0:00:02 > 0:00:06Every year, millions of us jet off abroad on holiday.
0:00:06 > 0:00:13But if things go wrong, your two weeks in the sun could quickly become a fortnight to forget.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16And there are many things that can ruin your precious break,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18from cancelled flights to horror hotels.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21We were absolutely covered in ants.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25They were crawling all over the bed, they were dropping from the ceiling.
0:00:25 > 0:00:31Worse still, there are scams, tricks and cons waiting to trap the unsuspecting tourist.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Somebody approached her from the back and grabbed her bag.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39But if you know what to look out for,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41you can avoid these holiday nightmares.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44So we're here to make sure you...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..Don't Get Done in the Sun.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01On today's travel itinerary, holidaymakers who face tragedy.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I just said, "Is Glen dead?" He said yes.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08And learnt lessons the hard way.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11She fell on her head and broke her neck.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14And I'll be finding out why
0:01:14 > 0:01:16we have to take care of our travel essentials,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18watch out for identity theft
0:01:18 > 0:01:22and pay attention to who asks to see our passport.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24They can be wearing police uniforms.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This has happened on quite a few occasions.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35If you're unfortunate enough to have an accident here in the UK,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39at least you know there will be a hospital nearby that will treat you for free
0:01:39 > 0:01:43but when you're on holiday, things can be very different.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Because when you're in a foreign country,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49everything from examinations to ambulances to operations cost money,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52but who's going to pay?
0:01:56 > 0:02:00When we're on holiday, many of us indulge in far more adventurous activities
0:02:00 > 0:02:04than we're used to, but adventure often carries risk.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The Foreign and Commonwealth Office often has to support
0:02:07 > 0:02:12British citizens who get into trouble while travelling.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Last year there were 3,739 hospitalisations
0:02:15 > 0:02:19that resulted from accidents, but there may well be
0:02:19 > 0:02:22other accidents that are not reported to the Foreign Office.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26But that's the number we actually get involved with through our consular service.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31In November 2012, Lee Charie, a business owner,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35flew to Thailand for a month-long break to visit friends.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37While he was there,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40he was to have an accident that would change his life for ever.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Thailand, I just find it to be amazing.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It's just a nice, happy place to be.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It's nice and hot that time of year.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Lee spent the first few weeks of his holiday
0:02:50 > 0:02:54blissfully touring the islands of Thailand.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58I was out with a few friends, we were just enjoying having some time out of diving courses.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00And from that I sort of remember being with people
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and saying goodbye to people going to a different island.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07And then on December the 18th, everything changed.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Next thing I know is I woke up in hospital.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Lee had fallen headfirst, 27 feet from his hotel balcony,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18smashing his skull on the concrete floor below.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23The shock of seeing these two policemen in my house
0:03:23 > 0:03:28and asking me was I Lee's dad, it was like seeing reruns
0:03:28 > 0:03:33of police programmes on telly, it was a horrible, horrible experience.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Lee needed urgent and extensive surgery to relieve pressure
0:03:37 > 0:03:41on his brain, which involved removing a portion of his skull.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43As soon as we found out what happened to Lee,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47we got onto the Foreign Office, who were very good through the whole affair.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54Lee had taken out travel insurance when he booked his flight
0:03:54 > 0:04:00and his dad, Peter, quickly contacted the agent he'd booked the holiday and insurance with.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04I contacted DialAFlight the day after the accident,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08just to confirm that Lee had insurance.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10They confirmed he did.
0:04:10 > 0:04:17The agent had arranged Lee's travel insurance with a company called Towergate Insurance.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20They said, "Any problems, we'll be straight back to you",
0:04:20 > 0:04:22basically, "Leave it with us".
