Episode 12 Rip Off Britain


Episode 12

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We asked you who has left you feeling ripped off

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when it comes to your holidays.

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And you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.

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Obviously I'm not going to risk my child's life.

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So I had to get off the flight.

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I am absolutely devastated for my grandson,

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who's not getting the holiday I wanted him to have.

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Whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake,

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or a catch in the small print,

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we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.

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Your stories, your money - this is Rip-Off Britain.

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Hello and thank you so much for joining us for a sunny edition

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of Rip-Off Britain. Now, this series, we're in Tenerife,

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getting to grips with more of the travel and holiday stories

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that you've asked us to investigate on your behalf.

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And while thankfully most trips away go perfectly smoothly,

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today we'll be sharing some really quite shocking examples

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of just how quickly things can go very seriously wrong.

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And that's because, as we'll see,

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if you or someone with whom you're travelling falls ill

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or has an accident which, let's face it,

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is something that can happen like that, in just a second,

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then it's not only the holiday that might be ruined,

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the consequences can last way after you've already returned home.

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And while of course you can never entirely remove the risk

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of that sort of thing happening, there are ways that

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you can give yourself the best chance of staying safe.

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So, as we hear a real mix of dramatic experience,

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get ready for some tips and advice to help you do just that.

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Coming up - how the shortage of a vital health jab needed

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for some top destinations could mean holiday-makers

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who plan to go there will end up having to pay more.

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It was shocking and it was stressful

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that this immunisation wasn't available.

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We'd not been made aware when we booked the holiday

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that there was an issue.

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And after cases of an illness spread by insect bites

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have rocketed across Europe,

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we've got everything you need to know to keep yourself safe.

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The symptoms can really vary between different people.

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Some people can get it and not even know they've got it.

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Other people can develop very serious symptoms.

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Thanks to global immunisation programmes,

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some of the world's deadliest diseases

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have thankfully been consigned to history.

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But there are still parts of the world where thousands and

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thousands of people die from illnesses that have largely been

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wiped out in other countries.

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So if you're headed to one of those areas,

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then it really is essential that you make sure you're protected against

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catching anything nasty by getting the right set of injections

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before you go.

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But with supplies of one particular vaccination running low,

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some holiday-makers are opting to travel

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without getting the recommended set of jabs,

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which in itself creates a much greater risk

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than they might realise, and not just to themselves.

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Whether you're on a package deal to Brazil

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or planning a trek through Thailand,

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there are still plenty of diseases holiday-makers may be exposed to

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when travelling to far-flung places.

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And one of the most common of those is hepatitis A.

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Especially nasty and highly contagious,

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it can lead to severe sickness and even liver failure,

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which is why the advice has long been to get yourself vaccinated

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before heading off to somewhere exotic.

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And of course with fares to such places

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being increasingly affordable,

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a growing number of us are doing exactly that,

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including supermarket manager Darren Monks.

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In early 2017,

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he was in the thick of organising his wedding to his fiancee Danielle,

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and his job was to book their honeymoon.

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So, keen to make the experience extra special,

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he chose a beach holiday to Mexico.

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As a couple, obviously we wanted some time together to, you know,

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celebrate the wedding and obviously to relax after the wedding,

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and it just looked like the perfect holiday.

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Obviously it was something different, it wasn't in Europe,

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where we would normally go with the children.

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So, yeah, pretty much it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

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to enjoy it, really, enjoy the holiday.

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Attracted by the white sandy beaches and near-guaranteed good weather,

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Darren went ahead and booked the honeymoon online.

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The paperwork came through and they were all set to fly

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the day after the wedding.

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But as the day came closer,

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he realised he'd forgotten something really important.

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Having spoken to a few people around me, you know,

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saying we were going to Mexico,

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we realised that we needed the vaccines,

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which is something that we had to sort out pretty sharpish.

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Mexico is just one of the popular destinations for which

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it's recommended that you get vaccinated against hepatitis A.

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Other areas include the Indian subcontinent, Africa,

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Central and South America, and the Far East.

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The problem was, when both Darren and Danielle

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went to their respective GPs,

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they were told that supplies of that particular vaccine had run out.

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So I was told that there was a problem with the hepatitis A vaccine

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and it was a shortage.

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The nurse at that time, she issued me with a pamphlet

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and information from the NHS stating the risks involved

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on going on holiday if not having the vaccine.

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I then left, obviously...

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..thinking that I could potentially get my vaccine at another doctor's,

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another practice or even privately.

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But I'm afraid it wasn't quite that simple.

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Far from being a brief localised difficulty,

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there was a global shortage of the crucial vaccine and, at the time,

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most GPs and private clinics were running very low on stocks.

