Motorhome Trip Abroad Preparation in a Global Pandemic
I can already here the opening guitar rift on the single by The Clash as I start to type this. It’s a question we have been mulling over for quite some time now – ‘should we stay or should we go?’ We’re still not entirely sure what to do at the moment, but we have started our preparation for taking our motorhome abroad during the pandemic.
It’s been six months since the UK went into lockdown and we were all told to stay at home. We did what we were told, we even self-isolated for two weeks on our return from Spain at the start of the coronavirus pandemic without being told to, it felt like the right thing to do. Back then what we were being asked to do was simple – Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives. Now though things are not quite so clear, which does make preparations for a motorhome trip abroad a tad tricky.
I know I have been guilty of reading too much on the BBC news site (we tend to avoid the news on the telly unless it’s a Downing Street News Conference) and scrolling through posts and opinions on Facebook, all of which just puts my head in a spin. After our recent trip to Whitby, we both realised how much we miss being in our motorhome. Don’t get me wrong, I love our little bolt-hole that we live in (known as The Cooler), but there’s something about being in the motorhome that lifts the spirits in a way that I just don’t get at home.
The weather has turned and it looks like autumn is well and truly here, and while being in a motorhome in the Alps in winter is fun – think powdery snow, icicles, sunny skies, vin chaud etc, the prospect of being in the UK in the winter doesn’t seem so enticing. There’s just a couple of things stopping us from going now – Brexit and Covid-19.
The Brexit issue, is still a few months away, but as our trips are often that long, it’s something that needs to be considered. The way things stand at the moment (today, the 26th of September, as it could change tomorrow if previous weeks are anything to go by) we can go abroad and everything is the same as it has been in the past until the clock strikes Midnight (not sure if that is UK or European time) on the 31st December. At that point our European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) cards will stop being valid, meaning we can’t access free state-provided healthcare abroad if we needed it, like when I fell over and cut my knee open in Spain. At that point we would also start our Schengen clock, which allows us to be in the Schengen zone for 90 days in every 180 day period. The Schengen clock means that we’d need to be home (or in another country outside the Schengen zone) by the end of March if we planned to use up our first half of the year allowance in one go. However, we do love spring and summer in the Alps, so if we didn’t come back until the end of March, we’d have to wait until the start of July before heading back into Schengen again. I think we’ll just need to sit down with a calendar and do a bit of planning going forward.
We can prepare for a lot of things before we go, such as ensuring our travel insurance covers us adequately once the EHIC has stopped and checking we have plenty of time left on our passports. We’ll also need to buy some International Driving Permits (IDPs) from the Post Office, I say some as there are different rules for different countries and we’ll both need the right ones in case I have to drive for some reason. We’ll also need to buy a GB sticker for the back of our van and ask our insurance company to send us a Green Card – a document that proves our insurance is valid in the country we are in – and check our breakdown cover is still valid. We still miss our little furry travel companion Charlie, but at the same time are quite relieved that we don’t have to navigate the changes to the pet passport scheme, which will be the case for anyone travelling with their dog, cat or ferret.
With us as prepared as possible for Brexit, we come to the trickier subject, travelling abroad in a motorhome in a pandemic. We’ve seen on Facebook groups, blogs, forums and reviews on the Park4Night app that loads of people are out there touring Europe in their motorhomes, they aren’t all staying in their own countries. So do we just need to fill the van with face masks, hand sanitiser, soap and loo roll and away we go? Sadly it’s probably not that simple. While our motorhome insurance is valid despite the pandemic (I don’t Zagan will catch Covid-19), our travel insurance policy ran out earlier this year. As we weren’t allowed out of the house at the time, let alone off to foreign shores, we chose not to buy another policy until we knew where and when we wanted to go. Earlier this week I searched online as we usually would, but quickly hit a snag, the Foreign Office is, of course, advising against ‘all but essential’ travel to several European countries, and they include the ones that connect the UK to mainland Europe by ferry or tunnel. Most insurance companies won’t cover you if you are travelling against Foreign Office advice.
