✉ On October 13 we went on a family holiday to Orlando in Florida to celebrate our youngest son’s 21st birthday. Our daughter, Lucy, who is 23, has profound disabilities caused by Aicardi syndrome (it’s life-limiting, she cannot walk or talk and requires 24-hour care) and a few days into the trip she became seriously unwell. We contacted our insurer, AllClear, which we’ve always used for specialist cover, and it advised us to take her to an approved local hospital. However, it said it couldn’t confirm the cover until it had contacted Lucy’s GP. Lucy was admitted for three nights and received excellent care. Since returning home on October 25 we’ve repeatedly asked for confirmation of cover. Despite being told the GP has responded, we still have no decision. Hospital bills now total about £34,000 and we are worrying ourselves silly about this. Can you help?
Ian Talbot
This was obviously a horribly stressful experience. You told me you’d had many trips to the US with Lucy and never had to make a claim through AllClear. When the company finally responded it asked you to cover 35 per cent of the cost — about £12,000 — because you hadn’t disclosed some of her medical conditions but you said these were unrelated to the condition she was admitted to hospital for. After I got involved, AllClear decided you would pay only £500 and also gave you £1,000 compensation for all the stress you’d endured.
AllClear said: “There was an under-declaration of medical history when the policy was purchased, which Mr Talbot acknowledges. This meant part of the medical bill fell outside the policy cover. While that position is clear, we understand how stressful the emergency was for the family. Given the Talbots’ long-standing loyalty and the unique circumstances, we’ve agreed on this occasion to settle the hospital bills directly to ease the burden. We have discussed this with the Talbots who are also going to make a small contribution. This case highlights the importance of accurate medical disclosure at purchase and renewal, ensuring the right cover, premium and a smoother claims experience.”
✉ We’ll be driving in Spain this summer en route to visiting our family in Portugal. I’ve been told all vehicles in Spain now need to carry a V16 emergency beacon and have seen this advice on the official EU website but there’s no mention of this in the AA and RAC guidance on driving in Spain. Can you advise whether emergency beacons will be required in Spain, and in other European countries, for UK-registered cars this year? If so, can you please give recommendations on how best to ensure that beacons comply with the regulations?
Rob Bird
Since January 1, 2026, drivers with Spanish-registered vehicles have been forced to replace the classic emergency triangles they’ve carried in their boot with a V16 emergency beacon that goes on the roof and is supposed to reduce the danger of placing triangles on busy roads. But the RAC confirmed that visitors with foreign-registered vehicles are not legally required to carry them and can continue to use warning triangles. If you still want to buy one, make sure it’s compliant with Spain’s DGT 3.0 standard and properly certified. “Help Flash IoT V16” is one model to consider. The new rule will apply to Spanish-registered rental cars too.
• Read our full guide to Spain
One reader is hoping to book an unforgettable birthday trip to Japan
ALAMY
✉ My husband has a big birthday in April 2027 and we’d like to celebrate with a first-time trip to Japan. We’re flexible on dates and hope to add a two or three-day stopover somewhere warm on the way home, such as Vietnam or Thailand. We prefer to travel independently rather than join group tours, though we don’t speak Japanese. Could we plan a fabulous trip with a £10,000 to £15,000 budget? Should we use a specialist company to organise it or book flights, accommodation and trains ourselves?
Jann Reinke-Duffy
On that budget you can definitely plan a fabulous trip to Japan and I’d recommend using a specialist tour operator with insider knowledge which can tailor-make a tour to get you away from the crowds. April is peak season — and 2025 was the busiest year yet for international tourism to Japan — but you can still experience the best of the country’s culture. For bragging rights when you get home, after a few days in Tokyo head to the far north of mainland Honshu to the prefecture of Aomori, where the cherry blossom blooms later in April, and visit samurai towns, castles and markets; go bar-hopping in Sendai; and stay in a traditional ryokan. The 11-night Japan’s Undiscovered North self-guided trip with Inside Japan starts at £3,300pp including B&B, excluding flights, and it could arrange a few beach days in Thailand at the end (insidejapantours.com). Audley Travel could also design a private trip, perhaps using its ten-night Central Japan tour covering Tokyo, Kyoto and the Japanese Alps as a starting point. It costs from £4,595pp including flights, B&B and activities (audleytravel.com).
• 29 best things to do in Japan
• 16 of the best Japan tours
Lisbon is an excellent choice for a February city break
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✉ We’re planning our first break without our young children in mid-February. We have two nights and want to fly in and out of Luton, with a maximum three-hour flight. We don’t expect hot weather but want to avoid cold northern Europe and need an arrival airport close to the city to minimise stress and maximise time to explore. Ideally we’d get around on foot or by bike. We were thinking Lisbon — what do you think?
Clare Cherry
Lisbon is a great choice for a February city break — the weather is mild and there should be fewer crowds, plus the airport is a quick cab ride from its compact and walkable (albeit hilly) downtown. The downside of visiting in the past six months, however, has been the enormous queues at passport control for non-EU visitors on entry and exit, which have resulted in people missing flights or wasting hours of their precious break. But at the end of December the Portuguese authorities suspended the introduction of the EES border controls for three months and reverted to manual inspection of passports, which should make processing times shorter. If you’re happy to take the risk, easyJet flies from Luton to Lisbon on your dates from about £113 return and if you stay at the super central Hotel da Baixa, there’s a free daily tour to get you oriented. Two nights’ room only in a double room starts at £256 in mid-February (hoteldabaixa.com).
• EES has launched — here’s what it means for your holiday
• Where is hot in February? 16 of the best places for a sunshine escape
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