Booking Your 2020/21 Ski Holiday – Q&A

One of the questions we see being asked the most at the moment is ‘should we book our ski holiday airport transfers now with all the uncertainty regarding travel’. It’s certainly a valid question. The world looks very different to how it did this time 12 months ago – and we absolutely understand people’s worry about booking foreign travel.

The good news for skiers & snowboarders is that ski resorts are all planning to be open as normal this winter. Of course there will be some changes regarding the wearing of masks and how bars will operate – but the basic premise of the ski holiday will continue as before for most of Europe.

Actually, as holidays go, skiing is a pretty good activity where for the most part people are socially distanced without the need for too much interaction between groups. Chalets and apartments will all be cleaned thoroughly and will offer a more secluded base than hotels when people are not able to be on the slopes.

Apres-ski activities will look different from normal this year with bars & restaurants forced to limit numbers and put social distancing measures in place. Dancing on tables at 4pm will definitely be off the cards but it seems to be a fairly even split between people who consider this detrimental to their holiday and those that don’t.

Perhaps the main concern that people have now revolves around the actual travel to their holiday destination. As part of the process, we thought we would look at current information regarding airport to ski resort transfers, as well as travel as a whole…International flights will continue to operate in as normal a way as possible. Masks will be required of course, but flights to Europe will still go ahead. The main sticking point at the moment is the UK government’s decision to put in place quarantine restrictions but there are talks of changing this to a testing system at airports and we are hopeful that this will happen soon otherwise the whole travel sector will suffer.

Private airport transfers are a great way to maintain distance between groups

Travelling in a minibus with only the people in your group means less interactions and less risk. Just as with taxis in the UK, drivers and passengers will be required to wear masks. Vehicles will be fully cleaned between journeys to minimise any risk.

Shared airport to ski resort transfer will continue with additional safety measures in place

Again, drivers and passengers will be required to wear masks at all times during the journey. The majority of companies will be limiting passenger numbers to ensure more space on vehicles, and everything will be disinfected regularly.

Be sure to check the cancellation policy before booking

Every company will have their own specific policies in place regarding cancellations and you should be sure to know what these are before you book. Some will have put in new measures for refunds due to coronavirus, but from what we have seen the majority will continue to operate their normal terms & conditions. Most ski transfer companies operate a sliding scale for refunds on cancellations where the further away from the date of travel you cancel, the more of a refund you get. We would recommend double checking these policies and being aware of the process for cancellations should the worst happen.

Consider paying a deposit now and the balance nearer the time

All airport transfer companies working with Snowcompare.com allow a deposit to be paid to secure the booking, with the balance being due much nearer the date of travel. This limits your risk should the worst happen.

Pay for a good travel insurance policy, and make sure you get it at the same time as booking your travel

Insurance companies provide different levels of cover and it is vital to read the small print when choosing yours this year. If you should have to cancel your holiday plans you want to be sure that you will be reimbursed fully by your travel insurance. It is also vital to book this nice and early on – not leave it until the last moment.

We’ll be looking to cover all these areas in more details in later blogs – particularly those related to airport to ski resort transfers which is our area of expertise. The main thing is that the ski industry, and the travel industry as a whole, needs customers in order to survive. They will be doing everything they can to encourage bookings – and there are certain to be some great discounted deals available as well.

If you would like any advice on booking your ski transfers please don’t hesitate to contact us on [email protected] where we can talk more specifically about your requirements.