After reading all the ‘Coronavirus Travel Guidance‘ on the Foreign Office website, it talks about checking with your airline or accommodation provider which wouldn’t really be applicable, and keeping up to date with local restrictions – like we are doing here at home. We would continue to be cautious about what we do too. Yesterday we visited our local pub for the first time since this all began, we wrapped up warm and had the entire beer garden to ourselves along with our best friends and their two kids. We sanitised, we socially distanced, we kept to the rule of six and enjoyed the table service. That visit was a big step, we’ve been avoiding going to pubs and restaurants (apart from when we happened upon an empty pub near Carsington Water that was empty so we once again had the beer garden to ourselves, and ordering takeaway from one in Edale) as it just doesn’t feel safe, sitting inside with strangers. There wasn’t anything in the Government guidance that didn’t seem to be common sense, and we don’t mind the prospect of two weeks in quarantine if it means several months of life in the van. We’ve already done it once so we know our favourite Italian restaurant will deliver to our door. I am also struggling to see how the advice can be to not to go to places because they have a high infection rate, when some parts of the UK have an even higher rate. If we went to Spain for the winter, we’d be mainly outside in open spaces without many people around – which for me feels much lower risk than being at home, unless we plan to not go out for the entire winter.
More insurance searching and I did find a company called BattleFace (www.battleface.com) that will insure you to travel against Foreign Office advice – but the policy came in at around £1000, and going by the information on the website it is more aimed for people heading to do humanitarian work in war zones. We just want to drive our motorhome to Spain for some winter sun, so I think their policy would be a bit much. Another two companies Staysure (www.staysure.co.uk) and Avanti (www.avantitravelinsurance.co.uk) allowed you to pay £5 extra and be covered for travel even against Foreign Office advice, but the cover would not extend to the reason for the no-travel advice. That would mean we would be covered for all the usual stuff, but not if we caught Covid-19. That seemed perfect and just what we want, only the maximum trip length is 104 days. So there goes our plans to stay out until after Brexit!
[UPDATE 27 Sep 2020] Thanks to Christina Butterworth for pointing us to www.insurefor.com. We’ve run our details through and it appears they’ll cover a 5 month single trip for both of us for £378, including travelling to countries which the foreign office recommends against due to COVID-19. Their cover includes medical care if we get sick with COVID-19. We were also pointed at www.truetraveller.com by a couple of people, their cover includes destinations the FCO advises against, and includes medical cover, but won’t cover us if we get sick with COVID. Their policy quote was £307 (and it looks like you can officially take it out while you’re outside the UK). Not cheap, but it appears policies are starting to come available which meet our needs. Thanks to every who’s been in touch with suggestions – very much appreciated. [END]
So, we’re now mulling over the many options. Stay in the UK. Go abroad for 100 days with insurance then come home. Go abroad without insurance (don’t worry Mum and Dad this one is very low down on the list), Go abroad for the 100 days and see if we can get another policy while away (most won’t cover you unless you are in the UK when taking it out), or any other number of permeations. On top of all of that, I am still struggling with the moral / ethical dilemma – should we be travelling abroad, or travelling at all? The answer to the second question is that the Government seems OK for us to tour England and visit areas of high infection as long as we adhere to the local guidance. From the advice against all but essential travel they don’t want us to do the same thing overseas and I’m not sure I can work out why. Most other countries in Europe still have their borders open to each other, so do their Governments want us there? Do their people want us there? I guess we won’t know until we go and find out for ourselves. In the meantime we’ll continue to research insurance and also some of the apps and websites that are out there tracking the virus rates, border requirements and local information. We’ll put what we find in another blog post, but please let me know if you have any great resources too.
