Cancelling a holiday is often not a nice thing to have to do. There are many reasons why people have to cancel their holidays and sadly it is often not for positive reasons. You would hope that if you do have to cancel your holiday that, as long as you have the right level of protection in place, it should be fairly straight forward and you should be able to get back most if not all of your money. ATOL offers protection to people booking a package holiday. If your flights or accommodation is cancelled by the company then you are entitled to a refund. If you have travel insurance and cancel your holiday sue to your circumstances then you will not be covered by ATOL but will be covered by your insurance. Depending on what level of cover you have and when you cancelled your holiday will vary the amount of money you get back.
Some holiday companies are making it harder for you to get back what you are owned and many holiday makers have reported having to go through a very lengthy process in order to get a refund of the money they are entitled too. It is vital that you read reviews on the travel agent and the insurance company you are thinking of using prior to doing so. This will allow you to see what issues other people have experienced and how likely they are to happen again.
Booking your 2019 holiday
With 2018 fast coming to an end, and the festive season almost over, many people are now looking to the summer and planning their summer get away. If you want to grab a bargain then January can be a good time to book a holiday as many travel agents have January sales on. Booking early also allows you to spread the cost out as many will allow you to split the payments in to smaller amounts to make it more affordable.
If booking early you should ensure that your holiday is ATOL protected meaning that if the company goes bust you will be entitled to a full refund. You should also get your holiday insurance in place as soon as possible to ensure you are covered should something happen which means you can no longer go on your holiday.
It can be hard to book a holiday in advance not knowing what the weather is going to be like, but if you are going to countries such as in the Canaries or the Caribbean, then they tend to have quite similar weather trends year on year. If you are considering taking your children out of school to go on holiday then you need to be aware of the fines that can be placed on you from the school and also check if the dates co inside with any exams or important events that they should not miss.
Turning a family event in to a holiday
If you have been invited to a wedding or christening or maybe a birthday party that will mean you need to stay away from home, why not turn it in to a mini break. Many families find it hard having to pay out a lot of money for nights away to attend a get together, but often feel like they have to go. If possible, you may want to consider actually extending your time away and turning it in to a mini holiday. It often seems silly and frustrating to travel such a distance and not get to explore any of the area. Staying an extra night or two will cost you more but it may be that you class that as your getaway that year.
If you are staying in a hotel, you may want to spend the other few nights somewhere a little cheaper or to camp for example. You can often find some lovely sites all over the country where you can spend the remaining few days for a fraction of the price it would cost you to stay in the hotel for that amount of time.
Often places have some fantastic last minute deals, so have a look online to find the best price you can for your break.
What to do in the Peak District
If you are looking for a last minute holiday before the children go back to school then the Peak District should be towards the top of your list. Although it is not near to the seaside, the Peak District has plenty to offer especially for families that are enjoy the great outdoors. Located in central England it is also often easy to travel to from many parts of the UK.
Within the Peak District you have some amazing walks which are suitable for people of a wide range of ages and abilities. There is a Go Ape in Buxton which can be a fun filled day for everyone, where you get to explore the forest from up high on a rope obstacle course.
There are a number of hotels, b and b’s and camping sites in and around the peak district so you will have plenty to choose from. In the main season some of these get booked up quite quickly so you may want to book in advance.
If staying on a camping site, have a good look at the facilities that it has on site as there are a number of sites which offer wild camping which means they do not have toilet and showering facilities.
Health & Safety Abroad
We’ve all made jokes about how ridiculous Health & Safety legislation can be in this country – it hardly seems necessary to include a written disclaimer to inform someone that their hot beverage may be hot, or that a packet of peanuts may contain nuts, for example – however, as the old adage goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
Especially when you have younger children, it’s worth being aware that Health & Safety legislation may not be anywhere near as strong or followed as rigorously as it is here – barriers may not be as secure, servicing, building & electrical regulations not as strong… I could go on.
As a result, you definitely need to exercise caution in choosing your destination and where to visit. Don’t assume that ‘everything will be ok or they wouldn’t be allowed to trade’, many countries instead consider that it’s your responsibility to be careful.
It is well worth researching any spots you plan to visit, and really looking at the comments, particularly the bad ones; it’s usually here where you’ll find warnings about cleanliness, faulty or unsafe equipment, and so on.
Last up – it won’t hurt to take a carbon monoxide alarm; issues with heating or gas appliances may not always be visible.