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We tried several...

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..you know, out-of-hours clinics, we looked online and we could see that,

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yeah, there was an issue.

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Now, within the travel industry, the shortage of the hepatitis A vaccine,

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which I'm afraid is ongoing, had been well-known for some time.

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In recent years, demand for it had boomed,

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not least because of a rise in the number of hepatitis outbreaks

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right across the world.

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Between May 2016 and May 2017,

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there was an unusually high number

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of new cases in Europe,

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the USA and Chile,

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and manufacturers simply couldn't keep up with the demand.

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So Darren's annoyed that they only found out about all of this

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a few weeks before his honeymoon,

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and that it hadn't been highlighted on the website when he booked.

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It was shocking and it was stressful that, you know,

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the fact that this immunisation, you know, wasn't available.

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We'd not been made aware when we booked the holiday,

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we'd not been made aware in any correspondence

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from the holiday company that there was an issue.

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Darren did eventually find a private travel clinic

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that did have stocks of the vaccine,

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but I'm afraid it was going to cost them £300,

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which was money that they simply hadn't budgeted for.

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So the couple decided to take the risk

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and travel without being vaccinated.

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And, you know, they're not alone in that.

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The international shortage has led to a lot of people travelling

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to their destinations unprotected.

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Hello, Nomad Travel, Amy speaking. How can I help?

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This is a travel clinic in central Manchester.

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Hi, I'm Emily. I'm one of the nurses.

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Do you want to come through?

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Jamie Crell is weeks away from going travelling

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to a part of the world where really he needs a range of vaccinations,

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including hepatitis A.

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-So, you're off to Cambodia and Thailand?

-Yeah.

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Is that right? Yeah.

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But nurse Emily has some bad news.

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So these are sort of the normal vaccines recommended for travel.

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Sort of the hepatitis A, the tetanus

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-and the typhoid are the standard ones.

-Yeah.

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-So both of those are through contaminated food and water.

-Yeah.

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-Unfortunately we've got a shortage of the...

-Yeah.

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You've probably heard, yeah, but we have got a shortage

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of the hepatitis A at the moment.

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-So we can't actually give you that one, unfortunately.

-Yeah.

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Jamie's able to get other vaccines recommended for anyone visiting

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Cambodia and Thailand, but like many travel clinics up and down the UK,

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Emily doesn't have hepatitis A vaccine in stock.

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Occasionally we have been getting sort of little dribs and drabs

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of the vaccine and then we'll have it available,

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but it'll go really quickly cos it is one of the most common ones

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recommended for most destinations.

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-All done.

-Cheers, perfect.

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So without the vaccine,

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all Emily can do is offer holiday-makers advice

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on how to avoid hepatitis A,

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the symptoms of which can be pretty nasty.

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Even though it's not usually a fatal disease,

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it will make you feel pretty rough for a few weeks. Erm...

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But it's also contagious,

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so if somebody was to go away, contract hepatitis A, come back,

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they can then pass it on to family members, colleagues.

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You know, if they give it to their kids,

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there's then outbreaks in schools potentially.

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You know, that's the sort of public health concern with hepatitis A.

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So to reduce the risk of catching the disease where it's prevalent,

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Emily has a few tips,

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which begin with only eating thoroughly cooked hot food.

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In general, things like making sure that food's really well cooked,

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not eating things like salads that, you know,

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anything that hasn't been washed very well or it hasn't been cooked.

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You're relying on people having washed their hands before

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they've prepared your food, basically.

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And if they haven't done that, then you can get ill.

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So generally if something's really hot,

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it's too hot to eat straightaway,

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that's going to have killed any bugs that might be in there.

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So avoiding buffets and food served cold is a good way to stay safe.

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And Emily recommends being extra careful when drinking water.

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Water's really important.

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So it's important to either buy bottled water

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or there are kind of filter bottles that you can buy,

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where you can just fill up with tap water and drink it through

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a good filter that kills things off.

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Emily's next patient is Tom Southern.

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He's here for vaccines for a trek through a remote jungle in Thailand.

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Whereabouts in Thailand is it that you're going to be?

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So, going to start in Bangkok

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and then to Chiang Mai as well.

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And how long are you in the sort of the jungle region in Chiang Mai?

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Maybe a week in Chiang Mai,

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but I'm thinking about doing a proper, like, four-day trek

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-in the jungle.

-OK.

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Tom's been able to get some of the hepatitis A vaccine from his GP,

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but I'm afraid only a child's dose.

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You're quite lucky you've had the hep A.