Ju x
Hi Guys, have you tried True Traveller backpackers insurance? Admittedly we took out cover back in Jan, so probably different now, but we are insured for any illness or accident in countries on FCO list, and for accidents & illness (excluding Covid) if we go into countries on the naughty list. Maybe worth looking at to get a longer policy. We are in Germany and it has been great but cold & wet now, we have our own dilemmas on whether we head to Greece or risk Spain & Portugal. Stay safe whether you stay or go xx
Thanks for the information Sarah. We’ve had a look and they look good. Around £300 for five months for cover, the best part being it looks like you can take out a policy while travelling too, that’s a first. Could be very helpful for folks out there at the moment with no cover. Cheers Julie
Hi both, you have the same dilemma as us. Eurotunnel has been booked for the beginning of October for sometime now and we are debating the pros and cons. You might want to check out Portugal. They are offering insurance against covid through this link https://portugaltravelinsurance.com/
We think we just might go with it to get some travelling in the winter sunshine. Good luck whatever you decide.
Thanks Helen. We’re starting to find a few companies that will cover us, and across several countries too which is probably more what we are looking for. I will update the blog post with the details in case they are any use for you. Ju x
I am in Spain right now in glorious weather. I find it very easy to social distance with van life and am confident I can be as safe here as anywhere. I can see no logic is the FO advice not to travel or the 14day quarantine requirement on returning to UK other than it forces people to holiday in the UK and spend money at home. I am self insuring as I always have. Basically I will spend any money I need to if a situation arises but I am younger, fitter and without any underlying health conditions (like yourselves) than typical motorhomers who might be contemplating extended winter sunshine. Besides as I understand it even without a valid ehic an EU country has an obligation to administer health care in an emergency situation.
Very well put Julie. You have summed up perfectly the dilemma we all face. Currently out in our van for the first time since March. Decided to abandon plans to seek the winter sun and stay UK based. We are parked on a site overlooking Plymouth sound and just watched the ferry from Santander pull out! Did we make the right choice to stay? We were planning to visit the North and Scotland but now find ourselves unable to decide if we should even do that in light of the restrictions the North has been placed under. Yes we can go but should we? Nightmare…..
Hi Andrea, It’s one of those questions only an individual can answer, but it is reassuring to know that we are not the only ones struggling with it. You just have to do whatever feels right for you and will let you sleep at night. Ju x
I’m currently looking at the insurefor.com website which seems to offer covid cover as well, but not sure yet how the length of trip / cost will pan out. Need to sort it soon, like you eager to get away (this week, eek!) but trying to balance risks / responsibilities to all is a tough one. Good luck!
Hi Sue, We’ve updated the blog post as a couple of other insurers have been mentioned that will provide cover (one of which is insurefor). I think it will make our decision much easier knowing we can get cover. Good luck for your adventure x
hi Julie
Thanks for the very informative and well reasoned post. Being in the Isle of Man we have even more issues, mostly insurance related as we are not covered by EHIC.
Bloody Brexit! 2020 was going to be our big blowout pre Schengen, instead, not 1 day in Europe in our new van which cost £83,000 in February. Not yet done 1500 miles. GRR!!
Thanks again for your excellent blog, good luck.
Hi Ju,
Once again thank you for expressing eloquently the same thoughts and dilemmas we’ve been wrestling with in our ‘lets get back out there’ heads.
We have decided rightly or wrongly to go (Tunnel booked for Monday) and to rely on our EHIC until 31st December, then use Staysure to cover us for Jan – Mar. We will try to keep up to date with data from the NY Times and other useful sites to hopefully help avoid areas/cities where the worse infection rates are and stay alert to the changing situation as it develops. I’m not sure it will feel as relaxing and free spirited as it usually does but it’s a case of making the best of a bad job.
Stay safe whatever you decide to do
DaveB
Hi Dave. I think we are starting to think about going, especially as we have found a few companies that will cover us (we’ve updated the blog post with details). Enjoy your trip and if we see you on the road we’ll wave from an acceptable social distance! Ju x
Hello Jason & Julie
Please check out the following web site “Travellerinterrupted.com” re insurance etc.
A couple from England presently touring Italy, left England early September 2000.
Take care & stay safe,
Robert
Thanks for this Robert, I’ll check it out. Ju x
It’s a real dilemma. We think we are going to head to Portugal using this Portuguese insurance company which will insure for 90 days including Covid19. https://portugaltravelinsurance.com/
Might be worth considering for you.
