The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
TRUSTED ADVICE TELEGRAPH TRAVEL COLLECTIVE
for citizens of 36 countries (including the UK) at the start of May – but put the idea on ice following the terror attacks in Colombo and Negombo on Easter Sunday. Recent murmurs from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggest the delay will be temporary.
Elsewhere, semi-remote Madagascar brought itself closer to the rest of the globe in May, launching an electronic visa system (evisamada.gov.mg). Would-be explorers of this vast island now have three choices: a 30-day visa for $37, or 60- and 90-day options for $45 and $55 respectively. These are single-entry permits – but are sufficiently modern that they can be presented on a smartphone. Nor is this a sole case of African innovation. Egypt debuted a tourist e-visa last summer, which is available to 46 countries and valid for up to three months, single entry (visa2egypt. gov.eg; $25). While you can still obtain a visa on arrival for the same fee, the e-version is designed to reduce queues at airports. I applied for one in March, and found the procedure quick and simple.
India has been paddling in similar waters. Previous travellers to this glorious but often overly bureaucratic country will recall lengthy queues at visa centres in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. But as of 2014, the need to apply in person has been sidelined in favour of an e-visa system (indianvisaonline.gov.in) that saves an awful lot of time. At first, this applied to citizens of some 40 countries, for visits of up to 90 days. In January, this was broadened to 167 countries and a grace period of up to a year – with multiple entries allowed, at 28 airports and five ports. At a basic $100, plus
Our experts make your travel their business
JANE FOSTER
DESTINATION EXPERT
Dear Peter
The weather is still unpredictable in May, so you need a location which offers backup activities. I’d suggest the island of Krk (krk.hr) in north Croatia, connected to the mainland by a road bridge. Attractions include a magnificent Romanesque cathedral in Krk Town and a Franciscan monastery on a tiny islet (served by boat) near Punat.
If Locauto want people to keep hiring their cars, they need to look again at their small print Last August, we hired a car from Locauto at Florence Airport. At the end of our first week, we had a bad crash. I failed to notice a stop sign on a slip road and drove into the path of a lorry. Luckily my husband and two children walked away from the crash with relatively minor injuries.
The police were summoned and I was fined for failing to stop and for not having my driver’s licence on me. We provided Locauto with the police report and an account of how the accident happened and were told all was in order. Seven months later, I received an email from Locauto claiming we were liable for €15,000 (£13,500), the replacement cost of the car. We were astonished. Surely we were covered by the collision damage waiver (CDW), even though the accident was my fault. Holiday Autos tried to fight the charge on our behalf but was told by Locauto that CDW cover had been withdrawn because I had broken Italian law.
Locauto is now threatening to use a debt collection agency to force us to pay up. Can you help?
HANNAH DAWSON
QAGILL CHARLTON
READER CHAMPION
This is the third time that a reader has got in touch to complain about Locauto revoking CDW cover after a road accident like yours. Its contract makes the renter responsible for all damage where there has been a “violation of government regulations and/or Highway Code in the state where the vehicle is driven”. Thus CDW cover is rendered null and void for many driver-at-fault accidents. I have not come across this in any other car rental company contract.
Locauto operates the Italian franchise for Enterprise, which last summer told me it was reviewing how this contract term was applied. I asked Locauto why it continues to be out of step by applying what I regard as an unfair contract term. It was also unacceptable to have taken over seven months to notify Mrs Dawson.
Locauto claims the delay was due to waiting for details of the accident from police and it was within its rights to withdraw CDW cover. After reviewing the case, it has agreed to reinstate cover for the accident, owing to the delay in informing Mrs Dawson, and will only charge the €1,200 excess.
It is talking to its legal team to improve this clause and how it is applied.
This is sure to be a trend as countries try to keep a sharper eye on those who cross their thresholds
giving your full name and, if your query is about a dispute with a travel company, your address, telephone number and any booking reference. We regret that we cannot personally answer all the queries we receive, but your email will be acknowledged.