9 travel questions answered by expert Simon Calder

From the standard passport, vaccination and flight cancellation queries to find out how to journey with a kilt, readers had a wide-range of questions for The Impartial’s journey correspondent, Simon Calder, on Thursday.

Simon reported a barely gradual begin to his weekly ‘Ask Me Anything’ because of ready to board a late-running bus from Montreal to Quebec Metropolis in Canada, adopted by an onboard laptop computer ban and dodgy WiFi.

Nevertheless, because of a pleasant driver turning a blind eye to the laptop computer so long as the sound was off and Simon tethering to “a dodgy outdated cell” with “web about nearly as good because it was in Goa in 1992”, he was capable of reply questions.

Listed below are 9 reader questions answered by Simon.

Is my passport nonetheless legitimate?

Q: My British passport is legitimate till April 2023 however it is going to be 10 years outdated in September 2022. I’m because of fly to Canada from Dublin this month and I’m involved in regards to the validity. Conflicting recommendation on-line and I don’t need to lose my vacation and time is working out for a renewal.

A: All the time good to start out with an easy query and reply. Thanks. Your passport is legitimate for journey to and from Canada (and Eire) as much as and together with its expiry date in April 2023. Hope you will have a fantastic journey.

What flight cancellation compensation am I entitled to?

Q: My daughter and companion have been because of fly again from Bordeaux to Gatwick with BA after a household vacation on 17 June. BA cancelled it with lower than 24 hours discover (no particular cause given). They managed to get flights with easyJet for about £200 per individual further, arriving again at Gatwick on the seventeenth as deliberate. Nevertheless, BA has refused their declare for compensation, stating that the cancellation was “as a result of BA2787 on 17 June 2022 was cancelled because of industrial motion all through France”.

I’m retired with somewhat time on my arms and did some analysis. I searched broadly on-line however may discover no point out of any industrial motion on 17 June. I then used the FlightAware web site (a free account means that you can search historic flights). The one one of many 11 flights to and from the UK and the ROI to Bordeaux that didn’t fly was the BA one. Seven of these flights flew inside just a few hours of BA2787. I then searched additional afield in case there was an airspace situation. All flights from London to Paris, Marseille and Nantes (15 in all) flew as regular. I additionally requested BA to supply transient particulars of the economic motion.

BA rejected my daughter’s additional electronic mail yesterday inside just a few hours of receipt, claiming industrial motion. They gave no additional rationalization, nor did they clarify how their flight was the one one of many 26 checked that was cancelled.

Surprising behaviour from what was a revered airline. We intend to pursue additional.

A: A few features right here. First, can I verify that British Airways has paid again the price of the easyJet flights? Subsequent, you have been fairly proper to ask British Airways to show the explanations for cancelling the flight. Below European air passengers’ rights guidelines, it should present cheap proof to again up its rejection of the claims. Until it may achieve this, the presumption is that your daughter and companion are entitled to €250 every in money compensation – as nicely, in fact, as a refund of the price of the easyJet flights they have been obliged to purchase.

Stick with it kilt?

Q: I’m touring to a marriage this summer season and I’m taking a kilt with me. I wouldn’t need to lose it, so I’m making an attempt to verify I take it as hand baggage. It’s cumbersome, however I can match it in a cabin trolley case. I’m on a multi-leg journey and I’ve connecting flights with each BA and Swiss. With flights being so busy, I’m involved that they’ll take the trolley case off me on the gate to go within the maintain sooner or later. With connecting flights, is that riskier than simply checking it in correctly initially?

A: No! Preserve the cabin baggage religion as you retain the Scots custom alive! As beforehand written, this summer season greater than any earlier than it’s sensible to not verify something in – particularly when you have a connecting flight. Many circumstances go astray at hubs. If the case is taken off you, it can occur on the gate – the place you could be 99.9 per cent sure it is going to be loaded straight onto the aircraft and seem on the luggage carousel on the different finish. Benefit from the marriage ceremony.

Is it protected to e-book Skyscanner’s cheaper flights?