Hi Julie and Jason,
Thanks for your excellent blogs, we have followed them for a long time now and always found them interesting and unbiased. As a motorhome owner I can relate to how you feel.
As far as the Schengen zone 90/180 rule goes and as I read it, you could be there for the full 90 days from the 1st of January and then go back in say May for another 30 days.
Although far from what we have grown used to and enjoyed, this does give a little more flexibility to your planing. We can only hope that things might develop to our advantage as we go through 2021.
Best wishes and happy traveling
Brian
Our solution has been to sell up in the uk and move to Spain. We get our house in Calp on Monday and will have Spanish residency by the end of October. This allows us to stay in Spain as long as we want and we can of course stay in the uk for as long as we want so the 90 days only affects us in the other eu countries. Our plan is to live here in the winter and travel north in the Moho in the summer. Spain in general is fine just avoid the obvious hotspots and use common sense. Easy to manage this in a Moho! INMHO head over the channel as soon as you can. Take care Doug.
Interesting article, as ever! I completely get your itchy feet/ cabin fever, with no end in sight to the pandemic.
I’m not sure about heading abroad though- I feel I really wouldn’t want to be in foreign parts if I contracted the virus. Even taking every precaution it is impossible to be sure of being completely safe, food and fuel supplies need to be obtained from somewhere.
Worse case scenario- my husband in Spanish icu whilst I’m isolated in the van. Doesn’t sound like a risk I’m prepared to take.
I’m usually pretty brave and fearless but right now I’m feeling cautious and hesitant.
Insurance without COVID cover doesn’t really make sense to me, what would you do if you caught it and were really ill?
I’m sorry for the doom laden response- as I said I understand completely the desire to get away.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do x
Hi Sal. I totally understand how you are feeling. I felt that way too a few weeks back but having done quite a bit of research (and we have now found an insurance company who will cover us for Covid even in a country that we shouldn’t be in) I am now starting to change my mind. The worst case scenario you mentioned (and many others that have given me sleepless nights) could happen, but they could also happen here in the UK. One of us could be isolating at home while the other is unvisitable in hospital, and if it did occur we would deal with it, same as we would abroad.
This pandemic has really tested all of us and is making us think about the levels of risk we are willing to take. There is no right or wrong solution to this, it’s down to individual choice, and I respect everyone whatever they choose to do as we all have different ways of looking at the world. Ju x
Very well said Julie. I couldn’t agree more.
You could do what we plan to do (but with our caravan), travel through Spain from Santander/Bilbao to Algeciras, spend 3-4 months in Morocco, then back into Europe for just under 3 months, then back home again.
Like you we lost our wee doggie Tara, so we won’t have the added problem of no more pet passports.
Keith Hart
Hi Keith. Sorry to hear about Tara, they do take a big chunk of your heart to doggie heaven with them. We have looked at Morocco now that the border has partly reopened, but after it closed so quickly and left so many motorhomers stuck (on having to get very expensive government laid on ferries back to Europe) its currently a step too far for us. We’ll certainly go back one day as we love it there, but not just yet. Ju x
Rac arivals package no limit on breakdown – choose 3 different zones, 3 includes Turkey.
I have back packer ins – 365 days.
J over 70 has 157 days with bewiser. Neither cover covid if you go to a UK gov naughty step country.
We’re off on 5th.
Loving the naughty step country 😂 We think we have found a company that will do Covid cover for those naughty steps and have updated the post with details. Have a fantastic trip x
The thing is no amount of research and planning can deal with the unexpected! We all now know that borders (even within Schengen) can be closed with very short notice and you could be faced with another rush back to your UK home. We all vary in our approach to risk which is fine but I must admit there is an increasing tendency by some to just rely on UK Government to repatriate them or the local UK Embassy to sort the issue out if things go wrong. Sorry for sounding so negative!
Have you thought about your home issue – do you need to live in “the cooler” as you say you own several, I assume more comfortable, properties?
