Coronavirus: What kind of insurance do we need for a France trip?

Simon Calder answers your questions on emergencies abroad and the closure of international borders

Camping offers good value and being a drive away from the UK can be reassuring (Getty/iStock)

Q We are due to drive via Eurotunnel to France on 17 August. We have booked 10 days at a campsite. But what type of insurance do we need? Presumably, our Ehics will cover emergencies, even if Covid-19 related, and we have breakdown cover for the car. What else should we be looking for?

Name supplied

A Your holiday plan looks ideal. In any summer, camping in France is an excellent choice for British holidaymakers, offering good value and ease of access. And in these difficult times, when quarantine can be imposed with just hours of notice, as happened to travellers to Spain on 25 July, being a drive away from home may be reassuring.

Insurance, too, is intended to provide reassurance. The government says: “Getting the right travel insurance is one of the most important things to do before you go. It could save you and your family a lot of money and difficulty if things go wrong before or during your trip.”

In your position, though, I might make a rational decision not to take out insurance. The most important aspect of travel insurance is to pay for medical treatment when no alternative cover is available. But if you each have a European Health Insurance Card (Ehic), that will guarantee treatment either free or at a negligible cost within the European Union.

You might as well take advantage of the last summer in which protection will apply. Note that emergency repatriation is not covered. Neither are ancillary expenses: for example, the extra costs of family members staying on should one of them fall ill, and the expense of changing dates on tickets.

Cancellation is another risk covered by insurance, but with only two weeks before your trip there is, happily, little room for things to go wrong. But if something, from a family event to new quarantine rules, were to stop you travelling, you should be able to postpone your Eurotunnel trip rather than losing the cost.

“Amendments to your travel can be made subject to availability, as long as they are completed before midnight on the current date of travel,” says the Channel Tunnel shuttle firm. Something similar probably applies to the campsite.

Travel insurance usually compensates for loss or theft, but those may already be covered on your household policy or separate cover with, for example, your mobile phone provider. So assess how averse you are to risks, and decide accordingly.

Will an Irish passport make it easier to get health care? (Getty/iStock)

Q I have an Irish passport through my late father who was Irish. I was born and live in England. When Brexit happens, would I be allowed to make an application for an Irish European Health Insurance Card (Ehic)? I suspect that I would need to be resident there.

Brigid B

A Many UK citizens are entitled to an Irish passport, and ahead of Brexit I recommend anyone who does qualify to obtain one. A travel document from a European Union nation will make subsequent travels much easier in a whole range of ways. At the trivial end of the spectrum you will be able to use the fast-track gates at EU airports, and never need to apply for the new Etias “eurovisa” when it takes effect. More importantly, there are no impediments to the length of stay in EU nations, and you will be able to work and study with minimal red tape.

But on the basis of what the Irish government says about health care, a passport does not come with automatic entitlement to an Ehic.

“You can only apply for a European Health Insurance Card from the Irish health authorities if you are ordinarily resident in Ireland,” says the Citizens Information department.

This mirrors the current UK attitude; while we pretend to be in the EU, until 31 December 2020, only residents can obtain an Ehic.

Yet there is also a slightly conflicting official pronouncement from the European Union about medical treatment, which suggests anyone with an Irish passport is entitled to it without restriction: “If you are an EU/EEA national and are travelling or staying temporarily in another state … you are entitled to receive medical care if you become ill or have an accident.”

I do not recommend that you test this latter statement, and instead make sure you have suitable travel insurance in place for trips to the EU from 2021 onwards.

Is there a chance I can cross the Albania-Greece border? (AFP/Getty)

Q I’m a British citizen and was caught in Albania for many months during Covid. As you know, on 15 July Greece opened its borders for the summer tourism season. But within 48 hours they closed the land border with Albania.

There was supposed to be another review of this on 31 July, but it appears nothing changed.

I am looking to fly from Corfu to Heathrow within a week to 10 days. But if I cannot cross the Albanian/Greek border to get across to Corfu and then to the airport.

In your opinion, if I show a copy of a confirmed British Airways flight from Corfu, as an EU citizen there is any chance I would be authorised to head straight to Corfu airport (no stops, no “passing go” so to speak), or is this an unlikely option?

James R

A If it is any consolation, you win this week’s prize for the most exotic coronavirus border-crossing question. I imagine spending months in Albania must have been an experience you will remember for life – in a good way, I hope.

I must point out that you are not a European Union citizen any more, since we “got Brexit done” in January. During the transition period, which ends on 31 December 2020, the UK is still pretending to be in the EU. But even though British travellers currently enjoy many more privileges than they will have from 2021 onwards, I don’t imagine that ordinary visitors as opposed to VIPs can expect any special favours from the Greek authorities.

So why don’t you consider a flight direct from the Albanian capital, Tirana, to the UK? Given the current difficult circumstances, there are a ridiculous number of options: Air Albania (Sundays only, to Stansted), British Airways and easyJet on various days of the week to Heathrow and Gatwick respectively, and Wizz Air flying daily to Luton.

For example, on 13 August, all bar Air Albania are flying from Tirana to London. Fares are slightly higher than from Corfu – typically between £100 and £150 one-way – but you will save significantly in transport costs. The highest prices tend to be on British Airways, but BA also has by far the most generous free cabin baggage allowance: two pieces totalling 46kg, which may be valuable after your long stay

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