Luxury Hotels

A Trip to Venice to get enthralled by its vivacity…

Located in the northern part of the county, an Italian city is famed around the world for its magnificence. Nevertheless, official name of the city is ‘Venice’ but it is more famous by its secondary names such as ‘queen of Adriatic’, ‘City of Water’, City of Bridges’ and ‘City of Light’. One among the most gorgeous cities in the world, Venice is supposed to be the adored destination of lovebirds from all across the globe.

Giving a depiction of fairyland, the city is a treasure trove of cultures and traditions, which are centuries old. Set on almost 117 tiny isles and comprising hundreds of canal, the city covers an area of 458 kilometers. Miles away from the impression of a metropolitan city struck with traffic jam and chaotic setting, Venice trails are as clear as a remote village in oriental Asia. This elegant getaway is all time favorite for beauty-loving expeditors or camera-clad beings of the world.

Accommodation in Venice

Known for its inexhaustible festivity, Venice calls tourists through out the year. Nevertheless, the city is very small and population is less, yet, it is abundant with restaurants and hotels. Venice hotels are full of every facility and available on a good range. Some of the most famous hotels in Venice are respectively Hotel Giorgione, Ca’ Gottardi, Historic palazzo, Hotel Al Vagon, Hotel Ambra, Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo, Hotel Mignon, Hotel Gabrielli, Hotel Torino, Venice Hotels, Hotel San Giorgio etc.

You will be able to find almost every sort of hotel in Venice. Some Venice hotels are budget hotels, while some are specially designed with a corporate look. If are looking forward for something lavish at the dazzling destination, opt for multi-star hotels in Venice, which are ready to offer you the most impeccable services. Comfortable beds, aromatic ambiance, flawless service, good food, plush spas and top quality gym are the normal features of these hotels.

Start your morning with the tawny shade spread outside your window and spend the entire day playing with canal mazes in the city. You can wander around also, as car is a strict ‘no-no’ here. Yes, car is banned in Venice. But if, you do not want to get lost in the watery web of the city, you can opt for busses, which run all across the city.

Best season to go-

Nonetheless, Venice is an year round destination but if you want to take the maximum fun of the party mood of the city, land here in spring. It will be best if you will come here during Easter. This is supposed to be the perfect season to enjoy the vivacity of the city but this time you can face a problem of accommodation in Venice hotels.

By: Nancy E Eben

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Since there are no roads and railroad tracks in the part of Venice tourists want to see, most tourist information recommends taking the train or bus.

It seemed less expensive for us to take our two cars and stay a little ways out of town in Mestre. It was less expensive except for the extra three hours we were lost driving around looking for our hotel. We stopped for directions three times . . . one was at a tourist information office, which seemed like a front for the hotel next door – this is where we had the rudest treatment we experienced on our trip to Italy AND Spain. The clerk was busy and simply said, “I don’t have time for this. Turn left and head back towards town, then just ask someone.”

Our problem was we couldn’t figure out which town we were in. We stopped next at a little pizza place and instead of sending Donn for information we sent Sue. Five guys flocked around her offering help and a hand-drawn map. Within five minutes we were walking up to the hotel. The moral of the story? When you’re in trouble send a good looking woman to get help.

Hotel Holiday was a very nice surprise. We each had our own room (76 Euro each for the night), parking, and continental breakfast. Although, the bed was basically two twins, each one had a reading light. This always makes Peg happy.

We checked in, got quickly settled and went looking for our bus stop to the Grand Canal. With a mere gesture of “no” the bus driver told us to ignore the one Euro charge. Our bus parked within a hundred yards from the tour boat ticket office. We each bought a 15 Euro bus and boat combination-ticket good for twenty-four hours.

We had been told to ride the entire one hour boat trip around the city and then just like in Rome hop on or hop off where we needed to go. After riding the bus for two days, I’m still not sure if it is best to stand or sit. Inside it can be hot and stuffy. The seats offer a place to sit, but comfort was never part of their design specs. Handholds were never considered in the basic design for standees, however. Standing gets you fresh air, which can be a relief, but you end up stumbling around. The best place to sit is in the stern (about six seats) or the bow (again, about six seats). Whether you are boating through the canals or eating beside the Grand Canal (main street), it’s just plain interesting to watch the traffic.