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Lee has no memory of what happened on the balcony
0:04:26 > 0:04:28but he needed intensive medical care quickly
0:04:28 > 0:04:30so it was crucial that payments were made
0:04:30 > 0:04:33to the Thai hospital looking after him.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37But his father, Peter, was about to receive bad news.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40On Christmas Day when we phoned, Christmas morning,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42the hospital told us they were going to discharge him,
0:04:42 > 0:04:47the reason being that they hadn't had any payment.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52It was then I discovered the insurance company hadn't made any payment
0:04:52 > 0:04:56because they wanted a statement from the police and from Lee.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59The insurers were not willing to pay out
0:04:59 > 0:05:04until they could establish whether Lee's accident was caused by a careless act.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09But Lee was still unconscious and therefore unable to provide a statement.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12They were also waiting on drug and alcohol tests.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17If Lee failed either of these, they would declare the policy invalid.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23With no time to waste, Peter had to start giving the hospital money so they wouldn't discharge Lee.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27They initially tried to discharge him on Christmas Day.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I made a payment of about just over £2,000 then,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33then about two or three days later,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37they wanted some more money so I made the same payment again,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39another just over £2,000.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Lee's father was at home, worried sick about his son.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46He's being asked for money by the hospital.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50The insurers are saying, "You're going to have to wait while we investigate."
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It just doesn't seem like a very humane way of treating people.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Insurance claims can be very complicated
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and when you have to wait for police reports from other countries
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and perhaps have them translated, that can take a little bit of time.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05The main thing is he's receiving treatment
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and the regulator will require that the insurers treat customers fairly
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and deal with those claims promptly.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13I suppose in Lee's father's case,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the hospital was threatening to discharge his son.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18How important is it to insurers
0:06:18 > 0:06:21that they make sure that the claim is valid?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Obviously, insurers only want to pay the valid claims,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27to be fair to all policyholders.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29At £20 a go for a travel insurance policy,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32it takes a lot of policies to pay for a major claim.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34So they have to make sure they're paying the fair ones
0:06:34 > 0:06:36and then they can get it right
0:06:36 > 0:06:38for the pricing for all the policyholders.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Peter flew to Thailand to be with his son, and the same day,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46the hospital demanded another £20,000.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Extremely worried about how I was going to raise the money.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Thoughts of getting cashback on the house, you know,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00everything went through our minds. Horrible time.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03I couldn't remember anything because of the...
0:07:03 > 0:07:06cos of the...cos of the drugs I had been on.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I wasn't at all aware of what was happening
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and how I was affecting other people.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Sorry. Can we stop it just for a minute, please?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19One of the scenarios that the insurance company
0:07:19 > 0:07:22was investigating was that Lee could have been climbing up
0:07:22 > 0:07:24to the balcony from the ground and fallen.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28But photographic evidence demonstrated how unlikely
0:07:28 > 0:07:32that would be and his alcohol and drug tests came back clear.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So as the insurance company could find no proof
0:07:38 > 0:07:41that he breached any terms or conditions,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44they organised a payment two weeks after the accident.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49In total, Lee's medical treatment cost around £45,000.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53We still don't know exactly what happened,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56how Lee's accident occurred.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It's happened, it's in the past.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Lee's getting better and that's what we want to concentrate on.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06We asked Lee's insurers, Towergate, to comment on his case. They said:
0:08:25 > 0:08:28How Lee fell remains a mystery,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31but the fact that Lee's accident involves a balcony goes some way
0:08:31 > 0:08:35to explaining why his insurance company were cautious.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39What should consumers know about balcony accidents?