Hi Nick. We may have to do another blast home, but we learned from last time how quickly we can do it, and that even if the borders are shut, they still allowed residents back in. We’d rather sort it out ourselves, which is much easier to do in a motorhome as you have your own transport and accommodation, then burden the overworked embassy.
Yes, we do have a couple of other properties that we rent out, but wouldn’t dream of turfing out our tenants at a time like this, it just wouldn’t be right. We have thought about renting somewhere else for us in the UK for a few months too, but the lure of the sunshine is getting strong.
Cheers Ju x
Hi Juls and Jay,
as always another fascinating read from your blog. The Brexit and Pandemic dilemma have given many of us “travellers” much heartache and confusion. This following link takes a little to work out but is very useful in planning the 90/180 routing that we will soon have to follow
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/visa-calculator
Having said that I am currently following a couple of blogs where the writers seem to have plans that will well exceed the 90 day limits, what their fate will be I await with interest.
The Insurance issue is an interesting problem, to be honest all the times we have travelled abroad we have done so without any travel insurance, relying on the fortune of good health and of course the use of the EHIC card which will soon be null and void. I have recently spoken with a few motorhome insurance companies who advertise insurance and breakdown cover in Europe for 365 days a year, I posed the question as to whether I am now paying for a product that I will never be able to use given that from January we can only travel for 180 days anyway. Their response was exceptionally vague and reluctant to make any change on premium costs. Still I remain positive that 2021 will see us all venturing back onto the continent .
Hi Carl. Thanks for the link, we have book marked it as I suspect it will come in very handy. I can only think that the insurance industry will adapt their policies depending on demand. 365 policies can still be useful if you choose your countries and timings well – Morocco or Turkey for three months each plus six months in the Schengen zone could keep you on the road for a year. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but some will want to still take a long term trip.
Cheers Ju x
Another excellent article, thanks.
Our decision about traveling in Europe has been made as US citizens are currently rightly blocked from traveling to the EU. We are not sure when we are going to be able to get to France to pick up our motorhome, but are hoping for next year. We are going to do a fall RV trip in our home state of Oregon to help us maintain some hope. Our state has done a better job than most in managing the cases and there is a lot of wide open spaces so it should be safe.
As Americans we have been dealing with Schengen since we bought our motorhome in France. We did a lot of research on Schengen and found lots of opinions but not a lot of definitive answers. The best source we have found is a calculator published by the EU called a short stay visa calculator. The link is http://www.ec.europa.eu. The calculator has you put in the dates of your last visit to Schengen, and the anticipated arrival date of your next trip. It will then calculate the number of days you are allowed to stay based on the length of your last trip, your departure date, and the anticipated arrival date. It has saved us at least once from arriving too soon to maximize our 90 day stay.
Good luck to everyone and safe travels.
While Oregon might not be France, I am sure there are some beautiful places to visit until the world gets back onto its usual axis. Thanks for the link about the calculator, I think it will be coming in very useful soon.
Ju x
Hi Julie & Jason.
We have been in the Costa del Sol for a couple of weeks now (you spent a month on this site earlier in the year) and have some observations for you.
– We feel safer here than we did at home. Mostly because everyone, including kids over 6 adhere to wearing face masks.
– There are enough people out & about to keep bars/restaurants open, but it is much quieter than normal.
– The site looks to be at around 20 to 30% occupancy, even at weekends.
– We normally enjoy the diversity of nationality which make up a site community but so far on this trip, the majority are absent. We have seen only one German motorhome, one French, one Belgium. Zero Dutch, Swedish or Italian. We aren’t into October yet so they might arrive in numbers next week, but my guess is they won’t as the site owner says she isn’t getting calls to ask about pitch available, even from those who have been coming here for many years.
– The weather is good.
-The food is good.
-The roads are clear.
We are glad to be here.
