Make sure the Beast from the East 2 doesn’t take a bite out of your financesLast year, the UK was battered by snow and ice storms and again the aptly named ‘Beast from the East’ looks like it has returned. Snow is expected to bring widespread disruption to all forms of travel, and threating to ruin holiday plans.

Last year, the UK was battered by snow and ice storms and again the aptly named ‘Beast from the East’ looks like it has returned. Snow is expected to bring widespread disruption to all forms of travel, and threating to ruin holiday plans.

So, if you can’t go on holiday as planned due to the weather disruption, what can you expect from your travel insurance?

Fiona Macrae from Travel Insurance Explained has the answers: 

What should I do before setting off on my trip?

Before heading to the airport, train station or ferry port make sure you check whether your transport is still operating and, if you still plan to travel, leave in plenty of time and allow for traffic delays and road closures.

If I miss my flight, train or ferry due to the bad weather, can I claim for the cost?

With the weather likely to cause delays on the roads and railways, travellers could be at risk of missing their flights, trains or ferries altogether. It’s crucial to note that there are very few travel insurance policies that will cover you for missed departure due to traffic delays, so if you are looking to get away in the coming days, make sure that you have a travel insurance policy that will cover this eventuality.

If my flight is cancelled due to bad weather should I claim on my travel insurance?

If your flight has been cancelled, it is the airline’s responsibility to reimburse you for the cost of the flight or arrange a later flight. Some airlines will also provide compensation for refreshments and accommodation – so it’s worth checking with them. However, they may class this weather as an extraordinary circumstances and decline compensation claims.

The compensation you can claim on your travel insurance policy will vary as will the qualifying time. Some travel providers will say you can only claim after a 12-hour delay and some after a 6-hour delay, so check your policy. You must be checked-in before the delay was announced to claim this compensation.

What if I have booked some parts of my trip, such as accommodation and car hire – can I claim for those costs on my travel insurance policy?

If you have booked elements of your holiday separately, such as accommodation or car hire, and you can’t get to your destination it is unlikely that your airline or transport provider will cover those costs, so it is important to ensure you have a travel insurance policy that will cover you if something happened after the date you paid your premium, “which you could not have been expected to foresee or avoid”. This cover is not routinely available so you would need to look for it, but it is worthwhile looking for, particularly if you have independently arranged your holiday.