Traveller gypsy

What happens if you have a medical emergency on holiday? Like other travel insurers, InsureandGo promises a “24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week” helpline for distressed holidaymakers. But when Guardian Money reader Joe Greensmith fell ill in Vietnam his medical drama turned into a crisis after he alleges InsureandGo virtually abandoned him as he struggled to find urgent assistance in a local hospital. When Greensmith rang the insurer’s “round-the-clock” emergency helpline from Vietnam at 9am it was open, despite it being 3am in Ireland where the call centre was, but he says he was told he could not be dealt with until the day shift arrived later in the morning. Later that day, InsureandGo arranged for Greensmith, suffering from gallstone complications, to go into hospital in Hanoi. “When I arrived, nobody knew anything about me. I phoned the insurance company to be told, again, that I had to wait for the day shift. By 11am I was seen by a doctor who … [Read more...] about InsureandGo and the critically ill traveller faced with a Vietnamese emergency

The percentage of public transport journeys taken by local bus is at its lowest since records began due to funding cuts, an increase in car ownership and the popularity of online shopping. In 2016/17, 59 per cent of all journeys taken by public transport in the UK were by local bus, compared to a high of around 85 per cent in the 1960s. The Department for Transport said the change had been driven by large increases in the numbers travelling by rail, London Underground and trams. It said congestion in urban areas had fuelled the decline, negatively affecting bus performance. A reduction in services supported by the local authority, which has decreased since 2009/10, was also blamed. Meanwhile, the number of bus passenger journeys has fallen to the lowest level in a decade amid funding cuts and increased fares. … [Read more...] about Bus travel plummets amid funding cuts, city congestion and a rise in car ownership

Passengers on Thomas Cook’s inaugural trip, 175 years ago on Tuesday, didn’t travel first class... and they certainly travel thirst class either! That small step on the road to becoming a global holiday giant saw Cook – a Baptist minister in Market Harborough, Leics, who ­developed an eye for a business opportunity – host 500 paying people on a 12-mile trip by train from Leicester to Loughborough for a Temperance meeting. That’s about as far as you can get from jetting off on an all-inclusive five-star holiday to the sun in 2016! By 1845 Cook was diversifying, with railway excursions to Liverpool from Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. A decade later and he was leading overseas trips for the first time. Two groups travelled from Harwich to Paris via Antwerp, Brussels, Cologne, Heidelberg and Strasbourg. More innovation followed in 1865, with the arrival of the first high street travel agent in Fleet Street, London. Over the next 14 years, Thomas Cook … [Read more...] about Travel and tourism trailblazer Thomas Cook celebrates its 175th anniversary

A new app that offers "pay-per-day" travel insurance straight from your smartphone is to be launched in the UK. Travel money provider Revolut said its new service will provide instant medical and dental protection, starting at less than £1 per day. The company, which launched two years ago, said customers can register for travel insurance - at any point - at the tap of a button. It then uses geolocation techology to track your location, and when abroad, automatically applies insurance to protect you. How does the travel insurance app work? Customers will need to register with Revolut to take out the travel insurance , which also covers overseas emergency assistance and expenses, depending on how much you pay. Once signed-up, you'll be able to activate your cover, which will automatically kick in when you next go abroad. It works by using your phone's location services to pinpoint your whereabouts. The app will then calculate how much you should pay starting at 'less than £1 … [Read more...] about New ‘pay-per-day’ travel insurance app means you never have to take out cover again – we explain all

A couple's holiday of a lifetime became a case of blunder after blunder when travel firms Thomas Cook and TUI messed up which airport they were meant to be flying from. Marion and Robert Doogan had booked the fortnight's trip to the luxury Turkish resort of Antalya a year in advance and meticulously planned every detail. They even paid through the nose for upgraded airport loungers and transfers to make their journey smoother, reports the Daily Record . But the holiday began on a bad note when they turned up at the check-in desk at Glasgow Airport, they were told their flight was from Edinburgh. Marion, 58, said: “We had tickets which clearly said Glasgow on them. But the girl at the desk shook her head. There were no flights to Turkey from Glasgow for three days.” Airport staff contacted travel agent TUI, who had booked the £3306 Thomas Cook holiday. Sheltered housing boss Marion added: “The TUI shop insisted we were departing from Glasgow. Thomas Cook said … [Read more...] about Couple’s dream holiday turns into nightmare after travel firms’ airport blunder