Hi Richard, Thanks for the update, we did wonder how it would be at the Nerja site and were going to get in touch with Mai to see if our favourite pitch was free 😉 Enjoy the rest of your trip and be sure to have an ice cream on the Balcony of Europe for me. Ju x
If I were you I would buy a small flat in Spain and live there, and do the whole thing the other way round! It seems to me everything’s getting so complicated, even before things change for Brexit. That way I should think you would have much easier access to other European countries and still be able to come to the UK when you want. Good luck with it all anyway!
Thanks Pat. Sadly I don’t think there’s enough cash down the back of the sofa for that. Ju x
Ooo those itchy feet, funny how those cooler nights bring out the condition 😀 fair play, it’s the same for us. We decided (I think you both know our attitudes by now) bugger it, and off we shot. We will adjust plans according to the news of the day. Currently on the Germany/Austria border, off over into our much loved northern Italy in a few days. Once our tick-list in its is complete we have a dilemma, continue through countries like Montenegro and Albania, into Greece, or turn east to “safer/better known countries” like France/Spain & Portugal? If we go Greece, do we fancy Turkey? If we go Spain, we will almost certainly end up in Morocco. Getting “locked in” doesn’t really bother us, good health care does. Could we really come out ok if we both caught COVID in either Morocco or Turkey? We’ve had first hand experience of heath care in Morocco and it basic at best, it’s all they have. Turkey I imagine is about the same. Obviously I’m looking at this from a “full timers” perspective, house dwellers will nearly always have an easy-out, unless Europe goes full lockdown, the odds are against that in my opinion.
I wish all the readers the best luck in their movements and decisions. And J&J…. you’re a long time dead my friends. But I think you two pioneers know that anyway. Xx
Hi guys! Yep, we can sense the cold and dark evenings arriving! It looks like the amateur athletics world will remain mostly mothballed for a few more months too, which is tempting us out again to run in sunnier climes until next spring. Good to hear you’re well and enjoying life. We’ve been through the same line of reasoning and I think we’ll stay out of Turkey/Morocco to stay out of their healthcare systems – the standard of care is (probably) not going to be great and I doubt they’d need the additional burden of us two if they did get under pressure again. The run home from near Tarifa last time has also proved how quickly we can get back to the UK if pushed, a fair bit quicker than Greece, so that that points us at Spain again. You’re quite right in all of this, we are a long time dead, time to decide! Cheers, great to hear from you, Jay 👍👍👍
Hi we are dual residents of UK and South Africa, and chose to spend lockdown in SA. At the moment our borders are still closed. Thanks for the info on insurance. Our van was stolen last year but with covid we have decided to replace it and travel Europe again. We are 70 and 79 and this looks the safest way to get around. We are determined to enjoy what life we have left. Go out there and enjoy life in your van, hope to run into you some time.
Hi Moira – from our short experiences of traveling with the van in the UK it has felt a very safe way to travel – especially staying out of pubs and restaurants (a personal choice of course) and sticking to take away or cooking ourselves. I fully agree – life can only go on hold for so long – once the logistics enable travel again it all comes down to personal risk assessments – balancing the risk of not traveling (missed opportunities, depression, lack of exercise etc) with that of travel. Best of luck to you both, sorry to hear your van was stolen, hope things work out for you in the coming weeks and months. Jay
Some great insights and opinions above, they are all valid.
J&J, Nerja is calling you…
Another great blog post on your travel thoughts. It is strange times, this virus is here to stay sadly, so we need to work out a way of living with it and preventing it from wrecking our lives and plans.
I don’t have a MoHo so have spent this year at home. My holiday to Scotland was cancelled due to COVID restrictions so pushed it to next year. A lot of the places and businesses we would have visited/used have closed sadly so it could look very strange next year. My partner has been looking at places in the UK to go but with limited choice (and the increased prices) it has become a write off for this year and have had to look for local day trips. We are discovering new places on our doorsteps on foot or bike. We too, are avoiding pubs and eateries unless it is outside. We take our own food and drink and keep away from the crowds. We didn’t take up the ‘eat in’ offer either – not that anyone was offering it near us anyway.. We just don’t feel safe and sadly it appears to be getting worse in the UK as people ignore guidance and the virus spreads. I can see the attraction of escaping to Europe.
