Should I claim compensation from my holiday?

When you go on holiday, you don’t expect to suffer sickness or injuries. You want to return from a trip refreshed and invigorated, not ill and deflated. 

Depending on whether you booked your trip through a tour operator or a hotel directly, they are responsible for your safety and therefore potentially liable if you contract an illness or suffer an injury that wasn’t your fault.

When can I claim compensation from my holiday?

You may find that if you are staying in a hotel with a buffet or all-inclusive package where food is more likely to be reheated and left out for a period of time, this can attract flies and other pests or cause bacteria which can make you ill. Similarly, illness can also be caused by shared facilities such as swimming pools, changing rooms, or toilets, as they are areas where infection or contamination can spread. 

The tour operator or hotel is responsible for your health and safety. If the standards do not meet those that are expected of them and you suffer an injury or illness as a result, then you may be able to make a claim for compensation from your holiday. 

Before making a claim, if you have picked up an illness, it is important to recall whether you were ill before going on holiday or whether you started to become ill whilst on holiday and what may have caused it. In one of our cases, a family became ill after witnessing poor food hygiene practices in an all-inclusive resort. They were able to claim back £3,900 for illnesses and financial losses. 

In another of our cases, our client slipped on a wet staircase on holiday when there was no wet floor sign. He suffered a severe sprain and was able to claim £30,000 in damages. 

When it comes to illness on holiday, sometimes it may be hard to figure out what has made you feel that way, but if you are spending all your time at a hotel resort for instance, or if you sensed that something was wrong with food or the environment, you may know exactly what has caused your sickness.

In this case, if you are confident that the hotel or tour operator is to blame, then you should take photos and videos and write down the problems you have experienced. You should also report any illness to the staff so that they can make a record of it. 

What can I claim for?

If you make a claim, depending on the illness or injury suffered, the amount that you can claim will be based on the seriousness and how much pain or suffering you experienced. The amount will also depend on how the illness or injury has impacted your life. For instance, it may have caused major damage or stopped you from working for a long period of time.

Your claim can also include money lost on medical expenses, prescription charges, and travel to doctor’s appointments. You may also be able to claim back for a loss of earnings and future earnings or long-term needs. 

How can I claim compensation from my holiday?

If you believe that you can make a claim for an illness or injury on holiday, you should seek medical advice and notify the holiday company before doing anything else. It is a good idea to gather all the information you can to show that this was not your fault. 

You should contact our personal injury solicitors who specialise in holiday claims on 0161 813 2131 or online. They will establish who is at fault based on the information you give them. They will then consider the losses and damage caused and work out how much you could claim from the responsible party. They will then make an offer based on these calculations to the company. If they do not agree, the case may then go to court.