tests or quarantine on your return.
So if you do have to cancel your holiday, how can you make sure you won’t lose your money?
Well, one way to mitigate risk would be to consider a holiday closer to home.
Travelling within the UAE would help avoid issues over border restrictions, changing travel advice, tests, quarantines and potential vaccine passports.
And let’s face it, with its awesome beaches, incredible nightlife and stunning views, the UAE is a pretty special place to keep things local.
But for wunderlusters holding out for an overseas trip, there are plenty of ways to protect yourself from travel disruption.
Here are five top tips to consider before you book that next big trip.
1. Pay less upfront
This one’s simple. Try and reserve accommodation through a travel firm or booking site that requires no or very low deposits – that way you’re almost certain to reduce your loss if you decide to cancel before the rest of the money is due.
Also make sure to check the T&Cs to ensure you don’t have to pay an additional fee to cancel.
2. Look for flexible booking policies
There are a number of reasons you might want to change the dates of your booking: for example, cases might be rising your destination, travel rules may have changed, or you may have fallen ill.
Airlines that serve the UAE in particular – Emirates, Etihad and flydubai included – have introduced flexible booking policies to give customers greater peace of mind.
Emirates also recently announced that passengers can purchase up to three adjoining seats on their flight to ensure a bigger personal bubble while travelling.
Hotels and hotel booking sites may well charge a higher rate for flexibility, but it may well be worth paying a little extra for this luxury.
3. Find accommodation that’s fully refundable
If you do have to pay a lot upfront, you will want to make sure that you will be able to get all your money back in the event you have to cancel.
Many individual hotels already offer this, and hotel booking sites like booking.com also offer free cancellations on many properties.
Staying in an Airbnb? Here it gets a little more complicated. Whether or not you are entitled to a refund depends on the individual property’s cancellation policy and when you cancel – you can check this on the booking page.
The company will only guarantee refunds for those who contract COVID-19; rules vary from host to host when it comes to travel rules and lockdown restrictions.
When it comes to booking through other sites, it is worth checking to see how the firm handled refunds over the past year.
If there are a lot of complaints about their customer service, it might be wise trying to book elsewhere (even if that means paying more).
4. Consider a package holiday
A surer way of protecting your money than booking flights and accommodation separately.
If travel is banned to your destination before you fly, a package holiday may also provide a safety net.
And that’s because when travel advice changes, airlines are less likely to cancel flights than tour operators are to cancel package holidays.
Subject to T&C’s, you should be able to claim a full refund. How’s that for using the old noggin?
5. Get travel insurance that covers pandemic-related disruption
No cover is fully comprehensive, but it is worth looking around for travel insurance that will cover you if you fall ill or your holiday is disrupted due to the pandemic.
Many policies will pay up if your flights are cancelled or delayed, or if you test positive before departure. Several will also cover you if you have to self-isolate for a period that overlaps with your holiday.
There’s never been a more unpredictable time to go on holiday – so now more than ever, it’s worth splashing out on cover to be even slightly better protected.