0:08:39 > 0:08:42There have been a lot of them recently, it seems.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Some policies have specific balcony exclusions
0:08:44 > 0:08:46so it would not be covered.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Other policies, all policies in fact, will have a general care condition
0:08:50 > 0:08:52so you have to take reasonable precautions.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57These sorts of accidents have become so prevalent that it's prompted
0:08:57 > 0:09:01the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to issue a warning advert.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's been a lesson to all my friends. Be careful.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08This is what can happen. And I'm really lucky. I shouldn't be alive.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12The only advice I could give is be sensible, to drink responsibly
0:09:12 > 0:09:16and try not to use balconies or if you do, use them sensibly.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19What should people remember about...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23reckless things like jumping off balconies into swimming pools?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It is a reckless activity.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29It's almost certainly not going to be covered by your travel insurance
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and the travel company themselves might look on that really unfavourably
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and they might ask you to leave and send you home early as well.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It's not unknown in some countries for this to be treated
0:09:38 > 0:09:42as a criminal act, particularly when you put yourself at risk,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45so it's really not a good thing to do.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I mean, that's the best scenario, is being sent home.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50The worst scenario is you're dead at the bottom of the pool.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51Absolutely, yeah.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Or paralysed or injured for life as well.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56We have seen a number of cases where people have either fell
0:09:56 > 0:10:00or jumped and had life-changing injuries,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05so they've come back off holiday and spent the rest of their life in a wheelchair.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08The cause of Lee's fall is unknown
0:10:08 > 0:10:13and the evidence gathered by the insurance company showed it was unlikely he was behaving recklessly.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But his injuries have been life-changing.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23Sometimes I feel almost 100%, other times I go through
0:10:23 > 0:10:25a proper up and down of emotions
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and when I'm feeling bad, I'm feeling bad.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31They are making a titanium-alloy, I think, plate to put in here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35That's not going to get done until towards the end of the year.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I get memory loss a fair bit.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41But I am finding that literally week by week,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44things are coming back, but it's not happening overnight.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50So Lee has a slow journey of recovery ahead.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Later on, we meet a family who weren't so lucky.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I just knew and I just said, "Is Glen dead?" He said yes.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07You're packing your bag to go on holiday.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10What's that last-minute check that everybody does?
0:11:10 > 0:11:16Bikini, money and passport. You can't go anywhere without them.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20We Brits can be quite the intrepid explorers and we love to go on holiday.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25But quite a few of us have trouble keeping our important documents safe.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Big wad of cash, passport. What do you do when you turn up here?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Get drunk.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38The singular most common problem relating to UK citizens
0:11:38 > 0:11:41travelling abroad is lost or stolen travel documents.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44There are 28,000 last year alone and this takes up
0:11:44 > 0:11:50a significant amount of time of British Foreign Commonwealth staff.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55When you got here, what did you do with your passport?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I popped it underneath the safe.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00There's a small gap under the safe and I just slid it in there
0:12:00 > 0:12:03because, you know, I'm a farmer, we're a bit skimpy, really.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07We don't like spending so I thought I'm not going to pay to put it in.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09I'll change next time, I promise!
0:12:09 > 0:12:10HE LAUGHS
0:12:10 > 0:12:15So how many of us are aware of the risks of having our passports stolen?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Matthew Hirtes is a travel expert living on Gran Canaria
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and knows just how valuable they are to the wrong kinds of people.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26If somebody took your passport, what could they do with that?
0:12:26 > 0:12:28It's identity theft.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Maybe getting people into the country, sex trafficking,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32that sort of unsavoury business.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36The nature of these crimes means that passports can change hands
0:12:36 > 0:12:39on the black market for thousands of pounds.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41We heard something about our hotel,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- with things going missing from rooms and stuff.- Right.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48So we had to buy a key for the safe.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Trouble is, in many European countries, we are required
0:12:51 > 0:12:55to carry our passports with us at all times.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Couldn't you just carry your driving licence?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The passport is a recognised form of ID over here.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Passports are universally accepted but your driving licence
0:13:05 > 0:13:10can be easily forged and is not a legal form of ID in many countries.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13I would presume the safest thing to do
0:13:13 > 0:13:17would be to put my passport in the safe.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21But you're saying I would need to carry it around with me.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25A lot of passport theft occurs if you're carrying it in your hands,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27walking through a busy tourist area.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31So have it within a money belt, for example, within a bag.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37So in the safe when down by the pool and stashed away when out and about
