You’re excited for your holiday, but the weather has other ideas. Find out what to do and what your rights are if the weather changes your plans.
What Happens If My Holiday Is Cancelled Due to Bad Weather?
If there’s bad weather threatening your travel plans, and you think you might not be able to travel, then you’re going to be worried about the money you’ve spent and if you can get it back. This guide will help you figure that all out.
What counts as bad weather?
When it comes to travel cancellations, we’re not talking about the type of weather where you just don’t fancy going outside! If your journey has been impacted, it’s likely that it is extreme or severe weather that is unexpected and unpredictable.
This could include:
- Heavy rain and floods
- Storms
- Strong winds, hurricanes and tornadoes
- Snow and blizzards
- Forest fires
- Ash clouds (from volcanoes)
What are my rights if my holiday gets cancelled due to bad weather?
If your trip gets cancelled because of bad weather, then how and if you get a refund will depend on how you booked it and who with.
Let’s dive into it.
Package holidays
A package holiday is when you buy at least two parts of your trip – for example, flights and accommodation – together as one booking, through the same company, for a single price.
If you’ve booked a package holiday, then you’re covered by a set of rules called the Package Travel Regulations.
These regulations say you must be refunded if your operator is forced to cancel your holiday due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances – which generally covers bad weather like hurricanes, floods and ash clouds.
Alternatively, if you’d rather your tour operator found you another trip instead of a refund, that may be an option.
Does this cover all package holidays?
This protection applies to all package holidays sold in the UK, regardless of whether your trip has ATOL or ABTA protection. That’s because it’s a legal requirement, not something you have to pay extra for or opt into.
That said, ATOL and ABTA protection do add extra layers of reassurance.
ATOL protects you financially if your travel company goes bust and covers flight-based packages.
ABTA offers similar support for non-flight holidays, like coach or cruise packages, and can also help if you need to raise a complaint.
So, even though every package holiday comes with the same legal protections, booking with an ABTA or ATOL member gives you an added safety net – and a bit more peace of mind if something goes wrong.
Linked Travel Arrangements
A Linked Travel Agreement (LTA) is when you buy two or more parts of a trip – like flights and hotels – through connected websites or companies, but each booking is made separately. For example, if you book a flight and then click on a link on the confirmation page to add accommodation through a partner site. That usually counts as an LTA.
You do get a little extra protection if one of the companies goes bust, thanks to the Package Travel Regulations, but when it comes to unexpected events like bad weather or cancellations, each part of your trip is treated independently – just as if you’ve booked everything yourself.
DIY holidays
If you’ve booked the elements of the holiday yourself, then things are a bit different.
Flights
If your flight is cancelled due to bad weather, then under UK law you can decide you don’t want to travel any more – and the airline has to give you a full refund.
If you still want to travel, the airline must get you to your destination and take care of you while doing it.
This means finding you an alternative flight and looking after you while you wait – things like paying for your food and drink, and accommodation if you have to stay overnight.
You can find out more in the article below all about flight cancellations and your rights.
Accommodation
If your accommodation booking gets cancelled due to bad weather at your destination, then you’ll have a right to a full refund. This is because they’re unable to provide you with the service you paid for.
What if my flight is cancelled because of bad weather but my accommodation is not?
Things get a bit more tricky for your accommodation booking if bad weather is only affecting your journey.
This could be let’s say if there was an ash cloud due to a volcanic eruption – your flight gets cancelled, but your destination is further away and isn’t impacted.
If extreme weather has impacted your journey to your destination and you can no longer make it, then what you do next depends on the terms of your booking.
- If your booking is refundable – great, just cancel it for a full refund.
- If your booking is non-refundable, you’ll need to check your travel insurance policy to see whether it covers you. If it doesn’t, it’s worth asking your acommodation – politely – if they would consider refunding you. There are no guarantees of course, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. They might offer you a partial refund, or hold the value of your booking as credit against a future stay.
Can I still go on my holiday if there's extreme weather?
If your travel and accommodation arrangements don’t appear to be impacted, and you still want to travel despite extreme weather, then you should check the official travel advice from the UK Government for your destination.
If they advise against travel because of the weather, you should speak to your holiday providers and your travel insurance about your options for cancelling your trip.
If you do still want to go and something happens during your journey or your stay, just bear in mind that travelling against official travel advice could invalidate your travel insurance policy.
Our Top Tips If Bad Weather Has Impacted Your Holiday
If your holiday has been impacted by bad weather, keep these tips in mind to help you stay safe, minimise disruption, and make the most of any compensation or rebooking options available.
Check your policy
Take a look at your policy documents to see what they say about bad weather and if it’s covered in your specific policy.
Wording will vary depending on who your insurance is with, they might refer to it as a catastrophe or a natural distaster.
Contact your insurer
Your travel insurer is there for just these sorts of situations, so contact them and find out what your options are.
It’s a good idea to save the number of your insurer and your policy details in your phone, so they’re to hand if you need them.
Know your rights
It always helps to know your rights – especially as a situation is unfolding.
So if your flight out of the UK gets cancelled, for example, you know you can insist on a refund. Or that the operator has an obligation to get you to your destination.
Be prepared
It never hurts to be prepared – no need to go overboard, but there are a few things you can do. For example, keep a change of clothes (or at least spare underwear) and a fully-charged power bank in your hand luggage for any potential delays or cancellations.
Be mindful
Consider that bad weather will impact everyone in that location, some more so than others. So if you’re liaising with someone local about your travel issues, just be sensitive to the fact that they’re experiencing the bad weather too.
Take a breath
This one is SO much easier said than done, but take a moment for a deep breath and remind yourself that panicking won’t make the situation any better and keeping as level headed as possible could in fact even help you.
Be direct but polite when speaking to staff – they’re probably a bit stressed too dealing with the situation – and just remember that a bit of kindness can go a long way in these scenarios.
Stay Calm and Know Your Rights If Your Holiday Is Cancelled Due to Weather
Extreme weather can be really unexpected and it’s hard to know if it will impact your holiday plans. If you want to play it safe, then booking a package holiday means you get a full refund if unforseen extreme weather occurs. And if you book transport and accommodation separately, then choose refundable accommodation options or opt for extreme weather travel insurance cover for added peace of mind.