From The Merchant of Venice in Shakespeare, to Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes, to James Bond and Casino Royale, we’ve seen romantic images of Venice with its gondolas, its bridges, its palaces, and doorways you can step into from a late night rowboat. Real life, even mixed with an occasional floating orange peel or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrapper is still a sight to see.

We rode the boat and came back to St. Mark’s Square. The square is full of pigeons just like every scene you’ve seen on movie screens since the 1930s. You can buy pigeon feed (which they say is mixed with birth control drugs) and have the little doves eating out of your hand. Randy and I watched our collection of backpacks as everyone else disappeared into the church and took a tour. Peg loved the mosaics and opulent gold leaf on every arch and dome.

We decided to have lunch. Restaurants in Venice are excellent, taking heed of Rick Steve’s warning that the restaurants nearer the canal are more expensive we headed inward, but found that local merchants also read Rick’s books. The further away the more expensive the prices seemed to be. Eventually, we ran out of time as they began to close for the afternoon. We visited the Devil’s Forest Pub for sandwiches and beer, which stays open all day. Our Liverpudlian bartender joined Peter Tosh on CD singing the reggae version (and one of my favorite renditions) of Johnny B. Goode, “Mama said son you gotta be a man, You gotta be the leader of a reggae band.” We had entertainment as well as sandwiches.

After our refreshments and body-moving, happy-time music at the bar we began a slow trip back to the canal. It was slow because of shopping, both window and real.

Peg bought some nice Murano earrings. Peg also bought bracelets and necklaces later on the island of Murano, but in Venice she also bought lady’s fans for granddaughters. Other people bought their trinkets as well. Finally Donn pointed out that everything was not closed until dinnertime. Some of the restaurants on the Grand Canal were serving patrons. This was good news.

I was hot and tired . . . and cranky. I was ready to be comfortable, but even though our restaurant was serving outside it was still too warm inside their canopy to accommodate cold-blooded diners. Our waiter kindly disconnected one of the canopy heaters just for me. I was happy. Sue wrapped up a little tighter in her sweater . . . and was almost as happy. Peg then joined us, and complained about the heat . . . unprompted.

The food was excellent, the staff was exceptional, the view was . . . well, we could have watched it for hours, but the food and wine were making us weary. The prices? We were on the Grand Canal, but they were worth it. I would have paid more. Other friends staying at a hotel on the Grand Canal did pay more. Their simple dinner came to over two hundred Euro. Dinner for Peg and I was not simple, but only came to about half that . . . okay, a bit more than half that. This was a rare adventure and I even ordered seconds of a pasta dish. Randy ordered an extra bowl of soup. How often do you get to sit on the Grand Canal with people you love? Why not enjoy it to the fullest? When we left, we were full.

After eating we took the boat back to the main dock, where Peg and I couldn’t find toilets. When we also found out that our bus was full, I gave up and ordered a cab. Eveyone else took the next bus and had seats. When Rob and Vickie, who were traveling on their own, left they also opted for a cab. Why struggle? Make yourself comfortable. Spend a little bit more and take pleasure in the moment.

Back at the hotel we made ourselves at home. I checked our email and then took a shower. Peg had the window wide open. We had lots of freeway noise, but it was cooler that way. The bathroom offered a tub with a half-partition and a handheld shower nozzle. It wasn’t as good as we have at home, but it was welcome. Feeling more like myself I went back downstairs to the bar for some Sprite and mineral water and two plastic glasses of ice!!! The barman, a black African was very accommodating, but our foreign language skills unfortunately matched.

In our room Peg read, while I watched TV. This is quite often how we spend a late evening together at home, but Peg said, “for some reason, while you were watching TV, it annoyed me. I had gotten used to the quiet with no TV in the bedroom.” Oh, well. So much for romance.

The next morning we all joined up at different times for a nice continental breakfast, which featured ham slices and soft-boiled eggs. I think I ate three eggs. They were perfect. One thing I really enjoyed about the hotel was their dining area. There was a private dining area within the larger dining room, which could be closed off. This let our small group enjoy ourselves privately, while a much larger group of Japanese talked and ate just outside the small alcove where we drank coffee and snacked.

Rob and Vickie had beat our arrival time by several hours the day before driving to Venice, but were still lost for about thirty minutes. Driving in the area around Venice is a little confusing. We all grabbed the bus back to Venice. Arriving there we had missed the direct boat to Murano, so it took almost an hour and a half on the boat that made all the stops. This was too much for me. When we arrived on the island of Murano, I quickly enquired about prices for the water taxi for the return trip . . . just in case. We hustled off to the glass factory.

