Protecting your holiday from company collapses

To be sure you will get refunded, or repatriated if something goes wrong on a fly-cruise holiday, make sure your cruise line has an ATOL bond (it should have by law, but it’s worth checking because some lines claim it is ‘pending’). That way if the line fails, you will either get your money back if you haven’t travelled, or be repatriated if you have. If you are booking a cruise-only holiday, make sure that the cruise line has a bond. This might be with ABTA or the Passenger Shipping Association or another organisation. If you are unsure, ask the cruise company you’re booking with and get details of the bond if it isn’t one of the big bond issuers.

Book your flights with a credit card – while payment by debit card avoids a fee, your money is not protected if the air/cruise line goes bust. And make sure you take out a travel insurance policy that covers scheduled airline failure. If your airline goes bust and you booked independently, contact your cruise line immediately . If you booked via the cruise line or through a travel agent, the line will have your details and be in touch to let you know what will happen.