A reader writes...

In October last year, I booked a holiday in Cyprus, paying a deposit of £178. My wife and I have spent many happy holidays there, but it is so popular it gets fully booked very early, so I wanted to be prepared.

However, I’m 84 years old with health problems – I have a weak heart after a heart attack, as well as diabetes and high cholesterol. With my health problems and the Government’s advice on travel, I’m reluctant to go.

I have been in touch with my holiday company to explain my health situation, but they are demanding the full payment of £1,181.94.

Can you please help me and advise me what I can do.

Name and address supplied.

Gareth says…

The coronavirus pandemic has caused chaos for holidaymakers and incredibly complex and difficult decisions for travellers like you. On one hand you do not want to put your health and life at risk by travelling; on the other you don’t want to be out of pocket for a holiday you do not want to take.

At Which?, we’ve covered this issue extensively, and I’m going to be borrowing from the advice that we’ve published on our website. I’ve also looked at the latest guidance from your holiday company, to see if there is any flexibility for you.

First, let’s get the bad news out of the way. Choosing not to take your holiday because of the health risks, while perfectly understandable, will not automatically secure you a refund.

Our researchers at Which? Travel magazine have not found a single travel company that will refund you 100 per cent of your money if you choose to cancel. You are reliant on the terms that it has put forward to deal with the coronavirus crisis, and some goodwill on its part.

Your holiday company has changed some of its terms, and whether or not you are successful in getting your money back will depend on your travel dates. All holidays booked to depart before and on July 14 have been cancelled. The company is issuing refund credit notes, to be used on bookings by March 31, 2021 and travelling no later than October 31, 2022.

We don’t advise taking a credit note, however. You can apply for a refund, but your holiday company states it could take a staggering 16 weeks to get your money back.

In your travel company’s terms, you will lose only your deposit for holidays cancelled more than 12 weeks before departure. Anything closer to departure date will see you liable for 100 per cent of the costs of the trip, which I suspect is the situation you are in. But it has introduced some additional flexibility, allowing you to pay £299 per person on your holiday balance, and the remainder four weeks from departure.

If you decide to cancel more than four weeks before you were due to leave, you will lose this amount (in your case, £598), plus your deposit – a total of £776. That’s 57 per cent of the total cost of your holiday, which will be a painful hit. Anything closer to your departure date will again see you liable for the full costs.

You may be able to change your holiday dates. If you’re travelling after July 14, it states that you can amend your departure date without charge – but you may end up paying a higher price for your holiday, the balance of which will have to be met by you. If you still want to go abroad eventually, this may be a good option for you.

Your holiday company makes it a condition to buy travel insurance along with your holiday. If you bought cover when you booked, it is essential you check your terms. While many policies bought during the pandemic exclude claims related to coronavirus, policies bought before may well pay out if you are medically unable to travel.

Travel insurance tends not to cover ‘disinclination to travel’ but you may be able to make a claim if a medical professional states that it is unsafe for you to do so.

This may all be moot. While the Foreign Commonwealth Office has lifted travel restric-tions to Cyprus, Cyprus itself will not let in anyone who has been in the UK for the past 14 days.

How to get a refund if you cancelled your trip abroad this summer - Gareth Shaw