For most, a holiday abroad is the one time of the year that you look forward to the most. After spending every day “working for the man.” This is your down time to completely unwind and relax, forget about every day life and just go with the very slow flow. I thought it was a myth that you could ever have a bad time on holiday, that was until last year. I’d really been looking forward to a trip to the Dominican Republic but sadly, the hotel just did not live up to standard and I became very ill on our second full day. My worst nightmare had come true. How could this possibly be? To look to the positives the beach would be our saving grace (because I don’t want to sound too much of a Negative Nelly and it also proved pretty perfect for the ‘gram!) but that sadly, was it. So what happens when all you can think about is heading back home on your return flight? Here’s some handy hints and tips to help out should you ever find yourself in this predicament…
1. Speak to your Rep or Hotel Reception
If something isn’t great, make sure you speak with someone. Make it clear standards aren’t great and hopefully they will be rectified. Sadly, on some occasions it can fall on deaf ears but making them aware of it is the first step to gaining control over the situation. Don’t be rude, but be firm in making sure that they acknowledge your complaint or request.
2. Make a joke out of it
One year we took a trip to Corfu, to a 2* All Inclusive. The reviews were hideous, but, we laughed. We joked with other like minded travellers and just got on with it. Who can complain at paying £259 for a weeks worth of all inclusive and crying that the snack bar shut at 5pm and the restaurant opened an hour or so later. Roll with the punches (I so wish I could have done this with the Dominican but sadly the V&D got me hard – sorry for the overshare!)
3. Get photos
If laughing & joking about it will not make the situation better, then you really are on to a bad egg. Sorry to say. You need to get all the evidence you can to press forward with any serious complaints. I had to recently because our room was falling to bits & so was the furniture, there was mould, rust and a horrible foisty smell that sadly I could not capture on film but it took 2 spins in the wash to really get rid of the smell on our holiday clothes. If that doesn’t say anything, I don’t know what will? But seriously, photo evidence will back up any formal complaints you might need to take up with your tour operator or hotel on return.
4. Notify local authorities and the Police
This is for anyone who may have been mugged or found themselves in a very serious altercation whilst on holiday. Make sure you have records upon records of what happened. It is so important for your safety, insurance purposes and more.
5. If money allows, upgrade or head to another Hotel or Resort
This won’t be possible for everyone, but, if you are independently travelling and you are getting nowhere with your accommodation the only thing I can suggest is to look to move hotels or resorts. Or, if you are struggling with that, upgrade your room (if that is the main issue for you) as time may not always allow you to see out another hotel or area of the resort.
Finally, always remember that a holiday is special. Never feel put out if you feel that your holiday is not living up to expectations and whilst some things may be trivial (yes, I did used to work in Travel so know of the crazy complaints that can come through the doors) some things may not be. Remember, if it really is impacting your travels you need to nip it in the bud as quickly as you can so you can look back fondly on your memories rather than with dread.
Have you ever had a bad holiday or travel experience?
How did you go about trying to rectify it?
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