Be f lexible for a magical break
EVERY week our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at an important holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: The best of the new ‘book now, change later’ holiday and flight deals.
STOP dreaming, start booking – and don’t worry if you change your mind or another raft of Covid restrictions suddenly looms large. That’s the message from travel companies as they add flexible terms to their flight and holiday offers. Here are six of the best.
Travel researchers at Which? like the flexible offers from Kuoni. Pick a qualifying trip and if you decide not to travel up to ten days before the departure date, you can get a full refund. One of its easy options is the child-free, ecofriendly Lagoon Attitude retreat on Mauritius, where days can begin with Pilates on a beach and end with a cocktail masterclass by the pool. Get seven nights all-inclusive from £ 1,499pp including flights (kuoni.co.uk).
After being criticised for slow refunds in 2020, Tui has speeded up its process and introduced fee-free holiday changes. Expect refunds within 14 days if the firm cancels your holiday due to coronavirus and you cannot find a suitable alternative. Or change the destination yourself up to 21 days before departure, paying extra if the new trip is more expensive, or receiving a refund if it’s cheaper.
Better still, there are Tui deals from plenty of regional airports. Fly to Florida from Bristol and enjoy seven nights at Universal Studios’ Endless Summer Resort from £697pp, including extras such as early entry to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter (tui.co.uk).
If adventure holidays appeal, then Explore gets the Which? nod for flexibility. If needed, you can transfer most, if not all, of the price of a trip to a different break up to ten days before departure.
A great family choice is an eightday Coastal Adventure in Turkey that includes a hotel with pool plus kayak and snorkelling trips over the ancient sunken ruins of Kekova Bay. It costs from £ 399pp plus flights (explore.co.uk).
Book a holiday (flight and hotel) with BA and you can change or cancel up to three weeks before departure. Deals include seven nights in a beachside hotel in Barbados from £529pp (ba.com).
A bit of extra flexibility has helped easyJet see ticket sales for summer soar 250 per cent so far this year compared with last year. You can change your destination or dates up to 14 days before departure. If your new choice costs more, you have to pay the difference. However, if you pick a cheaper deal the excess is not refunded.
Caribbean islands have been the go-to choice of celebrities this winter, and Virgin Atlantic says bookings are rising for the summer months when the UK’s lockdown should – hopefully – have ended.
It’s aiming to offer holidays on direct flights to Antigua, Barbados, Cuba and Jamaica. Book now and, if necessary, you can postpone it for free until the end of 2022. Get a week in Cuba from £598pp (virginholidays.co.uk).