Several years ago I read an article about Murano glass and immediately bought a Murano glass bowl on eBay. It’s a classic bowl from the fifties with a black bottom and gold flecks shining though the red and clear glass at the top. It’s one of my favorite pieces of glass art in our home. It’s not worth as much as our Dale Chihuly piece, but I think I like it more.

At the glass factory, some people watched glass blowing and some people shopped in the factory store. There were some very beautiful pieces. Still feeling guilty from his lack of Valentine thoughtfulness, Randy encouraged Sue in the purchase of a “Love Knot” piece. She was thrilled and Randy was okay with that.

At one of the shops featuring other artists and their work, Rob spent a few thousand dollars for a 30th anniversary gift for him and Vickie. It’s a beautiful piece by glass artist Dino Rosini that was featured on the cover of an art glass magazine. This was not an unplanned purchase. To celebrate their anniversary Rob and Vickie drove from The Castello di Pastine to Venice on their own and planned their return so they could wade in the Adriatic. Rob wanted to make their anniversary special, and so knew he was going to buy something to commemorate their trip and their marriage. The mission was accomplished.

We caught a more direct boat back and stepped onto the next bus back to hotel where we had already checked out. We said our goodbyes to Rob and Vickie then had to make a tough decision. We had to either find a place for a quick bite or a decent restaurant. It was 2:20 pm, which meant our time was very limited. We filled the car up with gas and Donn and I started looking diligently for some place good.

As always, you can never find a policeman or a restaurant when you need one. We found ours at 2:50 pm (roughly ten minutes before lunch time is over). I have no explanation of how the English/German sounding name of Old Stieffel came to represent this hole in the wall Italian restaurant. The waitress and management at the restaurant were not exactly happy to see us. The manager (possible the owner) even came into the dining room to tell us that they normally close up at 3:30 pm. They wouldn’t be so lucky that day. They didn’t complain again, nor did they try to hurry us up. They didn’t even rush with their own service or plating. What they did was serve us the best tasting basic Italian food in Italy.

I ordered the mussel antipasto. It came with a huge bowl with plenty of steamed mussels and clams to share. This was the largest bowl of steamed mussels I’ve ever had, so it was passed around the table several time. The broth was the best I’ve ever eaten and this is a favorite order of mine, so I’ve had a few helpings. As a side dish I ordered polenta (only because I saw it listed on a sandwich board by their front door). They didn’t serve what I thought would be a polenta dish, they served plain boiled polenta in a bowl. I spooned the polenta into the broth and then alternated shoving polenta and bread into my mouth. They both soaked up the lemon juice, the butter, the white wine, the mussel and clam juices, and the fresh basil as well. It was wonderful. The polenta went around the table to share as well.

Donn ordered bruschetta, a tagliatelle pasta dish as well as salad, a pizza, and wine. Donn is a serious eater of good food. He pronounced them all as wonderful.

Peg’s “sucking pig” pizza was only okay, but she swooned over my salmon and shrimp tagliatelle. Everyone enjoyed their food, although the manager did chide Jan because she had added salad onto her dinner plate. This is an Italian cullinary no-no. The rest of us sat there, embarassed for her as we quietly covered up our own shared menu items and clucked disapprovingly.

We are not the only people who were contented by the food and service at Old Stieffel. Here is what someone else had to say on the internet, “Very good service, high quality in Italian food like pastas and pizzas, and specialized in fish. Half the price of restaurants in Venice. I strongly recommend for those who visit Venice and like to eat well.” I couldn’t agree more.

We had the restaurant completely to ourselves. We skipped dessert and left at 4:00. We gave the waitress a nice tip and thanked everyone we saw.

We enjoyed our ride home. The countryside of Venice is fertile farmland, but it looked like perhaps people have been selling their family farms. We saw as many as four or five ancient farm houses sitting in complete disrepair amidst well-tended fields.