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but beware who asks to see your passport,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43because there is even an identity theft scam where criminals
0:13:43 > 0:13:46pose as police officers in order to steal your ID.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50They can be wearing police uniforms.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54This has happened on quite a few occasions
0:13:54 > 0:13:58and the best solution would be to maybe suggest
0:13:58 > 0:14:00that you are unhappy with them
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and you would like to make a complaint at the station.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06That tends to see them disappear quite rapidly.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Other criminals might snatch your bag
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and some people running tourist trips or hiring sports equipment
0:14:11 > 0:14:15may ask to keep hold of your passport as a deposit.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Our advice is say no.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20If your passport vanishes, it's a big problem.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22If you're abroad and you lose your passport,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27the first thing to do is tell the police because you will need an official record of it
0:14:27 > 0:14:30in order to do the rest of what needs to happen
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and that will probably involve going to the nearest British consulate
0:14:33 > 0:14:37or in some circumstances, you can just go to the airport,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42talk to the airline and they will probably talk to the passport office here in the UK,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47and then you will find that you are given a piece of paper that entitles you to travel.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50That's going to be much easier to do in the European Union
0:14:50 > 0:14:53than it is if you're in the far-flung corners of the world.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Keeping your passport safe will mean a stress-free journey home
0:14:56 > 0:14:59with it in the right hands,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01ensuring you Don't Get Done in the Sun.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10No-one wants to think about having an accident on holiday
0:15:10 > 0:15:13but it happens to hundreds of us each year
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and the aftermath can be difficult and traumatic.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Linda Hudson flew to Turkey in July 2010 with husband Glen,
0:15:22 > 0:15:27their daughter Emma and their son Ben, for two weeks of sunshine.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31They owned an apartment in a town called Side in Turkey
0:15:31 > 0:15:35which they bought in 2005 and holidayed there as much as possible.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39We hadn't had a family holiday for a long time
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and it was our 25th wedding anniversary so it was extra special.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And Glen was really looking forward to it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Especially cos the children were coming.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Over the years, Side was like a second home to the Hudsons.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55We made friends with all the locals
0:15:55 > 0:15:59that lived around us and also the bars, the hotel owners,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03they all know everybody over there, they make a point of knowing you.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05They are just lovely.
0:16:05 > 0:16:10And there was one sport that Glen had a real passion for.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Glen loved parasailing. I can remember the first time he did it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18He went up and came down and said it was the most wonderful feeling.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21He said it's peaceful, calm.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24You don't feel that you're moving, and he loved it.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Glen had been trying to persuade his daughter Emma
0:16:27 > 0:16:30to try parasailing with him this time.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34He knew not to ask me cos I hate heights so I wouldn't do it
0:16:34 > 0:16:35but he asked Emma and she iffed and ahhed
0:16:35 > 0:16:39over whether she was going to do it or not and then she said,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42"Come on then. OK. We'll do it." Then we went down the beach.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So there was about three operators, I think, on the beach that day
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and we literally just went to the closest one.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53In the UK, you would always receive a safety briefing.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55The company that we used didn't do anything.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58They never went through any safety checks.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01They never made them sign anything.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04They just literally put them in a dinghy,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06took them to the speedboat
0:17:06 > 0:17:09and put the harnesses on them and that was it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Linda sat on the beach below, waiting while her family
0:17:13 > 0:17:18enjoyed the ride, but the blissful moment wasn't to last long.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21I was laying under a parasol and the next thing,
0:17:21 > 0:17:26I heard Emma screaming. Just screaming and screaming.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32And I just said, "What's up?" And she said, "Dad fell."
0:17:34 > 0:17:36So we run down the beach
0:17:36 > 0:17:40and as I did that, the guys that we knew from the restaurant
0:17:40 > 0:17:44who had realised what's happened came and got hold of me
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and got hold of Emma and he really got hold of me tight
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and he kept saying, "You're not going.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52"I can't let you go. You can't go down there."
0:17:52 > 0:17:56And then just something inside me, I just knew.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58And I just said, "Is Glen dead?" And he said yes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03The lanyards on Glen's harness had become so worn
0:18:03 > 0:18:06they couldn't take his weight and had snapped,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09leaving him to come crashing to the beach below.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And as well as the adventure sport operator
0:18:11 > 0:18:15not maintaining their equipment, they had made another major mistake.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19When people go parasailing,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22they bring them over the land to tout for business
0:18:22 > 0:18:25but they are actually not allowed over the land
0:18:25 > 0:18:27so Glen fell onto land.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32He fell from a maximum height onto the beach...
