Norovirus is one of the ‘mantra’s’ used by the Travel Industry when illness breaks out in holiday hotels or cruise ships.  HolidayTravelWatch notes that many holidaymakers are confused by such statements – the simple rule is DO NOT accept such bland statements, only proper medical diagnosis can confirm such an illness – always ensure you get independent medical advices, if possible, contact your GP in the UK!  Read More

Do resort reps think that they are fireproof?  Do travel companies know what their resort reps are saying or are they complicit?  Yes, I am back again to report on an old friend – Resort Representatives openly advising holidaymakers at welcome meetings, that the new holidaymakers WILL suffer holiday illness and that the way to deal with it is to buy ‘brand X’ drug from the local pharmacy!  I don’t know about you, but if I had been told at a welcome meeting that I would very probably become ill during my holiday, I would be at the front of the queue asking to get out of there!  I have dealt with this issue before, in the first blog we dealt the issue of holidaymakers freely accepting ‘medical advice’ and taking drugs that are banned in Western Countries; the second blog dealt with the ’surprise’ advices at a welcome meeting where holidaymakers are told that they will become ill! Read More

This year we have already heard from returning holidaymakers about their holiday illness or sickness experience!  Many are reporting that they have suffered an initial 3 to 4 days sickness, a slight recovery and continuing problems when they return to the UK!  Some holidaymakers have reported to us that they have been subsequently diagnosed with diseases such as Salmonella, E-Coli or Shigella!  Many report that they were not alone in suffering with illness in their hotel, resort or cruise ship!  We are concerned that holidaymakers are suffering an ‘imposed’ isolation, on the pretext that what they are suffering with is a ‘contagious’ virus, when often the ‘virus’ has been repeated week after week and no apparent tests are carried out to assure that nothing more sinister is the cause of the illness!  We take the very firm view that ‘introducing’ holidaymakers into a hotel, resort or cruise ship, where there is clear knowledge that a pathogen or virus threatens the very health of the intending holidaymaker, should be dealt with under the full force of the law!  This issue came into sharp focus earlier this year when several outbreaks of holiday illness were reported; we restated our views that BioHazard & BioCrime offences should be considered by legislators!  At the time our views were considered to be ‘alarmist’, we responded through our YouTube Channel in order to open up this debate! Read More

Last year we highlighted 20 of the most appalling holiday complaints for the 2009 holiday season!  This year we again repeat the process at the start of the current 2010 holiday season, to highlight the wide range of problems that holidaymakers face!  This year we have seen the following holiday complaints come through on our e mails alone; Read More

The debate of swine flu and forthcoming holidays rumbles on!  The latest advice (we can only find the following two reports), apparently from Government, is that if you are suffering with swine flu when abroad – stay there until you recover!  Readers of our earlier blog on this matter will have noted our deep concern over the lack of travel insurance cover and how those ‘disinclined’ to travel, will not receive any benefit from their travel insurance policy!  Now we read in the Telegraph that the Insurance Industry is not so sure and will be talking to the Department for Health, but nonetheless they expect that their members will be ‘flexible’ on the issue – however, you would have to show real symptoms and not just simply a ‘disinclination’ to travel in order to receive a benefit from your travel insurance!  Well now you know, or not, as the case may be! Read More

So, we can now see the result of the swine flu pandemic – the BBC have reported that reports of this illness have jumped by 50%!  Do you remember our first blog on this issue, how the holidaymaker we reported on was dealt with by the HPA and Health Authorities?  Do you remember all those holidaymakers caught in the first outbreak in Mexico and how they were repatriated?  At the time some reports estimated that there were some 10,000 British holidaymakers in Mexico at the time!  What then happened to the holidaymakers when they returned to the UK: Read More

The rise of Bird and Swine Flu viruses, obviously causes concern to holidaymakers and threatens the viability of their holiday contracts.  The UK Department of Health has published advices in a number of formats to deal with this potential threat.  Read More