Regardless of where or how you booked your flights or holiday, all airlines, travel agencies and travel insurance companies use the advice of the DFA before making any decisions about whether to cancel or alter flights or allow refunds to be authorised. They also have an app which you can download called Travelwise. If the DFA advise against travel to a specific country or region, flights may be cancelled. Usually these are only announced up to 14 days in advance.

For instance, if you are due to travel in August, flights will still be scheduled, and normal cancellations or change fees will apply if you decide that you don’t want to go. As at 11th March 2020, DFA is advising against non-essential travel to China, South Korea and Spain. The DFA has DO NOT TRAVEL advice in place for Italy.

If you happen to be booked to travel to Italy within the next 14 days, where there a Do Not Travel advice is in place, airlines will cancel flights and you should be entitled to a refund. However, if you are due to travel to Spain where the advice is against Non Essential Travel – you may not automatically get a refund from the airline if your flight is still operating,

 

 

However, if you do not get a refund from your travel agent or airline, you should be able to claim from your travel insurance company, depending on the level of cover you have. However if you are due to travel to Italy or Spain in August, normal cancellation policies apply.
 
Visit DFA Website
 

 

Make sure you have Travel Insurance and Travel Disruption Cover.

In many cases, if you have travel insurance it should cover you if you are travelling to an affected area and need to cancel – within 14 days of your travel date. If you have not taken out travel insurance yet, do so now. It is possible that Covid-19 will not be covered on travel insurance policies in the future, so my advice is book a yearly or even two-yearly policy now. However, a moratorium will apply and the insurance will only be valid once this moratorium is over – usually 7 days. Note: new bookings will not be covered against Covid-19 if there is a travel advisory in place advising ‘all but non essential travel’ – i.e Spain or Italy.

Book Insurance Here  
 

 
There is an additional insurance cover that you can take called Travel Disruption Cover. I recommend you add this to your existing insurance policy immediately.  If you happen to be travelling to an area with no known Coronavirus cases yet, you can add this to your existing policy and the additional cover will be in place after seven days.

 

Read: Why you need to add travel disruption cover to your travel insurance policy

Read: Coronavirus and what travel insurance covers

 

What to do if you have booked with a travel agency:

If you have booked a holiday via a travel agency, you are in a more fortunate position. Your travel agent should be up to date with the latest travel advice and should be able to help you if you wish to change or cancel your booking. Bear in mind that your travel agent will only be able to cancel or change your booking in accordance with the advice from the DFA and what the airlines / tour operators are allowing them to do.  

 

 

What to do if you have booked flights and hotels independently?

If you booked flights directly with the airline and a hotel via a hotel booking site, you will have to deal separately with the airline and hotel. This may not be straightforward, as there will be instances where you could be flying into an airport where there are no cases of Coronavirus recorded, but staying in a hotel where there is, or vice versa.
 

 
You need to understand that the airline and hotel may not be empathetic to your predicament. If you have not already taken out travel insurance, I would do so immediately, (moratorium will apply) and also add Travel Disruption Cover as mentioned above.

 
 

 

What happens if Coronavirus is not in the country I am travelling to, but I want to cancel anyway?

Unfortunately if you don’t want to travel because of coronavirus, the tour operator, airline or travel agent is not obliged to give you a refund. It is also unlikely that your travel insurance provider will cover you because you don’t want to travel. 
 

 
TOP TIP: However all may not be lost! Check the cancellation fees on your booking. You may have paid more than the required deposit and maybe entitled to some refund. You may also be able to defer your booking to a later date or change the destination and pay a small amendment fee.

 

 

What precautions can I take to prevent me from getting Coronavirus?

 

The HSE and World Heath Organisation have both released statements on precautions that you can take.  It is worth noting that elderly people and those with ill-health are most at risk. 

• Travellers should practice cough etiquette -maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing.
• Wash hands frequently, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment
• Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections
• Avoid close contact with live or dead farm or wild animals

 

 

What happens if you contract Coronavirus when abroad?

While I can not say what may happen to any individual, I can assure you that providing you are not travelling to a country where the DFA have advised against all but essential travel, your travel insurance should cover you for medical expenses if you contract Coronavirus while abroad.
 

 

Other useful websites:

 

Multitrip.com – Travel Insurance

European Air Passenger rights:

RefundMe.ie

AirHelp.com

FlightRights.ie
 

 

Note the above information are guidelines only. Please refer to your airline, travel agent and travel insurance provider for individual cases.

 

Sarah