We didn’t get to any of the Italian car factories in Modena or Bologna, but at one rest stop we got to see a sleek black Lamborghini. Peg wrote down her thoughts about the driver (forty-ish with dark graying hair, skinned back) who stayed in the car, ignoring all us gawkers, and the passenger who went into the Autogrill restaurant (long dark hair down past her shoulders, patterned dark cream skin hugging pants, platform stilettos). After the girl stooped and curled inside the car, Jan said, “She’s done everything she could do given what God has given her hoping add-ons made up for the rest.” My own thoughts were, “some middle-aged guy with a girl that acted like she was better-looking than she was.” I guess we were pretty much in agreement. Our little group stood in the parking lot drinking juice or smoking as we waited for the girl to come out and get into the exotic sports car. The car was left running. Peg said, “It was black, slinky, and pumping out heat.” Except for the black part, I thought she was talking about me. As soon as the man and woman got in, the car roared away. We never saw them, again.

We stayed on the major freeway. Traveling between the Florence region and Venice and back again gave us the opportunity to view the landscape. It changes so much. The rolling hills of Tuscany become almost mountainous and then drop down to the plains that lead to the Adriatic coast and Venice. These changes all happen in less than three hours of driving . . . if you don’t get lost. Everything was green and beautiful.

Our little group arrived back home about 8:00 pm. Rob and Vickie rolled in about 10:30. We all slept in the next day with dreams of Venice, romance, and a lovely time. And, no, we didn’t ride in a gondola. It cost too much.

By: Don Doman

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Restaurants Venice

Eating out in Venice can be a very unsatisfying experience for the casual traveler. With a local population of only 60.000 people and several millions tourists to feed each year, most restaurant owners in Venice couldn’t care less if you leave feelink like you have been ripped-off. Nevertheless, this attitude, while not uncommon, is not generalized and, if you do your homework, you may still find some ‘local’ places to eat a good meal while paying prices only slightly higher than elsewhere in Italy.

To get a truly Italian experience it is always best to eat where locals eat. This means that the menu will be written only in Italian and you are expected to know what all of the items on the menu are. You should also keep in mind that Venice is a popular destination for Italians as well as foreigners. If you see a crowd of Italian speaking people seating outside of a restaurant, do not assume they are ‘locals’. Chances are they are tourists just like you.

As a quick rule of thumb: you should avoid all the places where a ‘tourist menu’ is advertised as well as those with pictures of the food on the outside. Waiters in bow ties or who tout for customers outside the door are also warning signs. Wine prices are another useful indicator. In an average restaurant you’d expect to find house wine (vino della casa) listed by the quarter and half-liter. Half of a liter should only cost something like 5 Euros. Watch out if they only serve bottles of wine at 20 Euros and above.

Although Venice is not considered to be one of the capitals of the Italian cuisine, it is nearly impossible for a traveler to miss one of the most rewarding holiday experiences: enjoying a good meal in a truly unique surrounding. At the very least, an evening meal represents an opportunity to refuel after a day full of activities. Being in Venice, you have to do your homework. Search the Internet for comments coming from people that has already been in Venice or ask a local contact if you know someone you can trust. Booking ahead is always a good idea, especially for evening meals, at busy times like summer weekends, and if you want a special table.

As for the various kind of food establishments, Venice is no different from the rest of Italy. A ‘ristorante’ generally indicates an upscale establishment, while a ‘trattoria’ is a more humble, traditional eatery, serving simple filling dishes. A pizzeria is a place where you can eat pizza; not really a specialty in Venice although there are a couple of decent pizza places. An ‘osteria’ (or ostaria) is similar to a trattoria, but with a slant towards drinking: instead of a full meal, you might have some wine along with a plate of food or a lighter snack. Like the osteria, a Venetian ‘bacaro’ offers a chance to eat some food in a less formal context. The busy Venetians frequently eat quickly and lightly, selecting snacks called ‘cicchetti’ from a display at the counter, then eating them standing or seated on stools.

In Venice restaurants (but this is true for the rest of Italy as well) you should expect to pay as much as 2 Euros per person on top of the price of what you have ordered. This is called ‘coperto’ and it accounts for the table dressing and the small basket of bread you will be provided. A few restaurants also add on up to 12% as an additional service charge although this is unusual and should be stated in the price list. Italians tend to tip a few euros rather than the 10% or more which is common elsewhere: However, there is no strict rule about tipping and in family-run restaurants where you are served by the proprietors it is common not to tip at all.