I have friends with a place in Spain, who don’t want to go over there while insurance doesn’t cover them. They would like to spend the winter there but want the reassurance of health cover for COVID. They are waiting for their insurance renewal so they can find a better policy which will include COVID cover. They are looking at options so they can go as soon as possible.
I have been watching ‘Itchy Boots’ on YouTube, a biker who has been travelling around Iceland. She has been able to travel but found that she has had to have additional tests before boarding ferries and while in the country. She doesn’t seem to have had many problems or issues. ( She was originally in S. America but had to dump everything and go home when the pandemic first hit but has managed to find a way to restart her travels).
As you say, it down to your risk thresholds – good luck with the planning….
Hi guys
Looks like we will need to winter over here (UK/Europe) rather than head back to Australia. Considering the “head for the sun” option as well. Been looking at insurefor – have you read through their Trustpilot reviews? Makes dire reading even applying the large pinch of salt we always apply to reviews. Insurance companies rarely get good ones I know – but theirs the worst I’ve ever seen
Hi Mark. Sorry to hear you guys are stuck over on this side of the planet for our winter. Yes, I spotted the insurefor reviews the other day. We still haven’t bought insurance yet, and will probably leave it to the last minute with the hope that some other providers will offer similar policies with better reviews! If that doesn’t happen I guess we’ll need to decide if we risk it with them or go for a policy that doesn’t cover us for Covid. I have seen articles in the press saying Andalusia is planning on offering cover for all international tourists who catch Covid while there, so if that gets confirmed it might help with our decision – https://www.thelocal.es/20200930/andalusia-offers-free-coronavirus-holiday-insurance-to
Ju x
Another great read, it’s almost like you can read my mind! Keep fluctuating on what to do for Winter. Really don’t want a cold, wet one, but need to feel confident on places to stay in Spain and then of course Brexit.
One day at a time.
Hi Guys
I just found your blog and we also were in the same dilemma! Especially with the insurance thing. Be careful with your timing of leaving and the travel insurance. If your place of residence has gone into a “local lockdown” and you leave the insurance is invalid even with the FCO travel advice waivers.
This happened to us 5 days before leaving with Cardiff going into local lockdown rendering our travel insurance with Avanti invalid.
We decided to go to Italy anyway without insurance and rely on EHIC card for now. We are considering SafetyWing travel insurance at the moment. It’s a bit more complicated for us though as we are an Australian and Japanese national on a working holiday visa for UK!
Hi Alex
Happy travels, enjoy Bella Italia!
We’ve not come across any clauses denying cover if our home is in lockdown, thanks for the heads up. I wonder if ‘lockdown’ includes English Tier 2 restrictions, and whether it’s only trip cancellation which isn’t covered, not the other scenarios and activities usually covered by the policy?
We’ll do some digging, thanks again, Jay
Hi Jason
There won’t be any specific clause but it will be under general clauses – cover will be void travelling against government advice – some words to that affect(whether that is local government eg local council lockdowns or UK FCO advice).
The option added for travelling against FCO advice is just that and only extends cover to all but essential travel, they won’t cover if there is a “do not travel” advice out ( lockdowns).
The trouble is the insurance companies look for any way not to pay out in these cases! They will all happily sell you a policy though whether its void or not is up to the purchaser that and you basically have to be a lawyer to understand the terms and conditions attached!
You had me curious Alex so I dropped a line to True Traveller, and they came back with this:
“Lockdown status in the UK has no bearing on medical cover abroad, so yes, you are covered for any sudden unexpected illness or accident whilst travelling, but as you have read, Spain isn’t currently on the FCDO Exempt list, so there is no cover for COVID-19 or associated illness whilst in Spain.”
I’m OK with not being covered by travel insurance for COVID abroad – we should be covered in other ways. They’re pretty clear that lockdown status at home has no bearing on cover otherwise being valid though. I guess different insurers have different approaches to all of this.
Cheers, Jay