Every day I receive an inbox full of travel questions and I love helping consumers – some I can answer confidently, and some I have to refer to other travel resources and experts. This week has been especially busy, so I thought I would feature the ten most popular travel questions this week.

What is the best package holiday site?

That’s a difficult question to answer because they are so many holiday sites, but Travel Republic recently won an award for best travel agency website. Then you have Thomson and Thomas Cook. Independent travel agencies, Co-op Travel and Barrhead Travel, both reputable companies.

Do you have advice for finding camping sites in the Lake District?

Good question – I have stayed at a few National Trust campsites in the past when camping in the Lakes. Great Langdale was my favourite, and it’s cheap, but it’s in the middle of no-where and whilst it has a bus service, it’s not regular – also try Find a Campsite.

Where is the best place to exchange foreign money?

I usually choose between Marks and Spencer or the Post Office but no matter where you go to exchange currency, you’ll find the rates are pretty much the same, and for the amount you save it’s not worth the hassle of wandering around the high street for the best deal.

Do I need travel insurance for a weekend in Amsterdam?

Yes. It doesn’t matter if you are travelling abroad for 2 days or 2 weeks, anything can happen; your baggage may be lost (especially if you fly with BA), you might have your passport or possessions stolen, or end up in hospital, especially if it’s a boozy stag weekend.

How do I reclaim tax from cancelled flights?

I am assuming you are referring to the air passenger duty. Initially, contact the airline direct by telephone and back it up with an email or letter, bear in mind though that most of the airlines will charge an administrative fee for refunding you the money, which I know is outrageous.

Does the National Express free Wi-Fi access actually work?

I’ve travelled twice with National Express since they took over the East coast line from GNER, and in both occasions I was impressed with their customer service and the fact that the Wi-Fi is free of charge. I had no problems with the Wi-Fi but remember that technology isn’t 100% reliable.

Do you know of a hotel at Royal Ascot?

I usually start off by searching Google but one of my favourite hotel sites for sporting events is Match Hotels – Late Rooms and Active Hotels are hotel booking sites with a good selection of hotels, alternatively search on comparison sites Travel Supermarket and Kayak.

Why are holiday prices so expensive during school holidays?

Travel companies will say it’s simply because of supply and demand, but they don’t realise that parents are backed up into a corner and have no option but to take a holiday during the school holidays as they can now be fined for taking their child out of school during term time.

What is so good about booking holidays on line?

For me it’s for convenience because I only have a 30 minute lunch break, so it does not give me time to run around the city centre and book with a travel agency, so instead I go online and research, plan and book my holiday online. The downside is that you loose human contact which is important.

What is Barcelona like for wheelchair accessibility?

I struggled to answer this question because I have never been to Barcelona, but whilst wheelchair accessibility in most European cities has improved, there is room for improvement. The best site I could find for information on wheelchair accessibility is Tourist Guide Barcelona.

If you have any travel related questions then please complete my contact form and I will either respond to you personally, or mention your question on the blog. Readers, please feel free to leave your responses to any of the questions above.

In the past few weeks I have received emails from consumers asking me if a number of holiday rental companies are reputable enough to book a holiday through them. It’s worth remembering that the rental company is advertising the accommodation on behalf of the owner or an agency.

Whilst the holiday rental company will have their own terms and conditions with regard to the usage of the site, the booking terms and conditions is with the actual owner or agency. As I have experience of this type of holiday I thought it would be a good idea to provide some general advice.

Speak with the owner or agency

You can tell a lot about a person when you speak to them on the telephone, ask them plenty of questions about the holiday accommodation and the location and make sure you remember their responses, in fact write them down if you can.

Trust your gut instinct

If there’s something just not right about the person or what they are saying then always go with your gut instinct, the last thing you want is to find out that the accommodation doesn’t exist or that it’s a scam to get money out of you, not that I am suggesting this happens a lot, but I am sure it does.

Booking terms and conditions

Any reputable owner will send you a booking form and their booking terms and conditions. Usually you have to sign the form to say you agree to the T&Cs so make sure you read any documentation and if you have any queries contact the owner or agency. If there’s no documentation then question why this is the case with the owner.