As you may expect, in Venice you will find a lot of seafood and lagoon fish on offer. ‘Polenta’, a coarse ground cornmeal generally made into a mush-like porridge, is a regional specialty, often served with fish, meat, mushrooms or ‘gorgonzola’ cheese. Seasonal specialties include peas and ‘radicchio’, both of which used in the preparation of rice based dishes (’risotto’). Pasta is not as widely used as it is in other Italian regions but there are a few typical recipes like ‘bigoli in salsa’ (thick homemade spaghetti in anchovy sauce). Other local dishes you might see on a menu include ’sarde in saor’ (marinated sweet and sour sardines), ‘castraure’ (baby artichokes), ’seppie in nero’ (cuttlefish in its ink), ‘granseola’ (spider-crab), ‘fegato alla veneziana’ (calf’s liver with onions) and ‘carpaccio’ (thin-sliced raw beef). Desserts are not usually terribly good in Venice – typically the choice is something like dry local Burano cookies, panna cotta or tiramisù.

The area around Rialto is chock full of eating places and the most popular food shops and bars are here as well. Needless to say, this is also the area where most tourists use to gather. If you are adventurous enough to wander around, you will be not disappointed. Venice lies on an a small island so you really can’t get lost and chances are you will bump into the thriving little ‘baccaro’ where you can get a plate of assorted appetizers for less than 10 euros. Quite often you won’t find tables in there and no waiter service as well, so simply go to the counter, have some snacks and a glass of wine, and enjoy the taste of the hidden Venice.

This article is part of a series covering the most important Italian travel destinations and regional cuisines. You can find similar articles about eating out in Florence, Naples, Milan and Rome.

By: Bob McCormack

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Sure, the holiday season may be drawing to a close, but that doesn’t stop some people wanting more merriment abroad; besides, skiing is looking more and more attractive as the weather takes a colder turn!

However, it is on holiday where many accidents can occur and a recent survey of injury solicitors has shown that many of them believe that holiday accident claims will rise in the coming years. This is a result of the poor exchange rate and the current recession, as many people will choose cheaper hotels and package vacations outside of Europe, where there may not be as stringent safety rules in place to ensure that holidaymakers are looked after to the highest level of safety.

So, this begs the question, what is there that we can do to avoid these holiday accidents, keeping in mind that we still want to save some money on our vacation? Well, follow this advice on how to avoid holiday accidents and your stay should be as breezy and relaxing as if you were in the comfort of your own home!

The majority of swimming pool drownings occur on the first day of the holiday; there are many reasons for this, the most common being that the parents are often very tired after travelling to their resort and will not pay as much attention to their children as they usually would.

To avoid this tragic accident, always ensure that there is a lifeguard on duty whenever your children are out of your sight near a pool and check for hidden depths and ledges beneath the pool’s surface.

People often slip on stairs and the results of these trips can range from bruised limbs, (not to mention egos!) to broken bones and even death; if your hotel is poorly maintained, then the stairs may be wet or cracked, so always take extra caution when climbing the stairs.

A damp floor is also a common occurrence in the bathroom; check for spillages or wet tiles before you enter the bathroom, as a fall could mean the end to your holiday.

If the worst does happen whilst on holiday, then you will need the help of an injury solicitor or team of injury solicitors in order to help build your case for compensation. Make sure that you research as many law firms as possible by using internet matching sites to compare and contrast the various pros and cons of each team of injury solicitors.

By: David Harfield

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Going on holiday is great we all love it; it’s the one time we all get to relax and take a break from our hectic lives and spend some quality time with our family and friends. Taking a holiday on a cruise ship may be your holiday of a lifetime or your yearly summer holiday whatever it may be you don’t want it ruined by illness or injuries.

Tour operators and travel agents have a duty to all their clients to make sure all accommodation is clean and safe as well as making sure the ship is disease and infection free. Going on holiday is supposed to be relaxing but every year there are holidaymakers who come home feeling stressed, feeling cheated as well as having injuries which may affect their lives forever.

In 1992 a law came into force to implement consumer protection on holiday it’s called ‘The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992′. It’s there to help and protect clients who go on package holiday like a cruise ship holiday.

