During your travels, mostly throughout Europe, you might periodically see the word ATOL, and you may say to yourself “I don’t understand it at all.” I wonder what it is. You may also think, do I need ATOL at all? Let us update you. ATOL stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing, and is a financial protection scheme that protects you and your money if the travel firm you booked with stops trading, before, or while you’re on holiday. Read more here.
Once you read this, you may be glad you did. For example, if a travel provider goes out of business, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’ll always get your money back, or a flight home if you’ve already jetted off on your break. It’s important to bear in mind that ATOL protection is not the same thing as travel insurance. While ATOL will cover your travel if your operator stops trading, it won’t cover you for things like cancelled flights or changes made to your trip – so, it pays to have comprehensive travel insurance, too. See below.