What is an essential trip to Spain?

At this time the main problem in Spain is that anything related to travel rstrictions can change anytime anywhere.

I doubt there is any legal definition of 'essential' however I strongly suspect that it would make no difference to an insurer who will make decisions based purely on the risks involved in a trip not it's purpose. 

Hi,. 

   a friend who went out to France after the government here advised against non-essential travel got his trip covered through Staysure, I don't think there was much cost difference between them and his normal insurer. However his policy does not cover anything covid19 related.

  If you still had your travel insurance you could have asked them if they viewed the trip as essential travel, it would have been a decision of the underwriters. I have heard of people who have had trips approved, but that's not an option if you have cancelled.

Rgds,

Aitch. 

Thank you for your reply,really helpful.Well Prime Minster Johnson's father got to Greece to check his house during lockdown,recall that was business and that was ok ??!...and Cummings another story...

Whilst it would be impossible  to recommend a travel insurance provider without experiencing how they handle claims, we have just purchased a travel policy with a company called Insurefor ( www.insurefor.com ) - prompted by a mention in last weekend’s Sunday Times. It does offer cover for medical & repatriation for European Single trips when travelling against FCO advice, including COVID.  Not cheap, but has given us enough peace of mind to use our booked flights next week to travel out to our apartment for a couple of months. 

Hi

There are quite a few insurers now offering Covid related insurance, although Id probably check the small print. We are in the midst of selling our property too and we went over in July. We have Natwest standard insurance, free with our  bank account, and we are covered for the basics with Covid. Hospital costs etc. We have signed power of attorney over to the solicitor and are flying back out on Saturday to tie up all the loose ends. There is nothing stopping you going over there, its just how you feel and if you are happy with the insurance cover you can get.

Be careful with Staysure.  I took out an annual travel insurance with them September 2019.  The most comprehensive, including my husband’s medical condition and paid them well over £600.  They refused to pay out anything from a cancelled holiday in May because of Covid.  They are currently under investigation by the ombudsman as anyone taking out insurance prior to March 2020 should be covered.

Hii

Its difficult under the circumstances and like everyone says you just don't know how these insurance companies will deal with claims.

I used Battleface and as long as you were under 59 they covered for Covid and travel against the FCO.

The initial email after my enquiry was a little conflicting so I called them and asked the relevant questions. I asked them to confirm this in writing and they sent me an email back.

Strange but they were not covering cancelled flights or curtailment which is usually the basic cover but I got what I wanted.

Hope this helps.

I booked all of our proposed flights in early January and of course were unable to travel until recently. My Travel Insurance said we were completely covered including for Covid as we had arranged to travel before the pandemic.  We flew over to Spain on 31st August and returned home at the weekend in order to do our 14 days quarantining before our son and his girlfriend come over to NI to visit us.

If you had booked your flights like I did , then your insurance would have been valid.  I am sorry to hear that you cancelled your flights but you could call your insurance providers and state your situation. It is possible that you could get travel cover excluding Covid. However, I am told that the Valencian government are guaranteeing all of us medical care if we catch the virus.

Please update and advise what your insurers tell you.  Good luck.

P.S. It’s almost 10 am and I am still in bed, nowhere to go to and no hurry getting there!

 2 weeks of doing whatever Iike.