Europe a la Carte Blog

Welcome to my blog, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Has travel insurances gone bananas? Well Quotebanana.co.uk appear to think that a zany name is going to attract buyers of travel insurance with a strapline of “Don’t monkey around, pick the best of the bunch”. I hesitate to call Quotebanana a price comparison site as it predominately features insurance companies which are part of the AA group of companies. However I decided to give it a go for annual travel insurance in Europe for a couple. The cheapest quote of £59.10 was with Only Insurance.

I did a search with Direct-Travel.co.uk, from whom I purchased our European annual policy and it was priced at £46.  The morale of the story - it’s always worth shopping around on more than one site and checking exactly what is covered by a policy, payout limits and excesses.

photo by Darren Hester

If you’re taking your own car to mainland Europe this Summer you may be asking yourself if you should purchase European car breakdown cover. It’s hard to decide if you should buy breakdown cover but you have to weigh up the reliability of the your car, against the cost of the cover and what it might cost if you did break down on holiday.

In order to evaluate whether I’d buy European breakdown cover I though that I’d get prices from the two best known breakdown companies, the AA and the RAC.

Firstly I got a quote for cover for a two week period from 16 - 30 July 2008 based on my car a 2004 Skoda Fabia.

AA £62.73

RAC £59.30

Then I got a quote for the 12 month cover where you’d be covered for trips of up to 90 days duration, If you plan to take a trip of more than 3 weeks or motor to Europe on more than one occasion during a twelve month period then an annual policy would be a good buy.

AA £103.90

RAC £103.50

So there’s not a lot of difference in the price between the two. Both offer an additional 10% discount to existing members.

Would I buy cover? I’m not sure, if I was only going to make one trip for a couple of weeks as my car has been totally reliable over the last four years I would be tempted to risk going without breakdown cover. However if I was going to make a long trip of more than 4 weeks or multiple trips to Europe during the twelve month period then I’d consider it good value.

photo by andrijbulba

I’m always trying to point out the potential pitfalls of car hire because it is complicated to come up with best all round car hire deal. You should never purchase car hire on price alone, you really just examine all aspects of the car rental agreement.

If I hire a car abroad once a year I use a car hire company which offers a truly inclusive price where either you will pay no excess in the event of damage of theft such as economycarhire or the excess will be refunded by the car rental firm if you pay an additional charge such as AutoEurope. However even with this cover damage to the roof, undercarriage, locks, tyres and windows is not covered.

I’m renting a car in Italy for one week at the end of May and I’ve booked through economycarhire which has zero excess policy excluding roof, undercarriage, tyres and windows. I think the risk of damage to these parts is fairly low and the cost of that damage won’t be too high.

However if I hire a car, away from home, more than a couple of times a year then I buy annual excess insurance is a good option. With this you are covered for any type of damage and you can go for a cheaper car hire quote which doesn’t include the no excess. The rental location must be more than 150 kilometres from your usual residence. European annual excess cover costs £49 for Europe for drivers aged up to 74 years of age, the cost is £65 for drivers aged 75 - 85. You’ll be covered for car hire periods of up to 31 days, as many times a year as you require. The policy covers all drivers named on the car hire agreement.

So to answer the question “Is annual car hire excess insurance a good buy?” my opinion is an emphatic yes, if you hire a car more than once a year and perhaps even for a single car hire if you find a really low price quote where there is a large excess and you want to cover yourself for any potential damage to the hire car.

I’m attending a travel bloggers summit in Berlin next month. I’m flying with Easyjet from Glasgow for £53 return. However I live in Berwick upon Tweed in north eastern corner of England. Flights with other airlines from Edinburgh or Newcastle airport, my 2 closest airports, cost a lot more and/or involve a stopover.

My flight departs at 12:45 so I’m aiming to be at the airport by 11.30. I’m only taking hand luggage and have already checked in online but I don’t want to like to cut it too fine. My two options are driving or taking public transport.

It’s over 100 miles to Glasgow airport from Berwick, the airport lies to the west of Glasgow. The drive is a minimum of 2 hours if every goes smoothly but the route encompasses the Edinburgh bypass and the M8 motorway through central Glasgow which can both be very congested. I’d probably have to allow 3 hours plus another half hour to go to the secure carpark and be taken to the airport by minibus. So that’s a 08.00 departure from home. It would cost about £15 to park for 5 days, if you book in advance. It’s always a good idea to use a airport parking price comparison site plus around 230 miles return trip at say 40 pence a mile, so a cost of £107 plus the hassle of the drive.

If I bought an open return rail ticket it cost £69 return but involved 2 changes and all going smoothly i.e. no missed connections the journey from Berwick to Glasgow. I’d have to take the train from Berwick at 07.15 due to arrive at Glasgow airport at 10.25 and the next train departing Berwick at 08.29 arriving at the airport at 11.25 was too tight. I’d still have to get to Berwick station from our home which is a 20 minute walk with no public transport options so the would mean leaving home at 06.50. My husband will give me a lift if it’s raining but the alternative would be a taxi costing around £4. That brings the total cost to £77. I discovered I could reduce the cost by purchasing an cheap advance ticket for the train journey from Berwick to Glasgow Central which only costs £8.90, if you purchase online and then pay £5 for the bus to the airport. I can’t buy the cheap ticket for my return journey as it’s only valid for a specific train so it would be £35 for the return trip, so that my total down to £52, £44 if I manage the walk to and from the station. You do also win some Brownie points for being green by using public transport but that rather pales into insignificance when you consider the environmental impact of your flight.