0:18:34 > 0:18:37..and so he didn't stand a chance.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42The family believe Glen might have survived had he fallen into water.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46While the police dealt with the accident scene and Glen was taken
0:18:46 > 0:18:51off to hospital, Linda and Emma were told to go back to their apartment.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Linda never saw Glen again.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I'd have never left Glen on that beach if I was thinking right.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I don't care if he died or not,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02there's no way I would have left him on that beach.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Linda's insurance policy covered all immediate costs
0:19:05 > 0:19:09following the fall and their friends in Turkey helped the family
0:19:09 > 0:19:13deal with all the arrangements needed to deal with Glen's body.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17So two days after the accident, the family flew back to England.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I got a phone call to tell me
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Glen was coming home by a repatriation company
0:19:23 > 0:19:28who told me I needed to pay £500 before they could repatriate Glen
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and I had to pay it then.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33You do have repatriation on your insurance
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but it's not something that we look at.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40We tend to look at the medical, and his repatriation didn't cover it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43This was something of a shock for Linda,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46that she had to pay the fee to get Glen home.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Eventually, she was refunded the cost to repatriate him.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Her travel insurance was with her bank
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and they found provisions to do so.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56But many policies do cap how much they will pay out
0:19:56 > 0:19:59for certain things so always check the detail.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04These repatriations companies, it's just a business.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07If you don't pay it, you don't get him home.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Over the coming months, Linda had to pay for flights back and forth
0:20:11 > 0:20:14to Turkey and accommodation for court appearances
0:20:14 > 0:20:19while the men who ran the parasailing company faced trial.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22The owner of the company and the boat driver
0:20:22 > 0:20:26were found guilty of criminal negligence
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and they were given 22 months in jail.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32But how it works in Turkey is that everyone can appeal
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and they don't go to prison until their appeal has been heard
0:20:37 > 0:20:39so at the moment they're not in prison.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44All the trips were a small price to pay to see justice served
0:20:44 > 0:20:47for the loss of a much-loved husband and father,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50still dreadfully missed by his family.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Emma and Ben have both suffered terribly.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Emma has been having treatment for post-traumatic stress.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Ben can't even face going to see his dad's grave.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08It's had a real big impact.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Being involved in a serious accident while you're on holiday
0:21:22 > 0:21:24is a nightmare nobody wants to face
0:21:24 > 0:21:28so what do you need to know about staying safe abroad?
0:21:28 > 0:21:34How can you be sure that the company you're using is a safe one?
0:21:34 > 0:21:37If you go to do an adventure activity in the UK,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41it usually is regulated or inspected or is subject to some type of law,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45which means that the operators really do think through the risk
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and try and manage appropriately.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52That isn't necessarily the case when you go to certain EU countries and further afield.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Operators can set up and they don't need to have the same
0:21:55 > 0:21:59level of skills or experience or the same level of commitment
0:21:59 > 0:22:01to your safety as you would see in places like England.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04What should you be looking out for?
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Or what, if you see it's missing, should you think "this isn't right"?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12If that operator doesn't take your name and address at the start,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14so they don't know who you are, walk away.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16If the kit isn't stored properly or if it looks a bit tatty,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19again, I would look at the next operator.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22And then if the activities are happening in a crowded space
0:22:22 > 0:22:25so if there's lots of swimmers or other activity,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28those are some of the key indicators that I would say,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30"No, go somewhere else."
0:22:30 > 0:22:35I really wish that when Glen had got on,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38he'd asked a few questions about health and safety.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41"What do I do if anything goes wrong?"...
0:22:41 > 0:22:47would be a major one, because they are not forthcoming with the information.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Also, I wish Glen had looked at his harness.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53For that to have broken like that,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56it must have been in a really poor way.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So if you're taking part in an adventure sport,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02choose your operator with caution.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05If you're looking for some kind of Kitemark to say,
0:23:05 > 0:23:13"this company has international health and safety standards in place", you're not going to find it?
