Holiday warning – travel experts reveal five things to check before your summer break
MILLIONS of Brits are expected to go on holiday this summer as holidays are officially back on after years of Covid disruptions.
Experts have weighed in on everything you need to check before your summer holiday to make sure you don't miss out.
Passport dates
Millions of Brits are being warned to renew their passports ahead of the summer holidays - but many who think their passport is in date could be wrong, and face disaster at the airport.
This is because new rules no longer allow passports to be more than 10 years old, despite previous rules allowing them to be up to 10 years and nine months.
They also need to have at least three months left on them to be able to travel to Europe.
Resolver's Martyn James broke it down: "Imagine you are leaving Spain on June 1, 2022. Your passport must have an issue date after September 1, 2022 or you may be refused boarding by the airline when you leave for your holiday.
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"Even if your passport says it expires in June 2023, it’s the issue date that matters."
Vouchers
Many Brits will have been issued vouchers or credit notes for their cancelled holidays and flights during the pandemic.
However, you should check their terms and conditions before going to book your next trip, as you may be caught out by some unknown rules.
Martyn also said: "I recently discovered one major airline only allows you to use one voucher per booking – and if you try to book separate flights, it will only let you book in the currency the voucher is in."
Many may also be close to expiry, so is worth booking a holiday far in advance just so you don't lose them.
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Travel insurance
While travel insurance has always been important when going on holiday, families should make sure they are adequately covered post-pandemic even more.
Travel insurance covers everything from cancelled flights and lost baggage to Covid complications and injury.
it's also important to check your GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) or EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), which gives you access to healthcare across the EU for the same prices as a local.
The GHIC has replaced the old-style European Health Insurance Cards, although your EHIC will stay valid if it is within its expiry date.
According to Martin Lewis, 5.6 million GHIC or EHIC cards will expire this year - but they are free to replace, so families should do so before their holiday.
Airport queues
Families heading to the airport should check the queues before travelling, with some being forced to miss their flights in recent weeks.
While Manchester Airport has hit the headlines for ongoing problems resulting in passengers waiting hours at security, long queues have also been reported at Birmingham, Bristol and London airports.
Brits are advised to arrive three hours before their flight to allow enough time - and if nervous, should book an airport hotel the night before just in case.
Face masks
Despite airlines scrapping their face masks in recent weeks, some flights still require them.
This includes TUI, Jet2, easyJet and British Airways.
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Generally, the rule is that passengers must only wear face masks if the destination requires them.
Foe example, destinations such as Portugal still require them on public transport.