Check the location thoroughly

Most owners and agencies will not send you the actual address until full payment has been received and processed, which you can understand, but make sure you check the destination out on travel guides and Google Maps and ask the owner questions about the area.

Read accommodation reviews

Whilst you won’t find many rental companies providing accommodation reviews, a few of them have started to provide this service, and whilst it’s controversial with the owners, it’s important that consumers have confidence. Holiday Rentals provide this service, so it’s a good place to start.

Pay for the holiday with a method of payment which is traceable

Under any circumstances do not pay with cash or cashier cheques – I know this sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised to hear it does happen. Ideally, pay by a bank cheque, debit or credit card if the owner or agency provide that service. It’s important that the money can be traced back should anything happen.

Plan your holiday well

You do not have the luxury of a holiday rep to deal with any issues that you may come up against, so it’s important that you plan your holiday well. Make sure you keep a copy of all email communication, and if you have any issues with the accommodation then take video and photograph evidence.

Breakage issues

You will more than likely have to pay for any breakages, so it’s important that you notify the owner or agency should you find any breakages when you arrive at your accommodation. Otherwise you could be made to pay for them – remember that the accommodation will probably not have been visited by the owner for some time.

Use the Holiday rental company

If you have any complaints lodged which the owner will not respond to then contact the holiday rental company and ask them for advice. Any reputable rental company will have a complaints procedure which deals with badly managed holiday accommodation.

Popular holiday rental companies

Whilst I have not booked holiday accommodation off any of these sites, they are popular, and have been established a number of years. They seem to have a good reputation with travellers but follow the advice above before booking.

Holiday Rentals
Owners Direct
Holiday Lettings
Holiday Lets
My Villarenters

Hopefully these holiday rental tips will help ensure that your holiday is hassle free. Have you booked a villa or self catering holiday accommodation with an owner or agency – I’d be interested to hear good and bad experiences from readers.

Interesting investigation on BBC Watchdog last night regarding issues with consumers credit or debit cards being frozen abroad by their own bank. It’s an issue I featured back in September 2007, so I thought it was worth updating that blog post with some additional advice.

Useful travel tips

• Inform your bank prior to departure that you are going to be using your credit or debit card abroad
• Leave your mobile number with the bank and ask them to contact you if they have any issues
• Write down the person you spoke to and their position within the bank
• Write down the contact details of the bank and take it with you on holiday
• Don’t rely on just debit or credit cards, take some foreign currency too for emergencies
• Don’t use a bank machine that isn’t attached to a bank, as you’ll never get your card back
• Remember your security details because you will be asked them whilst abroad

Apparently consumers have had issues with their account being frozen despite them contacting the bank – the banks blame their computer system which freezes the account if it see’s any strange activity but it’s still important that you follow the advice given above.

Not that this isn’t going to help if your stranded abroad, but contact the financial ombudsman with details of your complaint. It’s outrageous that you have to inform your bank when you are going on holiday, but on the other hand I am glad that they are protecting our money.

Have any of you had a bad experience with this issue?

There’s a worrying trend of travel consumers going on holiday abroad, without taking out adequate travel insurance. A survey by the review centre revealed up to ten per cent of people will head off on holiday without insurance.

I have to admit that it’s incredibly confusing as they are so many travel insurance products to choose from and whilst comparison sites are a great way to find the best deals quickly, it’s still time consuming choosing travel insurance for all eventualities.

My advice is make sure you read the small print and take time to read what your covered for. Some consumers have had problems getting money back from when airlines have gone into liquidation as the insurance cover doesn’t include this event.

Shop around for the best deal, but don’t always go for the cheapest deal, go for a package which makes you and your family protected should any event happen whilst your on holiday abroad, especially if you are booking your own flight and hotel.

Maybe US airlines Skybus, ATA and Aloha read my blog post on cheap flights being extinct by 2012, panicked and went bankrupt. Joking aside, it’s a worrying trend that hopefully won’t continue over here in Europe, not because we’ll loose our cheap flights, but because of the impact it will have on independent travellers.