Over 1 million people took a holiday on a cruise ship in 2005 and this could easily reach 1.5 million by 2010 and therefore any illness or injuries caused onboard a cruise ship needs to be dealt with professionally and in the clients best interests. Thousands of these passengers every year suffer an illness or an injury whilst onboard the ship, these include:

• Slip and Trips onboard the ship due to the negligence of other passengers or staff

• Food Poisoning from poor hygiene standards this includes: Norovirus, Salmonella and Norwalk

• Bacterial infections from poor hygiene and contaminated water this includes: Typhoid, E-coli and Legionnaires disease

• Accidents on day trip excursions when the ship is in port

If you have suffered an injury maybe a broken leg after tripping and falling over something or having been infected with Salmonella whatever it may be this would of definitely ruined your relaxing and stress free holiday. You shouldn’t suffer in silence and think what if, you should contact a solicitor who specialises in holiday illnesses and injury compensation claims.

The solicitor will help you make a successful compensation claim not only for your injury or illness but also for:

• Your pain and suffering mentally and physically

• For the loss of enjoyment of your holiday

• Loss of earnings if you’ve been unable to return to work when you’ve returned home

• The expenses that you may have had to pay including hospital fees, medicine costs and any other medication you may have had to pay for

You will need to have a solicitor who has knowledge in the area of holiday compensation claims as they can become complex, so don’t sit and suffer in silence, make a claim today and get the compensation you deserve!

By: Jene Pedder

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Various kinds of visitors throng the city of Venice which is a popular holiday and tourist destination in Northern Italy. While some visitors wish to spend their vacation in some of the most luxurious as well as expensive hotels in Venice, others look for more modest accommodation facilities that come at affordable prices. While business travelers, new couples on their honeymoon and celebrities belong to the former group, most of the other visitors would generally belong to the latter. However, in Venice cheap hotels are available in plenty. Almost every street has some form of accommodation that is affordable and inexpensive.

Many 3 star hotels are located near the Brenta River close to Venice Centre. The hotels are cheap and affordable and guests can almost experience their Venice stay at half price. In many of these hotels, buses take the guests to the center of Venice in just a couple of minutes. A leisurely boat ride along the canals from these hotels would take less than half an hour to the city center. The Venice hotels boast of exclusive Venetians restaurants that are famous for their unique Italian delicacies.

In Venice cheap hotels catering specifically to backpackers are available in plenty around the city. Aimed mainly at the younger generation, the facility provides dorms for couples as well as separate rooms for males and females. Many of these hotels provide separate sections for smokers too. People who prefer to smoke outdoors usually are encouraged to use the terrace. Most of these hotels are an ideal option for lost cost accommodation. Some of them even provide special discounts in the restaurant only for guests. Other Venice hotels are located close to bus, train and tram stations making it easy for guests to reach their destinations of choice easily and without having to spend too much money on local travel.

Some of these less expensive Venice hotels may not have elevators. People who find it difficult climbing stairs can avail accommodation on the ground floor. Although the cost of accommodation is very affordable, most of these hotels provide color TV, air-conditioning and heating in all the guest rooms.

By: Teodora Atanasova

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If you have accidents on holiday (either in the UK or abroad) and want to pursue personal injury claims, as long as the “holiday package” was booked through a tour operator in the UK and what you were doing at the time of the accident was part of that package, then you may be able to make an injury compensation claim against the tour operator for your injuries and any related financial losses. In this situation the personal injury compensation claim would fall under the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales and can therefore be handled by any UK solicitors experienced in personal injury claims.

Under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 a tour operator can be held responsible for all of the services provided as part of a package holiday. This can include:-

a) hotel accommodation – including the food provided and any facilities, such as swimming pools;
b) cruises;
c) air travel;
d) coach or car transfers;
e) excursions booked as part of the main holiday package.

The Regulations state that a “package” means:

“The pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following components when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of more than twenty-four hours or includes overnight accommodation -

a) transport;
b) accommodation;
c) other tourist services not ancillary to transport or accommodation and accounting for a significant proportion of the package”.

If you booked the holiday using a credit card you will have additional protection and may also be able to direct the injury compensation claim to the credit card provider.

The Regulations relate to all package holidays, whether taken abroad or in the UK, and also offer protection to business travellers.

However, it is important to note that the standards of health and safety that apply in the UK are not always matched by the standards applied in other countries. The criteria for success will depend on whether the local standards of health and safety are met. If those standards are not high, a personal injury compensation claim is likely to fail.

It is also important to be aware that the Regulations do not apply to all foreign personal injury claims. If you booked travel and accommodation separately, then any injury compensation claim would have to be pursued against the negligent party direct using the local legal system.

