Getting away for Christmas holidays
by Brad Askew, 15 December 2011
Everyone has their own idea of how they would most like to spend Christmas. While many of us like to stay at home with the family, sitting in the warmth of the living room, watching Christmas TV and spending good quality time with our loved ones, there are another lot of people who just want to get out of the country – as far away from the cold, bitter weather as is humanly possible while the going is good. Maybe they’ve spent too many Christmas’ at home and want to try something different. It could be that celebrating the holiday in another country might just be the ticket.
It could be the perfect getaway; instead of slipping on icy roads and pavements, a person could be frolicking in the waves of a beach in the South of France or relaxing in an open-air hotel swimming pool in Rio de Janeiro.
A holiday should always be fun or relaxing, or whatever a person wants it to be and it would be wonderful if they went smoothly every time. Unfortunately this is not always the case, and travellers can have their holidays hindered or outright ruined by a number of factors that are often beyond their control.
Probably one of the worst situations to be in at Christmas is waiting at an airport for a plane that never seems to arrive, delayed as the pilots navigate through harsh weather (or away from clouds of smoke that billow from some erupting volcano), or delayed because of repairs, or other mechanical reasons.
If a traveller has had to deal with flight delays, has had baggage disappear, or if they’ve been denied entry onto a plane in the first place, it could well be within their rights to claim compensation. One of the most headline-worthy airline stories recently involved a blind woman who tried to board a flight, only to be refused entry because her guide dog didn’t have the proper credentials (!).
Airlines have a duty to offer an efficient, hassle-free service (to the best of their ability) and it shouldn’t be the case that people need to put up with things that could potentially ruin their holiday (such as the airline losing checked-in luggage).
Just remember that these things do happen, and if something does ensue that screws up the holiday, make sure the perpetrators – whether they’re package holiday providers or airlines – don’t get away with it.
Law on the Web has an entire section dedicated to travel and tourism law. We also have plenty of helpful legal information on what to do if you suffer a personal injury abroad or while travelling.