So which is best? Looks like the car wins on the time front as I can leave home an hour later and on my return I can pick up the car at the car park and drive straight home. With the train I could have to wait for an hour for the next train as the flight is due in at 14.00 and I could just make the 14.57 train but if I don’t the next is at 15.43. However public transport is a lot cheaper and you don’t have a potentially stressful drive lasting up to 3 hours each way. The other big advantage of public transport is that with most travel insurance policies you are covered for missed departure if public transport lets you down, whereas if you travel in your own car you are only covered for accident or breakdown of the vehicle in which you are travelling.

So how am I travelling? I’m taking public transport to Glasgow airport and my husband is picking me up for the return trip, as one of our sons is a student in Glasgow so it’s an opportunity for us to visit him. That would avoid any hanging around waiting for connections. My decision is also influenced by the fact that we are a one car household and I thought my husband might want to use the car when I’m away. Also I’m happier with the travel insurance cover for my outward journey, as I believe the cover is better. In my travel insurance the wording is I’m covered for missed departure if “public transport does not run to timetable” but there is the caveat off “allowing time for delays which are to be expected”.

Overall I think it’s overly complicated to work out which is the best option. The main problem is lack of direct rail link to Glasgow airport. You either have to take the train from Glasgow Central to Paisley and then bus to the airport or the express bus from central Glasgow, which may be delayed on the motorway journey out to the airport. The confusion of all the different tickets available by rail doesn’t help as the cheap advance ticket option didn’t appear when I searched for through journeys and if you bought the suggested £69 open return ticket then some of the cost advantage of public tranport is lost as you are paying £20 for the sane rail journey from Berwick to Glasgow Central. The only difference is that with the open return it’s train to Paisley and the the bus and with the cheap ticket you take the airport express bus.

How do you usually travel to the airport? I suspect a lot depends on where you live and the availability of transport options to your nearest airport(s).

You have to very careful when putting together your own holiday to avoid the potential of ending up being in difficulty and out of pocket if things go wrong during the trip. If you book a traditional package holiday with a travel agent then you’ll be covered. The mechanism for covering this is due to change next year with the proposed £1 ATOL Protection Contribution. However this will only cover package holidays. In the recent opinion poll more than half of travellers thought independently arranged flights should be covered too. At present you’re not covered if you book directly with a scheduled or low cost airline.

At present the best way to cover yourself when put together your ow holiday is to pay by credit card. Be aware that this only covers purchases of at least £100, so if you find a cheap flight there’s no benefit to paying by credit card.

The strange thing is that the charter flights I booked with flythomascook.co.uk for our pickage holiday are covered by ATOL. Therefore if the airline goes bust before we fly we’ll be reimbursed and if it happens when we’re away we’ll be flown home.

I booked the accommodation through medhotels.com paying by credit card which did not incur any additional charge. You must check that the name of the payee is the same as the supplier which is the case with medhotels. So far so good but I’ve paid the car hire by debit card to avoid a £3 charge on the £118 cost. Oh dear, if there’s no car when we arrive at the airport we’ve had it. However I rationalise that it’s no as much of a disaster as having to arrange our flights home or have to find another place to stay and lose the £275 that I paid for accommodation.

Another way to protect yourself is to purchase travel insurance which offers cover you for DIY holidays or dynamic packaging such as that offered by 1Stop Travel Insurance. It would probably take a while to get your money back as the failed company would have to be in liquidation before payout is made. However if the insurance premium is good value this is a virtually free additional safety net. Speaking of travel insurance, check that you are covered for terrorist attack.

By this stage you’re probably thinking this trip you’re plannng is supposed to be for pleasure not dodging through minefields. To put things into perspective I’ve taken many pickage holidays over the years and never had a problem but you never know. If I add up all the additional fees for credit card charges I could have paid over the years they would probably come to more a lot more than I stood to loose if one part of my holiday went wrong. For example I could have paid another £6 in credit card fees if I’d paid for our charter flights by credit card, if I hadn’t know I was covered by ATOL. It’s about knowing the facts and making your own decisions in full knowledge of the potential risks.

My annual European travel insurance is due for renewal at the beginning of next month so I decided to do some research before renewal. I’d read that some policies don’t cover you for terrorism and although this is not a major concern to me, I’m sure there’s more risk of being injured driving around on holiday, I thought I should look into this.  I’ve written about some points to bear in mind when you are buying travel insurance and why you shouldn’t just look at price.

