All bookings made through the ‘SpainAway’ division of The Away Company, receive the full financial bonding protection provided by The Away Company Ltd.

In classic ‘belt and braces’ fashion, this financial bonding contains three distinct components.

Firstly The Away Company’s membership of The Travel Trust Association (TTA) ensures that all monies paid over are securely held in a trustee bank account which cannot be accessed by the company until the holiday has been taken.

Secondly, and again through the TTA membership, a separate insurance policy is entered into – the Safe Seat Plan – which quite independently covers any travel-related service booked through the TTA member against financial loss of any kind – up to a maximum of £11,000 per person.

In this way, not only is the holidaymakers' money itself protected, but the guarantee also exists that the travel supplier – villa owner, flight or car hire operator – will be paid, ensuring the security of the actual holiday as well.

Thirdly, The Away Company is also a member of the ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence) protection scheme granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. This protects the traveller from losing money, or being stranded abroad, if a travel firm goes out of business.

Further details of how these two schemes operate can be found by following the above links to the two relevant organisations’ websites, and is also included with the Booking Form and Conditions that you will be provided with when you come to make your booking.

Such security is not that difficult to put in place, and we are constantly surprised that, in these days of the internet, holidaymakers who would never book a flight unless this was ATOL protected, or book a package holiday unless the travel agent was ABTA bonded, will happily hand over large sums of money to a private villa owner, quite possibly located abroad, who can offer no financial guarantees of any kind.