Martyn James: How to plan for a holiday in challenging times

But with a bit of careful planning, it’s possible to protect yourself from many of the events that have led to holidays being scuppered.

What impact is the conflict in the Middle East having on holidays?

It goes without saying that for many people, a trip to many popular luxury destinations isn’t on the cards at the moment. The Foreign Office is currently advising against all but essential travel to parts of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel and more. That situation may change, but for now, stick to the official advice.

Other popular destinations on the periphery of the conflict, like Egypt, Turkey and Cyprus have seen big drops in bookings. For more adventurous travellers, this presents an opportunity as prices drop. However, be sensible and take precautions if you do travel to a country where an element of risk is present. The gov.uk website has advice on how to deal with a crisis overseas which you should read before booking.

Holiday firms tell me that people are returning to the long-established destinations of Spain, France, Greece and Italy, with Portugal alone seeing a 42 per cent rise according to Thomas Cook. That means lots more competition for some of your favourite destinations – and potentially higher prices.

Jet fuel costs have shot up dramatically – up to 80 per cent according to some measures. However, this doesn’t mean flight prices are going up just yet. Airlines in the UK agree deals to buy fuel at ‘fixed’ prices, which pushes price rises a bit further down the line. However, with fuel costs representing up to 40 per cent of an airline’s operating costs, we will see price rises eventually, making last-minute holiday purchases potentially pricey.

How to protect your holiday and plan for emergencies

Nothing is guaranteed in life, but there are some things you can do to ensure you’ve got some protection when booking a holiday.

Always buy the best travel insurance policy you can afford. Travel insurance doesn’t cover things like acts of war – but in emergencies, governments and airlines step in to repatriate affected holidaymakers. However, a good insurance policy will cover you for a range of other travel traumas. So buy a policy as soon as you book your trip.

Where possible, book direct from your airline or hotel, as it’s often easier to get a refund if something happens that prevents you from taking your trip. You should also consider using a travel agent or using a package holiday firm as both these options will give you an extra layer of protection from these services. Look for ATOL or ABTA membership, which provides you with some recompense if things go wrong and a mediation service for complaints.

The best way to pay for holidays is by credit card. If you spend over £100 – or any sum as a deposit – on your credit card, you may be able to get a refund for the full amount of the trip from your card provider if something goes wrong and the airline, hotel or holiday company isn’t refunding you. In order for these ‘section 75’ claims to work you have to buy directly, not through a third party. Some online travel marketplaces are technically third parties, so check to see if they have dispute resolution services if there’s a dispute – and the T&Cs too.

If you’re booking a hotel directly, consider choosing the option to cancel the holiday up to 24 or 48 hours in advance. This will be slightly more expensive, but it gives you more wriggle room if a problem occurs. If you do pay upfront and it’s not possible to travel, negotiate with the hotel to see if they will let you move your holiday to a different date, or if they’ll give you a credit note if you can’t travel.

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio presenter and journalist. Read more from him at this link