We all look forward to our holidays and deservedly so. With so much of our time occupied with work things and external pressures, a holiday is an essential part of our lives that can do so much for our physical and mental health. For many people it is the only opportunity for them to spend quality time with their family friends and loved ones.
Unfortunately holidays do not always turn out as planned and hoped for. There are many things that can go wrong and unfortunately they often do. A holiday accident is a common event, and quite often it is an accident abroad, which can create substantial complications and concomitant costs. Sometimes it is the holiday itself that goes wrong, for instance the accommodation might be sub-standard, there might be problems with travel arrangements, or the holiday might be quite unlike how it was described in the brochure. There are a host of possible reasons for holiday complaints.
Sometimes these problems can be solved through your holiday insurance company, but it is not at all unusual for insurance claims to be turned down by insurers for seemingly petty reasons hiding in the small print, and of course holiday insurance does not cover all possibilities.
Illness caused by poor hygiene standards is quite common and not something that you are likely to find on your insurance policy. Sometimes illness contracted on holiday can have long-term implications for the sufferer. In a recent case, Sheila was on a Nile cruise with several members of her family. During the holiday a few people had suffered from gastroenteritis but had made rapid recoveries; the cruise boat had its own doctor on board which helped. Bit on the last day of her holiday shortly before her flight home, Sheila was suddenly taken very ill. She vomited and passed out though she was able to make it to the airport. However, once there she looked so poorly that at check-in she was questioned about her health and when she said what had happened she was refused access to her flight.
As a result she and two of her group had to delay their flight for a few days, which cost them a lot of money and time. After eventually getting home, Sheila continued to feel ill for months and eventually visited her doctor. It turned out that she had developed Crones disease as a result of her gastroenteritis. Although she continues to suffer from complications caused by Crones disease she was able to obtain substantial compensation through a solicitor specialising in holiday claims.