Episode 1

The online UK travel industry is big business. It’s estimated that around 80 percent of all holidays are now booked on the internet! Travel Republic is a giant in the industry, sending around 3 million people on their holidays each year. They advertise themselves as an ABTA member with ATOL and IATA credentials too.

So when Dr Ann Pritchard and her husband John from Swansea booked a holiday to Sri Lanka with Travel Republic, they thought they were protected. They chose the luxurious, five star Galle Face Hotel in Colombo; a grand old colonial hotel which boasts a list of famous guests including Frank Sinatra and US President Nixon. They paid more than £2000 for flights and accommodation and shortly received their email confirmations.

But on the day of departure, just as they were leaving for the airport, Ann received a call from Travel Republic. There was a problem.

“They said the hotel had been overbooked and that they’d have to give us an upgrade to a different hotel”, says Ann, “I wasn’t happy at all and I said do I have to accept this? They said we should go and see and if we didn’t like it maybe they could do something about it.”

But once in Colombo, they found their grand Galle Face Hotel had been swapped with the not-so-grand Galadari. Instead of the sweeping panoramas of the Indian Ocean they’d been expecting from the veranda, they had a view of the car park.

Ann tried contacting Travel Republic who told her it was the fault of the supplier – You Travel – and therefore nothing could be done. Ann and John had no choice but to remain in their disappointing hotel for the duration of their holiday.

When Ann arrived home, she raised complaints with Travel Republic and You Travel but no one wanted to accept blame and pay any compensation. Ann also complained to ABTA but it turns out that the company responsible for supplying the accommodation - You Travel - is NOT an ABTA member and therefore ABTA was unable to take action.

After checking Travel Republic’s website we’ve discovered that most of their other suppliers are not registered with ABTA either. This means that although Travel Republic is an ABTA member, if your holiday is supplied by a non-ABTA supplier then you won’t get the protection you think you’re getting.

Our consumer law expert Margaret Griffiths says the best way to avoid getting caught out is to book a package holiday.

“Book a package with a company based in the UK, making sure that company is ABTA protected. That way every aspect of the holiday is protected and then you don’t have to worry about it any further.”

Meanwhile Travel Republic apologised for the problems Ann and her husband experienced on holiday but neither they nor You Travel accepted any responsibility for what happened. The couple have been offered £950 in compensation.

Click here to find out if a company is an ABTA member.

Thousands of holidays have been disrupted by terrorism and civil unrest over recent years. What are your rights when your holiday is affected? We asked travel expert Simon Calder for his advice.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issue travel advice for hundreds of countries across the world and Simon says it’s that advice that will decide if you are going on holiday to a particular country. “The UK Travel industry has to have some way of judging if it’s safe to send people on holiday and the way that they do it is very straightforward,” he says. “If the Foreign Office warns against all travel or all but essential travel to a destination then you or I are not going to be able to book package holidays through UK firms.”

If the FCO advice does change for a location before you go then how you booked your break could affect whether or not you get any money back. “If you’re on a proper package holiday, that’s one where you’ve bought a flight and accommodation at the same time from the same company, then you are relatively well protected,” says Simon. “The tour operator has to offer you - either a full refund or an alternative holiday. If though, you’ve booked flights, accommodation and maybe car rental separately then you’re in a much tougher position. A hotel may well refuse to refund money you have paid because of an event which is not their fault.

If you do want to shop around and book sections of your holiday separately is there a way of protecting your cash? According to Simon the best way to avoid paying for flights and hotels you can’t use is to book as close to departure as possible. “If youre travelling off peak, which basically means outside the school holidays and particularly around August and Christmas then there’s no great need to commit a long way ahead,” he says.

Some websites for booking hotels may also give the option of cancelling up to 24 hours before you travel. That may cost a bit more – but will protect you if you do need to call off the holiday. 

If you decide to go against FCO advice and still travel to a country they advise against all but essential travel to - then you can but that could invalidate your travel insurance policy.

Chicken Bhuna (serves 5)

You can buy the ingredients in most supermarkets.

The chillies in this recipe were added whole for a little spice without all of the heat! But Abul says if you like your curries extra hot, you can chop some chillies before adding them.

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts (cut into long strips)

2 large onion (cut into long slices)

1 red or green pepper (cut into long strips)

1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

2cm piece of ginger (finely chopped).

2 tomatoes (chopped)

3 or 4 cardamom seeds*

2 bay leaves*

 4 green chillies (whole)

2 small sticks cinnamon*

1 Small bunch fresh coriander (chopped)

1 pinch of salt.

2 tablespoons veg oil

2 spoons mix spice powder

2 spoons mango pickle/chutney

A little water.

*Optional

Method:

1. Add garlic, ginger, pepper, cardamon, cinnamon and bay leaves to hot oil.

2. Add onion, tomato and salt until soft.

3. Add mixed spices and cook for 2-3 minutes to release their aroma, adding drops of water to prevent burning.

4. Add chicken and cook until brown.

5. Add mango pickle/chutney.

6. Cook the mixture slowly adding water in small amounts until you reach the thickness of the sauce you wish.

7. Serve and sprinkle with fresh coriander and garnish with chillies

Egg Pilau Rice

Ingredients:

1 onion (diced)

2 cups basmati rice

Half cup of green peas

1 spoon mixed spices

3 spoons veg oil

3 or 4 cardamon

3 or 4 bay leaves

 Half stick of cinnamon

 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)

 2cm piece of ginger (finely chopped)

4 cups water

3 eggs

Method:

1. Add onion, cardamon, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and bay leaves to hot oil and cook until brown and soft.

2. Add mixed spices followed by peas and rice, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add eggs to the pan unbeaten

4. Add water to the rice and cook until evaporated.