The Omicron variant has seen countries tightening up travel rules, including new entry requirements for Brits heading to the likes of France and Spain.
The UK has also new travel rules for vaccinated Brits, not to mention 10 countries have been added to the red list. Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe were all added in recent weeks in a bid to curb the spread of Omicron cases.
UK arrivals returning from red list countries are required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 nights, with costs of up to £2,285 per adult.
The developing situation is unsurprisingly causing some concern amongst Brits who have booked holidays in the coming weeks.
It's worth noting that if a travel firm cancels your holiday, you're entitled to a full refund. However, most holidays can still currently go ahead, and the likes of TUI, Jet2, easyJet and BA have flexible booking policies.
But what happens if your country goes on the red list, and the government says you can't travel? We take a look at your refund rights below.
What countries are on the red list?
At the time of writing there are 10 countries on the UK's red lists for England, Scotland and Wales.; Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nigeria is being added to the red list from December 6.
This means that only British/Irish nationals and those with UK residence rights will be able to enter the UK. You'll need to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 nights with costs of up to £2,285 per adult.
Always check the Foreign Office advice for more updates and other important information such as entry requirements and local Covid rules.
What if your holiday goes on the red list?
When a country is added to the red list, usually the Foreign Office advises against all non-essential travel.
Most travel firms won't operate holidays to red list destinations, so it's highly likely that your tour operator/travel agent will cancel your holiday.
In this case, you are entitled to a full refund. Some companies offer alternative options too such as rebooking or receiving credit vouchers - you can accept these if you want, but you are entitled to the refund if that's your preferred option.
If for some reason a firm hasn't cancelled your trip, you should be able to at least get a free rebooking or credit vouchers. It's also worth checking with your insurer if your policy covers the cancelled holiday due to Covid related reasons - take note that travelling against Foreign Office advice most likely invalidates your policy.
What if you booked flights and a hotel separately?
If an airline cancels your flight, you're automatically entitled to a full refund. Like the package holidays, you may be offered other options such as rebooking or credit vouchers, but you are entitled to your money back if that's your preferred choice.
However, just because a country goes on the red list doesn't mean flights are automatically cancelled. Sometimes airlines still operate the flights - in this case, you're not entitled to your money back, and may need to settle for rebooking.
There are some exceptions. For example, easyJet currently offers full refunds to customers when their country is on a red list but the flight is still being operated.
As for your accommodation? Whether you can get your money back will depend on your booking policy. Check the terms of your policy documents. If you can't get a full refund, it's also worth checking the details of your travel insurance in case you can get some of your cash back.
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