Your most asked questions of O2O3
As the year draws to a close, I find this is an excellent time to confess that I’ve never quite been one for surprises. Fortunately, over the past 12 months (where it concerns my Doc Holiday inbox, at least), I’ve been able to rely on a few constants. I know by now that most weeks I’ll receive a few emails about the Japan Rail Pass and where best to buy them (japanrailpass.net is the official site), and which travel money card is best (Wise and Revolut continue to scoop all the industry awards).
Questions about insurance, solo travel and Christmas markets river cruising, however, have made up the bulk of my emails this year. So I’ll wrap up 2023 by answering questions on those topics. I hope you have a restful break and here’s to a healthy and happy 2024.
How do we find well-priced travel insurance? We’re a couple in our early 80s and looking to do a South Pacific cruise, but we’ve discovered that the cost of a policy is in the thousands.
It really is outrageous. As I mentioned earlier in the year, data from finder.com.au shows the average cost of our premiums has increased by a whopping 87 per cent when compared with pre-Covid life. While there are many reasons for this hike (increased risk of airline cancellations and delays, as well as passengers being forced to cancel or reschedule due to illness among them), it’s little consolation for travellers trying to do more with less.
I recommend running quotes on sites tailored for older travellers, such as Australian Seniors and Boomers Travel Insurance. All Clear Travel, meanwhile, offers policies for seniors with pre-existing conditions (travel.seniors.com.au; travel.boomerstravelinsurance.com.au; allcleartravel.com.au). Also, search comparison sites such as Compare Travel Insurance (comparetravelinsurance.com.au), Canstar (canstar.com.au) and iSelect (iselect.com.au).
Now, the policies you find anywhere are going to be far from cheap, but a couple of ways to get your premium down a little lower include searching for a promo code online – a move that can save up to 15 per cent – and opting for a higher excess.
We’re planning ahead for Christmas 2024 and would like to do a Christmas market river cruise. Which ones would you recommend?
It’s the perfect time to plan for next Christmas and, happily, our festive river cruising options are increasing steadily.
Uniworld has a fantastic range of Christmas cruises, including an eight-day Rhine Holiday Markets sailing that takes in the highlights of France, Germany and Switzerland, priced from $6099. When eight days just isn’t enough, you can count on Viking River Cruises with their new Christmas on the Main & Moselle, a 12-day yuletide sailing (from $5295) from Paris to Prague. Or Scenic’s 15-day Christmas Markets cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, priced from $7217).
For those travelling with kids, it’s difficult to go past Tauck’s Holiday Magic: Danube Family River Cruise (from $6510), which goes through Salzburg and Vienna, slotting in all sorts of fun festive workshops and activities between the market port visits.
I’m a solo traveller fed up with being charged a single supplement. How do I (and others like me) get around this?
Whether it’s in relation to group touring, cruising or a resort stay, the subject of single supplements comes up quite a bit in Doc Holiday world, and the volume of emails can be explained – Google trend data has shown that post-Covid solo travel has increased by a staggering 761.15 per cent.
Why are travellers charged the single supplement at all? It’s because accommodation pricing worldwide is based on two people sharing a room. If only one person occupies the room, then operators will add the supplement – anywhere from 10 to 100 per cent of the standard twin room rate – to cover the cost of the space.
Some cruise lines (Ponant, Hurtigruten, Tauck and Avalon Waterways among them) regularly either waive or slash the single supplement across many of their itineraries, while others, such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Holland America Line, offer solo cabins.
Group touring with the likes of Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, Exodus Adventure Travels and On the Go Tours, too, is also possible, if you don’t mind sharing with a fellow traveller of the same gender to avoid paying the supplement.
There’s nothing to say you can’t ring an operator or property to argue your way around a single supplement charge, but you’ll have far better luck if you intend on travelling in low season (a time when they’ll be extra keen to fill empty slots). Be firm but play nice.