ATOL tips that can save you money

THE COST of a family holiday has risen by 20 percent in the past five years, with the average per person spend per trip up from £597 in 2011 to £694 in 2016, says ATOL, the consumer protection branch of the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. This – along with the fact that two-fifths of consumers are booking flights and hotels independently – makes it more important than ever that travellers know how to best protect their holiday and make sure they won’t lose money if the worst happens and they are stranded abroad.

ATOL has five essential travel tips for booking a holiday:

• Think outside the box – package holidays can be personalised. There are plenty of ways to tailor a holiday for you and your family, so don’t be put off by the term ‘package holiday’. Buying a package where flights and accommodation are booked through one company means your holiday will be ATOL- protected and your money will be safe. If you book a hotel and flight with different suppliers, your whole trip will not be ATOL-protected, and you could lose your money if either company fails. 

• Do your research and check for ATOL protection. Some travel websites falsely display the 'ATOL Protected' logo, in order to lure and defraud customers. You can check that a company has ATOL protection. Write down the company name and/or the 4 or 5 digit ATOL number. Visit www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk and enter the details into the ‘Check an ATOL’ database, which has a list of all ATOL registered companies. 

• Think beyond the price. There are many foreign-based travel companies, which offer cheap and attractive package holidays, but these will not have ATOL protection. If booking with a non-UK travel company, find out what financial protection they provide and if this covers company failure and repatriation. If not, you might decide to take out additional travel insurance to include insolvency protection, which might mean you pay extra. 

• Take your ATOL certificate with you. You must receive an ATOL certificate as soon as you pay any money towards an ATOL-protected holiday. The certificate confirms what is protected, which company is responsible for your holiday booking (it may not be the company you are booking with directly), and what to do if the company ceases trading. Whether you print the certificate or have a digital version, it’s important to take your certificate with you. 

• Use a credit card and take out good medical and travel insurance. If you are booking your holiday through a number of travel operators, this will not be ATOL-protected, so remember to pay with a credit or debit card. These cards provide some protection if the goods and services you’ve booked are not delivered, for instance if one of the travel operators fails, but might not cover consequential losses. Make sure you have travel insurance, which will cover medical costs and other potential expenses such as damage or loss of any possessions you take with you. 

ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiser’s Licence and is the UK’s statutory holiday protection scheme run by the Civil Aviation Authority.  By law, every UK travel company which sells air holidays must hold an ATOL licence and issue an ATOL certificate as soon as a customer pays any money towards a trip. Booking an ATOL- protected holiday means passengers will get a refund if their travel operator collapses, or if they are already abroad, they will be flown home at no extra cost. 

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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