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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Iona Young

Mum books £3k dream holiday only to realise hotel is nine-hour drive from airport

A mum booked a package holiday only to discover the resort was nine-hours away from the airport.

The mum-of-two, who asked not to be named, was refused a full refund less than 24 hours after booking the trip, Edinburgh Live reported.

Ultimately she decided to cancel the holiday and book something different after realising how long the journey was, as no transfers were included in her package.

Along with her husband and two young children, aged 10 and 11, she had booked to go away to Tenerife on what would've been their first family holiday in three years due to Covid.

The mum was left stressed and having to rebook the hotel after discovering they couldn't get a refund.

Do you have a holiday story to share? Email webtrave@reachplc.com

The trip involved a nine hour drive from the airport (Getty Images)

Expedia explained that the booking was non-refundable and non-transferable, so any changes would have to be made through the individual airlines.

The frustrated holidaymaker has now booked a new hotel much closer to the airport.

Explaining the situation she said: "So we booked it on Sunday night around 10pm on Expedia. It was a package holiday so first, you choose the hotel and then the flights. The first flight options were Edinburgh to Tenerife south airport. We’d never been so we just assumed that was the closest airport to the hotel.

"I’ve never been on a package holiday where they give you the option of a nine-hour drive to the hotel from the airport. So we made the booking."

She claimed that the hotel was 'fully refundable' and she'd planned to get travel insurance to cover the flights, but it was only an hour or so after booking that she realised how far the hotel was from the airport.

The journey would have involved a nine-hour drive including a ferry trip.

The holidaymaker alleges she instantly got in touch with Expedia and was told she could cancel the hotel and get a full refund, but the cancellation of the flights was "up to me".

The mum booked another hotel closer to the airport (Getty Images)

As the flights were with Jet2 she got in touch with a representative for the airline, who explained that if bookings were made online, no refund could be issued.

However, they told her the flights were non-refundable.

Ultimately, the annoyed holidaymaker ended up booking a different hotel closer to the airport.

A spokesperson for Expedia said: "Upon review, we’ve confirmed that according to the individual airline policies for this booking, this ticket was non-refundable and non-transferable, and any voluntary changes or cancellations must be handled directly with the airlines.

It was to be the family's first holiday in three years (Getty Images)

They added: "However, as a part of Expedia’s commitment to advocate on behalf of travellers, our customer service agents have contacted the airlines on behalf of her to assess possible resolutions.

"Our team has also added 20,000 reward points to her Expedia account to help cover a new hotel booking and should she wish to change the trip date, we are providing information on flight flexibility options."

A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “Jet2.com flight-only bookings are non-refundable, and any amendment or cancellation to the booking is subject to our normal terms and conditions, and this is made very clear.

"As she booked her package holiday through another company, we have advised her that she would need to liaise with them about amending or cancelling the holiday.”

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