Q: I’m reserving flights with Latam Airways from Santiago in Chile to Easter Island, for subsequent March. I reside within the UK. On the UK web site, the value is coming in at round £2,189, which is much past my funds. Skyscanner nevertheless has directed me to the Chilean web site, the place the identical flights are coming in at £566. Is it protected to e-book by way of the Chilean web site? Is it typically higher to e-book by way of the web site of the nation you can be travelling in?

A: Marvellous to listen to that you will Easter Island – one in all my favorite locations on this planet (and, as I come from Crawley, that’s saying one thing).

In addition to the astonishing stone heads, this speck of Chilean territory is a fraction of magnificence and humanity hundreds of miles from wherever (Easter Island, not Crawley).

Getting there’s a problem, although. My sturdy advice is that you just e-book the entire sequence of flights by way of an skilled comparable to Journey Latin America. They’ll have the ability to discover the most effective offers and you’ll journey with the reassurance that, if something goes awry, you will have somebody in your aspect – something I wrote in 2010.

When can I e-book Avanti tickets?

Q: Any thought when Avanti may need tickets out there for reserving to Edinburgh for 19 August?

A: After 4 days of nationwide strikes on the railways, and a practice drivers’ stoppage as nicely, a sample is now rising of practice operators’ behaviour on and round strike days.

As it’s possible you’ll know, the RMT union has known as industrial motion for 40,000 members working for Community Rail and lots of practice operators, together with Avanti West Coast, on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August. The union, understandably, needs to wreck as many journey plans as attainable, and so the thought is to disrupt operations on 19 August with out members truly shedding a day’s pay.

Having mentioned that, Avanti West Coast can be working some trains on all three days. Nevertheless, schedules won’t be revealed for one more week or so. All you are able to do is assume that it is possible for you to to journey on the London-Preston-Carlisle-Edinburgh route on 19 August, although in all probability not earlier than round 8 or 9am and probably not on the final practice.

See what Avanti West Coast is providing tomorrow (Friday 5 August): you could be pretty certain one thing related will run two weeks later.

Importantly, although, don’t count on Advance tickets to be on provide. The practice operators are eager to discourage as many potential passengers as attainable, and so solely the standard vary of “walk-up” tickets will apply.

Are my 2021 vaccinations nonetheless legitimate?

Q: Thailand state being totally vaccinated is an entry requirement. So are my 2021 vaccines nonetheless legitimate or not?

A: Thailand has, frankly, been all over by way of its response to the coronavirus pandemic and protecting its tourism business going.

The present rule is proof of jab-or-test, and (as with the US and lots of different nations) the one time stipulation is that you will need to have accomplished an preliminary course no less than 14 days earlier. So sure, your 2021 jabs are fantastic.

Can I exploit my European Well being Insurance coverage Card in Spain?

Q: Will I have the ability to use my Ehic card in Spain? It’s legitimate till December 2022.

A: Sure. As soon as it expires you will get a UK International Well being Insurance coverage Card (Ghic) which, regardless of the identify, is somewhat much less international than the European Well being Insurance coverage Card (Ehic) was earlier than Brexit.

Are there lengthy delays at Europoort?

Q: Earlier than Covid we used to take mini cruises to Amsterdam, by way of Europoort, from Hull. We’re considering of going once more this autumn and winter (we like to go to Amsterdam and do some pre-Christmas procuring, generally staying an additional evening when the sunshine competition is on).

Are you aware if there are lengthy delays at passport verify after we get to Europoort?

A: No, however in my expertise the Dutch passport officers are taking some curiosity in imposing the “third nation nationwide” guidelines the UK requested to change into topic to, together with tickets dwelling, monetary assets and the forfeited proper to take a cheese sandwich into the Netherlands.

On the finish of the AMA, Simon mentioned: “Thanks very a lot for some glorious questions, and through that 80 minutes I’ve travelled 60 miles to Grantham, Quebec. Get pleasure from your night.”

Verify again quickly for one more ‘Ask Me Something’ with Simon. You’ll be able to join Simon Calder’s journey week publication by placing your electronic mail within the field on the prime of this text or via our newsletters page.