MANY are thinking about holidays at this time of year, here are some tips to remember:

When you buy a package holiday, the law requires the tour operator to use reasonable care and skill in arranging the holiday. So the holiday must:

1. Match its description. This means the brochure description or one given by a travel agent /operator must be accurate. For example, if the brochure says the hotel is within walking distance of the beach, it must be.

2. Be of a reasonable standard, bearing in mind, for example, the price paid and the location. For instance, you would not expect a budget priced holiday to be of the same standard as a luxury holiday. However, whatever the price of the holiday, you would expect basic standards of hygiene to apply.

3. Once a holiday booking is confirmed, there is a binding contract between the tour operator and the person who booked the holiday. The terms of the contract are made up of the booking conditions, which might, for example, be printed in the brochure; information in the brochure; and any information given by the travel agent when the holiday was booked.

Problems with package holidays are usually a result of one or more terms of the contract having been breached.

For example, if the brochure said that the hotel had certain facilities, such as a swimming pool and there wasn’t one, that part of the contract has been broken and you may be entitled to compensation.

If you used your credit card to pay for the holiday and the cost was more than £100 and less than £30,000, the credit card company may be equally liable for any breach of contract.

This means that you could claim against the travel operator, the credit card company, or both of them jointly.

  • For free and impartial advice on this or any other issue you can contact your local Wyre Forest Citizens Advice in any of the following ways:
  • Website Advice: www.adviceguide.org.uk
  • Telephone Advice: 0844 4111 303 (from landline) or 0300 330 0650 (from mobile) Face to Face appointments: 01562 60194