0:23:13 > 0:23:17That's why we'd say think about going to UK operators,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19go to the local tourist providers
0:23:19 > 0:23:22cos they will usually have an informal system where
0:23:22 > 0:23:25they've checked these out before they recommend them to you.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29But it is a gap and something we have been looking at for a while now.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Is there any prospect of that gap being filled?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35It needs to be used by enough providers so that consumers recognise
0:23:35 > 0:23:38that so it's one of them that we need to drive through the EU
0:23:38 > 0:23:41which by the nature of it takes an eternity to happen, really.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45So it really needs some political support.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49As Linda's story demonstrates, accidents do happen.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53So firstly, who do you tell?
0:23:53 > 0:23:55What we would suggest in the first instance
0:23:55 > 0:23:59if either an accident or a relative or friend has died,
0:23:59 > 0:24:04is firstly to contact the consular service in that particular country.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08For all Brits travelling abroad, if something goes wrong
0:24:08 > 0:24:10or the worst happens,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13the British consulate in that region is there to help.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15The difficulty comes when you're on holiday
0:24:15 > 0:24:19and perhaps it's a tragic accident. People are not ready.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22They are dealing with shock, they are in denial of what's happened
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and are in a foreign country in a foreign language.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29We are able to help offer the best possible support to the deceased's
0:24:29 > 0:24:32relatives or friends who are holidaying with them,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34let them get in touch with the UK,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36perhaps liaise with insurance companies
0:24:36 > 0:24:37or really help sort out
0:24:37 > 0:24:40the repatriation of a loved one back to the UK.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Your travel insurance policy can be almost as important
0:24:51 > 0:24:54as your passport when travelling abroad.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Here in a hospital in the Algarve, I've met holidaymakers Bob and Ginny
0:24:58 > 0:25:01whose holiday has ended in disaster.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06So Bob, tell me what happened, and why are you here?
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I'm here because my wife had a riding accident.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13She was doing a routine ride and the horse slipped
0:25:13 > 0:25:17and she fell on her head and broke her neck.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Once you told the insurer then what had happened, how did they react?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Once they knew that my wife had broken her neck, it was all go.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Within ten minutes, indemnity arrived at the hospital to cover treatment
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and everything since then has been covered by them.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38They tell me it's about 600 euros per day here for basic care,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40let alone scans, MRIs, repatriation.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44You could have been looking at a five-figure sum
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- if you hadn't had insurance. - At least.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51It could be more than 10,000 and quite a lot more than 10,000.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54So Ginny will have to stay in hospital in Portugal
0:25:54 > 0:25:59for a while longer, but at least Bob can relax, knowing all her treatment is paid for.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04So now what are your feelings about travel insurance?
0:26:04 > 0:26:09I will always make sure on all my trips that we are both covered.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16All our stories have demonstrated how important it is to always check your insurance policy.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21What activities can people do, knowing that they are safely covered?
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Most activities can be covered under a travel insurance policy,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27so things like jet-skiing, parasailing,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31even licensed bungee jumping can be covered normally on a travel insurance policy.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35It's when you go to the really dangerous circumstances,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37so something like kite surfing, which is very high risk,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40waterskiing with jumps or unlicensed bungee jumping,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43that's when you'd need to refer it to the specialist broker market
0:26:43 > 0:26:45to try and find someone to cover that.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48How clear is it when you buy your policy
0:26:48 > 0:26:51exactly what you are covered for and what you are not covered for?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53The policy booklets themselves are very clear
0:26:53 > 0:26:56on what is and isn't covered, providing you read it.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Many people click and buy online without looking at the detail.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01They're just looking at the price.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And if by any chance you're not insured,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07choose your hospital carefully.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10If you or a family member does have an accident abroad,
0:27:10 > 0:27:15what would your advice be about where to go to get treatment?
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I think our advice is to always try to go to the state hospital,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21the national hospitals that are there in that country.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23If you go to private hospitals, that can sometimes be very,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26very expensive and you want to try to avoid that.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Particularly if you're not insured.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32For anyone planning a trip involving any sort of risky activity,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Linda has a final word of warning.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38We go on holiday, it's lovely.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42You're with your family, you're relaxed, you're having fun.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46And do you know, the last thing you think about is, "Is that OK?"
0:27:46 > 0:27:49You know, you are just too relaxed.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Your mind is in a relaxed mode and there's an old saying,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55"You leave your sense in the airport", and I think we do.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd