I can’t afford to self-isolate. Can I get my money back?

Simon Calder answers your questions on quarantine measures, the new ‘traffic light’ system and navigating the world of refunds

Portugal could possibly be on the government's 'red list' (Getty)

Q I have a holiday on the Algarve booked for 16 July. If Portugal is on the government’s “red list”, ie quarantine still applies on return to the UK, I will need to cancel because I can’t afford to spend two weeks in self-isolation when I come back. Will I be able to claim on my travel insurance?

Bill S

A The UK Joint Biosecurity Centre is categorising countries popular with British tourists with a “traffic light” system. Each nation is rated green, amber or red, depending on the prevalence of coronavirus, the trajectory of disease and the centre’s assessment of the data’s reliability. Holidaymakers to countries rated green or amber need not quarantine on return.

Rumours suggest that Portugal is classified as “red” following a sudden upsurge in cases, related to illegal parties.

If you have booked a package holiday to Portugal with one of the big two firms, Jet2 or Tui, then the insurance issue is irrelevant. Neither company will take you somewhere if either the Foreign Office warns against travel (as it does worldwide at present) or there is a need to self-isolate when you return.

Travellers who have booked flights, accommodation and other elements separately are in a trickier position. There is every chance that the flight will still be operating. If it is, the airline is legally entitled to refuse a refund even though you have compelling reasons not to go – such as work or family commitments. Hoteliers, car-rental firms and other providers can also stick to their terms and conditions.

If you have done your best to get your money back from suppliers, and failed, then you can approach your travel insurer to make good your losses. But whether you have much chance of success depends on the quality of the policy and the exact status of UK government advice. It may be that the Foreign Office still warns against travel to Portugal, in which case you may be covered. But if Portugal is regarded as OK to visit, then your decision not to go could be classed as “disinclination to travel” and your claim rejected. That sounds unfair, but the travel insurer could argue that the holiday as booked could be delivered – but you decided not to go. That you had a good reason is academic. And I hope this question and answer proves academic too, with your destination being rated amber. I believe Portugal poses less risk to British holidaymakers than does the UK.

Passengers arriving into UK airports before 6 July will have to self-isolate (iStock)

Q We took a chance on flying out to Spain as soon as their quarantine ended a week ago, with the hunch that the quarantine rules going back into the UK would be eased (along with much else in England) from 4 July. That was the date that seemed to be across the media. But it now seems the need to self-isolate for 14 days won’t end until two days later. Unfortunately, we are booked to arrive back on the evening of 5 July. Are we supposed to quarantine for two weeks? Or just until a minute past 6 July (a matter of a few hours)?

Name supplied

A The government’s “double lock”, aimed at preventing overseas trips, comprises the Foreign Office advice against all-but-essential travel abroad and the blanket quarantine policy – which requires everyone arriving in the UK to self-isolate for two weeks. After weeks of leaks from the government, you, I and the entire UK travel industry were expecting travel corridors to be introduced on 4 July. The current “no holiday” policy would be relaxed for visits to some nations where the risk of contracting the coronavirus is regarded as low.

I understand that was always the plan – until someone spotted a problem with Wales. The first minister, Mark Drakeford, says he will relax the nation’s “five mile” rule only on 6 July. So rather than create a situation where Welsh travellers with flight bookings from Bristol, Birmingham or Manchester have no legal way to reach the airports, the quashing of quarantine from Spain and elsewhere has been delayed by two days.

You and thousands of similarly minded people are now in a tricky position. Anyone arriving before the government deigns “to disapply public health measures at the border” will be expected to self-isolate for the full 14 days, rather than just until quarantine is lifted. If the flight is timed to arrive late in the evening, it would not be a complete surprise if the airline delayed the departure from Spain in order to arrive in the UK just after midnight on 6 July, giving all the passengers the chance to swerve quarantine. But don’t rely on this: flight crew is exempt from quarantine.

Hanging around in the airport for an hour or more is also not going to work; you are likely to be asked to proceed through passport control and go straight home to quarantine. So all I can suggest is that you rebook for 6 July, although that will be expensive. On the British Airways Barcelona-Heathrow route, Monday flights are significantly more expensive than those the previous evening.

EasyJet is grounding up to 10 flights to Mallorca between July and September (iStock)

Q I have a DIY trip to Mallorca for which Ryanair has cancelled the outbound flight, and the accommodation people have offered a penalty-free deferment. That is the option I have chosen because of a pre-existing medical condition. But I still have a flight from Palma to London on Friday 31 July with easyJet. Do you think I have any chance of a refund/voucher? I don’t have travel insurance because of the high premium.

Name supplied

A Of the 11 Palma-London flights on that day, all but three are showing “sold out”. They aren’t sold out at all, but easyJet doesn’t want any more people booking them because they are very likely to be cancelled.

This proportion is roughly in line with the seven out of 10 flights that easyJet is grounding in July, August and September. As the UK government’s “no foreign holidays” policy rumbled on with no clear date for resumption until this week, sales for summer flights have been cut to a trickle.

The only departures on 31 July for which tickets are actively being sold (and are almost certain to operate) are 12 noon and 3.45pm to Gatwick and 4.40pm to Luton. If you are booked on any of the others, then just wait to hear from easyJet.

First you will get an invitation to “reduce uncertainty” by transferring your flight to later in the year. This is so that easyJet can hang on to your cash rather than issue a refund. I suggest you ignore this. Then, at least two weeks before departure, you will be formally told your flight is cancelled. At that stage you can claim all your money back or, if it is offered, accept a voucher with a £5 per person bonus.

If you have the bad luck to be booked on one of the three trips that are (at present) planned to fly, then ask easyJet’s medical team whether they will consider your case for a voucher for future travel. Many people with health concerns are in a similar position; I hope and expect easyJet and other carriers are being flexible.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder