Be very careful if booking a last-minute holiday. Make sure your break is ATOL protected so if a travel company goes bust, you get your money back.
The UK’s air holiday financial protection scheme has issued the warning after research showed that three million Brits were happy to leave booking their holiday until the day they were due to leave. This could result in them not ensuring they have booked with an ATOL-member company.
ATOL has issued these tips:
Look for the logo: Spend a couple of minutes looking for the ATOL logo on the travel company’s website.
Check out the credentials: Use ATOL’s online checker at www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk to verify the ATOL number given to you by your travel company.
Keep the documents: Take on your trip, or photograph with your phone, the ATOL certificate you receive from your travel company.
Pay with plastic: Use your credit or debit card to pay for your holiday as these give some protection if your travel company goes bust.
The ATOL research showed that, with the last half-term break before the summer holidays just days away, almost half of us book at least seven days in advance, giving ourselves the chance to plan, pack and prepare for our holidays. However, almost one in ten (8 per cent) are willing to leave it to the last few days before we depart, with three million people not booking until the actual day of their departure.
More men, on average, were prepared to consider last-minute bookings, however when the same people were asked how late they had actually booked, there was very little difference between men and women.
The research also revealed some regional differences. Holidaymakers in London are nearly twice as likely as the rest of Great Britain to have booked on the same day (9 per cent). There is also a tendency for those in the North West to consider booking their holiday just a few days before (19 per cent versus 15 per cent overall).
Andy Cohen, Head of ATOL, said: “With the summer half-term less than a week away, our latest research has revealed that almost half of the people travelling next week are likely to have booked more than seven days in advance. Even if the idea of grabbing a last minute deal is appealing, it is worth spending an extra couple of minutes to check your holiday bargain is ATOL protected.
“Having an ATOL certificate means your holiday is financially protected, so if the travel company goes bust, you will still be able to get home and will not lose your hard earned cash. For added peace of mind, whenever you book your holiday, look for the ATOL logo to ensure you can fully enjoy your well-earned holiday.“
Visit http://www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk/ for more information about ATOL protection.