1Stop Travel Insurance came up tops as for under £60 for annual European cover excluding wintersports, my husband and I were would be covered for medical expenses and hospital benefit required after a terrorist attack. However there was even more on offer with cover for up to £2000 for dynamic packaging cover (when you put together your own DIY or pickage holiday). This means that if you can’t recover costs such as accommodation and car hire as the company contracted to provide the service has become insolvent, you will be reimbursed. The upper limits for cover were good with up to £10 million for medical expenses and £5000 for cancellation. The excess is £75 for most scenarios.

I think that 1Stop Travel Insurance offer great cover for a low price and you should get a quote for them whenever you’re looking for travel insurance.

You may not be aware that when you hire a car which cliams to quote you an “all inclusive price” that in fact if the hire car is stolen or damaged then you will be required to pay an excess of several hundred pounds.

Photo by IaRuth

There are 2 ways to avoid paying this excess.   If you hire a car in Europe several times during a one year period, you can purchase an annual insurance policy for around £50, which covers the excess.  If you will only hire a car a for couple of weeks, you can pay an additional amount to the car hire company, which means the excess will be refunded to you. For example with AutoEurope.com the additional charge per week for a supermini varies between £4 - £10.  The additional amount payable depends on the class and size of car that you hire and the country of hire.

More evidence has emerged over just how much you can save on travel insurance if you shop around, rather than buying from your travel agent. According to research by InsureandGo you could pay up to 91.8% more for single trip insurance from an travel agent than buying from the most competitive insurance companies. That’s a lot more to pay for the same product.

You can read my tips about travel insurance so you can buy the right product for you, at a good price. I seem to be a mission to save you money today. It’s just a coincidence the headlines about this and increasing bank charges for overseas debit card usage came to my attention today. Do you think it’s worth to effort to shop around or do you think why bother for a few pounds, it’s supposed to be fun arranging a trip, instead of penny pinching?

Below are my tips for planning a trip to Europe. Do you have any tips you can offer prospective travellers?

One: Do not try to see and do too much.

You may end up actually seeing very little. I think it is better to see more of fewer countries/regions and see them properly. You may not want to stay in one location for your whole trip. However if you choose carefully it may be possible to do several day trips from one central location. If you do decide to tour, consider spending at least two nights in some of your destinations. It can be quite tiring being on the move every day, packing and unpacking.

Two: Decide on mode of transport.

Driving will give you more flexibility but can be daunting at times and is not recommended if you mainly wish to visit cities. You may decide to take your own car if you live in Europe. If you fly you can hire a car. Beware of extra charges for additional drivers, insurance excesses, airport charges, out of hours charges etc. I always book a hire car through a UK company, with no excess payable. Rail travel can be a good option as trains in many European countries, (not the UK), are reliable, efficient and reasonably priced. If you use a budget airline try to only book direct flights. If you book a two leg journey, the budget airlines will not assist you, as they only operate a point to point service. There are many budget airlines operating in Europe e.g. Ryanair, Jet2 and Easyjet.

Three: Be aware of security of possessions.

Use a money belt, hotel safe etc. Do not have all your money/cards in one purse or wallet. If you lose it you are in trouble. This happened to me when I was in Milan: I was travelling alone and was left penniless. My credit card company did transfer funds to me but it took 24 hours! I had to borrow 10 euros from the hotel receptionist. Make sure you have travel insurance and if there is an incident get a written report from the local police station, to enable you to make a claim.

Four: Try to learn at least a few words of the language.

This will be greatly appreciated. My French is what you might describe as school girl (that was 25 years ago) but I do try when in France. Often I receive the reply in English but at least I tried. I always apologise if I cannot speak the language. I don’t assume that the person I am talking to should speak English, I ask in their language if they speak English. As I do have a Scottish accent, I try to speak more slowly and clearly than usual, certainly not raising my voice.

Five: Don’t be too structured.

You should allow some time just to wander around, enjoy a leisurely lunch. You do have to plan an itinerary, or you can just waste a lot of time, but it doesn’t have to be written in stone! Allow yourself the opportunity to be spontaneous.

Six: Don’t just stick to tourist traps.

Try to visit some authentic local restaurants, markets, villages, etc. where you will meet local people, rather than just other tourists. Surely part of the reason for going abroad it to experience at least a little of the local flavour, not just spend all your time with other tourists.

Seven: Book your accommodation in advance.

This may mean that you miss out on a charming establishment you come across in your travels, (you could always stay there on your another trip). However it will mean that you don’t waste precious time going from hotel to hotel trying to find a room, having to arrive early enough at your next destination to look for accommodation. I am not even convinced that you save money by last minute searches.

I was struck by the contrast in Government attitude towards the two issues related to financial aspects of travel highlighted in this Travelmole article.  There is no protection for UK travellers who put together their own holiday, although a proposal for a scheme which would have provided a safety for all types of travel arrangements was mooted to the Government last year. However the Goverment is actively pursing proposals to impose regulation on travel agents sales of insurance to customers.

I think that the Government should introduce a scheme to protect all travellers, however they book their trip.  It can’t be that difficult to arrange a simple, low cost, effective means of financial protection.  I think that most travellers would accept that paying a small fee for this protection was a worthwhile cost.