There is a misconception that if you book directly with an airline then you are automatically covered if it goes bust, but it might be worrying for independent travellers to learn that you are only covered if you book by credit card and if the money is taken inside the UK.

It’s advisable to take out adequate travel insurance, either single trip or annual as soon as you have booked your flight and accommodation. Check the small print carefully as some policies may not pay out for everything you would expect them to.

Finally..

If you are booking through a travel agency rather than an airline, check that the company has the ATOL symbol on it’s website. Remember that whilst booking through an ATOL member will cover you if the airline goes bust, it won’t guarantee you an alternative flight.

Useful links:

Financial Protection for Air Holidays
International Airline Passengers Association
European Low-fare Airlines Association
European Airlines Association
European Commission: Transport

As usual if you have any questions or issues with booking flights please leave them in the comments.

Update: News that Oasis Hong Kong Airlines have gone into liquidation

I don’t drive, so I have never hired a car for my holiday, but during lunch I was chatting to a work colleague who hired a car to get him and his family around Florida. This is a great tip, and I wonder how many of you have thought about doing this.

On returning the car to the hire company, it was mentioned that they would have to charge him a damages payment for the scratches down the drivers door – I’m not sure how much he was asked to pay but it wasn’t a few dollars.

Thankfully, he had taken photographs of the hire car prior to driving away, and made sure the date and time was correctly set on his digital camera when the pictures were taken. He showed the camera to the manager which clearly showed the scratch marks and the date. He didn’t have to pay for the damages.

Have you any tips or advice for anyone hiring a car for their holiday?

When you travel, it’s easy to get out of healthy routines that you usually manage to follow at home. Don’t get me wrong, you should enjoy yourself on holiday, but there are a few things you can do to try and minimise the damage to your waistline or your general fitness.

Don’t make holidays an excuse to eat junk
When you’re in a foreign country it’s easy to walk into the nearest fast food franchise just because you know what you’ll find and how to order it. Been there, done that. But there are two reasons not to – first, because it’s not that healthy, and second, it’s much more exciting to check out the local cuisine.

Get some exercise while seeing the sights
If you’re a runner, packing your jogging shoes and get up early a few mornings of your trip. Head out into the dawn on a job and you’ll see the city waking up or the animals strolling through the countryside. You’ll keep fit and see a new side of your destination.

Alternatively, skip a bus or train during the day and walk to your next sightseeing destination instead. Not only will it be good for you, at a walking pace you’re also more likely to discover some special restaurant, an interesting souvenir shop or a beautiful church or park you would have missed seeing from the underground.

For swimmers, pack your bathing costume not only for the hotel pool but for any interesting spa or hot spring that might show up.

Explore the markets for fresh fruit and veg
Down in southern Europe you’re likely to get a big variety of fresh fruit that somehow tastes better when you’re buying it in the country of origin. Or check out the local favourite vegetables in season.

This week I have received a number of emails from consumers asking for my advice on holiday cancellations. It’s a difficult topic to advise on because a lot depends on the individual companies booking terms and conditions and if you book independently yourself.

Most companies will refund the cost of the holiday, but keep the deposit if the cancellation is made within 50 - 60 days before departure, but this does differ between companies so it’s important that you read the booking terms and conditions prior to booking.

If you book a hotel yourself, then you will have to adhere to the hotels booking terms and conditions. Bear in mind that if you cancel after an airline ticket has been issued you will probably not receive a refund, no matter when you cancel the holiday.

It’s also important that you buy adequate travel insurance, but remember it’s unlikely that the insurance company will pay out unless the cancellation is relating to illness, and you have a medical certificate from your doctor.

Again, this depends on the insurance policy that you buy into, so read carefully.

The lesson to be learnt is read the terms and conditions, and cancellation policies carefully, and if you have any worries contact the travel company or hotel and explain your situation. I have to say some companies are more helpful than others when it comes to cancellation charges.