The same applies if you booked a local excursion to visit a place of interest and you suffered an injury because of the negligence of the day tour provider. Only if the excursion was booked through your UK tour operator when the holiday was arranged would the Regulations be available to protect you.

Of course, if you were on a UK package holiday and for example took a spur of the moment boat trip, and suffered an injury because of the owner’s negligence, you would not have to rely on the Regulations as the owner should have their own insurance to settle any personal injury claims.

By: Steven Hinchliffe

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Holiday celebrations can be happy and exciting times for friends and family. Many people travel during the holiday season, looking forward to visiting with family and friends who live long distances away. Unfortunately, the holiday season has a high incidence of traffic accidents including accidents abroad, turning a celebration into a tragedy if people are injured or killed. During the holiday season, all motorists should be aware of the increased traffic, and holiday travelers should follow proper safety precautions to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. Drivers should be mindful of these holiday travel tips to protect themselves, their passengers, and the occupants of other drivers.

Leave early. By allowing yourself plenty of time to reach your destination, you can drive at safer speeds, take adequate rest breaks, and keep your stress levels down. Without enough stops, drivers can become overly tired or distracted and cause an accident and a result. Avoid peak travel dates if possible. The day before a holiday is usually the day most people travel. Sometimes you can avoid traffic conditions by traveling on the holiday itself or by planning your family celebrations on other days. Before you leave, check the condition of your car, including your tire pressure, oil, and lights. Carry spare and emergency equipment with you. Always have a spare tire, jumper cables, a jack, and emergency equipment such as road flares and extra blankets in case of an accident. Keep your passengers safe. Make sure everyone is buckled up properly with seat belts and child restraint or booster seats. Plan out a route with alternatives. Get directions in advance, with alternative routes in mind in case of bad weather or traffic congestion. Expect traffic near large cities. Inquire about weather conditions and construction on highways from friends and relatives. Listen to local radio stations for indications of adverse weather. Hide any sort of gift or present during stops. Brightly colored packaging during the holidays invites thieves to break into your vehicle. Keep distractions to a minimum. Provide children with plenty of their own distractions, and always pull off the road to use your cell phone. Don’t drink and drive. Always have a designated driver if there will be drinking at your holiday celebration.

By following these safety precautions, you can make the holidays a little safer for everyone and avoid a tragic traffic accident. For more safe driving tips and information on car accident prevention, visit the website of Waukesha car accident lawyers Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C.

By: Joseph Devine

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Sadly sometimes when we are on holiday we may fall ill or suffer an injury, these can really ruin our time away which in all likeliness we paid a lot of money for. When you are on holiday there are certain things that could cause these accidents and a lot of the common ones are actually through no fault of our own. Many people will have heard of personal injury claims for trips or falls here in this country but what they are not aware of is that you can make these claims for accidents or any injuries suffered from abroad and this doesn’t mean when you leave that country that you lose your right to compensation.

There are actually a lot of different situations that people have successfully filed accident claims for from their holidays, the claims can be made with solicitors from your home country after the holiday and you are still able to claim and not have to complain to the tour operator only to be given a discount off your next trip with them.

Most will be familiar with the trips or falls that can happen on shiny surfaces in hotel lobbies as many hotels abroad will have impressive polished stone flooring. As visually appealing as this is they don’t offer much grip for your shoes and if people have walked through straight from the pool area then there’s a good chance that they may have left puddles or drips of water making the floor treacherous.

Trips and falls can be common and since the water can be invisible to the average person walking on this surface the hotel has a responsibility to ensure that the hazard is cleared or mopped up and at the very least have signs or cordons to warn people of the potential hazards.

Another common complaint that gets filed for is food poisoning, whilst we expect a high level of hygiene and standards here in the UK it is unfortunate that sometimes when on holiday that these standards can slip and cause upset stomachs. It is often noted in the press when a cruise liner or guests at a particular hotel’s restaurant all come down with food poisoning and so not only does claiming against this negligence help you get compensation but it can also highlight the issue to the management who should hopefully act on the complaints and rectify them for future guests.

If you have had any kind of accident or injury that was not your fault then filing a civil claim for compensation can help you get your rightful compensation for the holiday that may have been ruined due to someone else’s negligence.

By: Arnold Reed Henderson

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