Simon Calder's travel tips for summer
This summer our holiday plans are in turmoil. Riots in Thailand, the financial crisis in Greece, oil spills in the USA, airline strikes and the threat of volcanic ash - the list is endless.
So if you haven't booked your break yet, what should you do for the best? We asked travel expert Simon Calder for his advice.
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He told us:
- I don't think that there's any holiday destinations that we need to avoid. There are some warnings about the centre of Bangkok and Kingston, Jamaica. But these destinations, once you get out of the capital city, are full of great people who really want to welcome you and make sure you have a terrific holiday.
- There's still a place for expertise. If you book a package holiday through a travel agent then you've got an individual and an organisation looking after you and that, when things go wrong, can be an extremely good position to be in. A package holiday is covered by .
So, you've booked your holiday and are looking forward to getting away from it all. But what if things don't go quite according to plan? Simon says:
- If you turn up at an airport and the flight has been cancelled you are entitled to your money back from the airline. However, you may not be able to recoup any car hire or hotel charges. But it's worth trying!
- If you've booked a package holiday and you turn up at the airport the travel company has to try to get you to your destination. If it can't, it will give you your money back, or possibly offer an alternative destination. And after 12 hours usually you have the right to cancel and get all your money back.
We asked Simon, what if you've booked your holiday in advance and are going somewhere like Thailand, what is your position if the situation of the country changes?
- The trip will go ahead unless the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to this destination. If it stops short of a blanket ban and the holiday company is prepared to deliver it the trip, you will lose your money if you choose not to go.
- Be aware of what your insurance does and doesn't cover. Many no-frills policies won't cover all eventualities. They also won't cover you for any events that you have prior knowledge of - for example, if you take out a policy after strikes have been announced.
So, if you're looking for a cheap and cheerful holiday deal this summer, what does Simon recommend?
- Don't write off the eurozone. Portugal and Greece are going to be very good value this summer and even the Balearic Islands are going to have some amazing deals on accommodation because they've lost so much business in the past couple of years. And don't write off Britain. Make the most of what's on your doorstep, and that way you can eliminate huge amounts of stress and sunburn!
Comment number 1.
At 14th Aug 2010, Norman wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 2.
At 31st Aug 2010, haroldpress wrote:I would like to raise the subject of short term airport parking at Luton.
Why are their charges so excessive. At Heathrow you can park up to 1hr for £4.30 and thats under cover.
At Luton 1hr parking is £7.00 plus £1.50 addition if you pay by credit card, plus the fact it is not under cover.
I had to park last weekend and it took me 15 minutes to find a space to park. Besides having to trudge through wet and muddy conditions it took a further 5mins to get to terminal.
The time you meet someone it is nigh on impossible to get back to your car in under 30mins, so you're in for an hour minimum charge.
You then face a queue at the Pay Station that could well take you over the hour for even more money.
So I decided to pay at the barrier. there is no obvious sign stating credit card payments carry an additional service charge of £1.50. So I paid £8.50 to park in atrocious conditions for less than an hour.
Why are they allowed to get away with ripping the public off like this.
You now even have to pay a £1 to drop someone off - disgusting.
Can't we do something about this highway robbery?
H.Press.
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Comment number 3.
At 11th Jan 2011, fiona richardson wrote:Thank you for this opportunity to vent my spleen!! We were 2 of the many who wer held up due to the disruption caused by the ash cloud over Iceland. We incurred a bill of £400 or so during our week's stay (not excessive as we were being really careful!)---and KLM are STILL refusing to pay out! Simon Calder said that according to European law they must do --but so far they're not ---so what does the poor punter do?? Any suggestions welcome,
Regards
Fiona Richardson
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Comment number 4.
At 11th May 2011, JamesR wrote:Great post Simon, all valid points. I'm planning a trip to the America ()and I'm really hoping that I don't have any issues with the airline getting out there. That being said I agree with Harold, I picked up my girlfriend from the airport (Luton) and had to pay the excessive parking fees, I was there less than an hour and had to £7.00 but if you park down the road in a normal car park you pay around £1.50 per hour. I think it's a total rip off. Is there some sort of regulator that can bring the cost down or is it a free for all....
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