Responding to the latest quarantine list changes, Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said the government had "now made it clear that countries can be removed or added from the travel corridor list at a moment's notice".
"That policy currently makes it too risky for anyone who is not able to quarantine for 14 days on return to travel anywhere abroad," he said.
- Who decides which countries I can safely visit?
- Where can I go on holiday without having to quarantine?
"Yet, those holidaymakers who want to heed the government warning to not undertake non-essential travel to Spain, France and now Croatia and Austria are finding it increasingly difficult to claim a refund.
"Meanwhile, the addition of Portugal is likely to come too late to help many struggling holiday companies who are at the point of collapse, as summer trips have already been cancelled. Which? has been asking the government what support it will provide to the travel industry for several months. That support is now urgently needed."
The Department of Transport has advised people in Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago and Austria to follow local rules and check the Foreign Office website for further information.
In a statement, it urged employers to be "understanding of those returning from these destinations who now will need to self-isolate".
But children currently on holiday in those three countries will now inevitably have to miss the start of the new school term in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - unless their parents can get them home before 04:00 BST on Saturday.
People who do not self-isolate when required can be fined up to £1,000 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland the fine is £480, and up to £5,000 for persistent offenders.
BBC Balkans correspondent Guy De Launey said only a small number of direct flights from Croatia were due to reach the UK before the deadline of 04:00 BST on Saturday.
British Airways has one flight to Heathrow from Split, two from Dubrovnik and one from Zagreb.
Easyjet has one flight from Dubrovnik to Stansted, while Croatia Airlines has one flight from Zagreb to Heathrow.
The UK introduced the compulsory 14-day quarantine for arrivals from overseas in early June.
But the following month, the four UK nations unveiled lists of "travel corridors", detailing countries that were exempt from the rule.
Since then it has periodically updated that list, adding and removing countries based on their coronavirus infection rates and how they compare with the UK's.
In July, the Portuguese government expressed "regret" at the UK's decision to continue to exclude it from the safe travel list.
The country's foreign minister had previously said he hoped an "air bridge" between the UK and Portugal could be secured by the end of June.
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