A Few Things That Might Happen To You On Holiday and What You Can Do To Combat Them

When you go on holiday the last thing you need, want or expect is for things to go wrong. Inconveniences can cause stress, anxiety and put a real dampener on your time away. However, you should try not to let these things spoil your fun where possible.

As soon as possible after booking your holiday, you should take out travel insurance and if your holiday is in Europe apply for an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card – we are still covered by this until the end of 2020) if you don’t have one or it has expired. If for any reason your holiday needs to be cancelled or rearranged before your travel date you will then be covered.

I’ve listed below some of the things that can happen to spoil your holiday and what you can do to overcome them.

Lost baggage

An airline has 21 days in which to locate and reunite you with your lost baggage. This is obviously no good if you are just starting on your holiday without all your holiday clothes. Your travel insurance will cover your lost baggage and will reimburse you for clothing and essential items you have to buy but make sure you keep the receipts of anything you purchase. If you are getting married aboard – as we did in New York last year you might want to take out wedding insurance to cover your outfits or other wedding related items. We took our wedding day outfits and our wedding rings in our hand luggage cases so that there was no risk of them being lost or stolen before our big day.

Flight delays

A flight delay before your holiday has even started will put a real downer on your holiday. No one wants to miss the start of their trip that’s for sure. Most airlines will give passengers meal tickets and a hotel stay if the delay is of a significant nature. Our flight home from New York was delayed by 24 hours and although I was ready for home and seeing my three what better place to get stuck. We were made aware of our delay before we had to leave for the airport so could make arrangements to stay in the city, many other travellers weren’t so lucky and had travelled to the airport to then be told that they would have to stay in a hotel nearby. Once you get home you will be able to make a claim for compensation or a delayed flight through Flightright. They will ensure that you get the right level of compensation depending

Food poisoning

Sometimes food poisoning is unavoidable whilst on holiday. That being said make sure that you don’t drink the water (and even when you brush your teeth use bottled water) if you are unsure if the local water is safe to drink (although everyone in our party drank it and were totally fine in New York I didn’t). Don’t eat buffet food if it has been sat for a long time and avoid dishes that contain rice, seafood, fish and chicken if you are worried. You can also avoid eating ice cream and don’t have ice in your drinks. Make sure that you keep your hands clean and take wipes and/or hand sanitiser with you to help keep the germs away.

Illness

If you are taken ill on holiday seek medical attention. If you have insurance you can ring them for guidance and they will tell you what you need to do. At the minute there is a lot of strain on hotels and other holiday infrastructure due to the effects of Coronavirus. If you think you have the virus you need to inform someone asap who will arrange for you to be isolated and tested. If you test positive you will need to be in quarantine for 14 days and may need medical treatment if your symptoms are severe.

Break the law

If you break the law in a foreign country you could face severe consequences. If you are guilty of an offence you will be questioned and then tried by the local police and courts. If you are sent to prison you may spend may years behind bars in less than ideal conditions. The best thing is obviously not to break the law whilst on holiday and to be on your best behaviour – check what things are allowed and not allowed before travelling if you are unsure.

Have you had a holiday ruined by any of the above or something different? If so I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.