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I would say that one's probably the bigger thing,

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cos you're definitely going to eat and drink and that one's more

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prevalent through food and water.

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So it's good that you've got that one.

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The other vaccines Tom needs for his jungle adventure include

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jabs for rabies and Japanese encephalitis,

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and those will be setting him back more than £180,

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because while some holiday vaccines,

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including those for hepatitis A and typhoid,

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you can usually get from your GP for free,

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there are others that aren't paid for by the NHS.

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And now in light of the shortage of the hepatitis vaccines,

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and the growing cost to the NHS to provide them,

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the debate has reopened as to whether holiday-makers

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should really be able to get any of these without charge on the NHS,

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and the whole issue is under review.

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Larry Goodyer is a professor at the School of Pharmacy

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at the De Montfort University

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and explains why the review has been instigated.

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There are some vaccines which are free - hepatitis A is one of them.

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There's some vaccines which are not free and you have to pay for,

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like yellow fever.

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And the big question being asked at the moment is, those that are free,

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should they continue to be free?

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Because essentially the NHS might be seen as paying

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for people's holidays or contributing to them.

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In March 2017,

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the NHS Clinical Commissioners identified a variety of savings

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that could be made if the NHS stopped providing

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certain items for free.

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If that happened with travel vaccinations,

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around £9.5 million could be freed up for other priorities.

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The recommendations were put out for consultation

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and Public Health England is expected to announce the result

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in March 2018.

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But Professor Goodyer believes that regardless of the outcome

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of the review, people should consider the cost of vaccinations

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before booking their holiday.

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I believe that people should be factoring in the cost of vaccines

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and the cost of other travel health requirements to their trip,

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and these can vary quite considerably

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depending on what you're doing.

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So the cost of going to the same country in one situation

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could be quite different to another, where you might be going for longer

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and doing something more adventurous.

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Of course, back in Prestwich, Darren hadn't budgeted for

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getting his hepatitis A vaccines,

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which is why after all the costs of the wedding,

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he and Danielle took the decision to travel to Mexico without them.

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Well, I'm glad to say their honeymoon went well

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and they returned in good health.

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But he accepts that paying for jabs may well be an extra cost

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that he'll need to factor into future trips.

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I think when I'm booking my next holiday to somewhere where you need

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travel vaccinations which you've got to pay for,

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I'm going to have to budget that in for my family,

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and that ultimately may influence where I go,

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based on the budget and what the immunisations are going to cost.

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Now, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that one of the downsides

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of travelling abroad to warmer places

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is the increase in the number of creepy crawlies that seem determined

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to quite literally get under my skin.

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And though most bugs will leave you with no more than a nip or a sting,

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there's one whose bite, if you leave it untreated,

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could leave you needing far more serious treatment

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when you return home.

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But the good news is, there is a way to protect yourself.

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So don't go anywhere until you hear what that is.

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Summer holidays aren't just about relaxing by the beach.

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For many people, heading to the countryside for walks,

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picnics and even camping is an ideal way to relax.

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But these outdoor activities come with a health hazard.

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In many holiday hot spots around the UK and Europe,

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ticks are a major and rapidly growing problem.

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These small spider-like creatures bury themselves into your skin

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and can pass on a condition called Lyme disease,

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which, if left untreated,

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can lead to tiredness and muscle pain and perhaps heart problems,

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seizures or even death.

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Veronika Valentova is from the Czech Republic

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and has been in the UK for the last 15 years.

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She lives in Bristol with her two children

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and as a family they love the great outdoors.

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I love being in nature.

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I love being outdoors, you know,

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just walk and look around.

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It just feels great. You feel free.

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My children love nature. Be able to do and explore

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is just much more rewarding than being inside, playing with toys.

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Back in 2016, when Veronika was seven months pregnant with Isabella,

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she took her son Michael on holiday to the Czech Republic to spend time

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with the family and learn more about the country they were from.

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Every morning he would go to Czech preschool, where he would learn

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the language, and every afternoon, we would spend in nature.

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So we would go out in the forest and we would build houses

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from lots of natural stuff like sticks, and we would scout

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and we would play hide-and-seek in the fields.

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You know, just things that we don't get to do very much in England.

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But after one such walk in the countryside,

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Veronika found a tick attached to her skin.

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Something was itching me under my breast

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and I kept scratching it, scratching it, scratching it.

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I was thinking, "What's that?"

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And I just scrapped it away, pulled it and saw it was a tick.

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But obviously without the legs

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because I didn't remove it correctly.

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Veronika wasn't particularly worried

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and continued with her summer holiday, but within a few weeks,

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she started to feel seriously unwell.

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I had severe pain in my pelvis and in my hips.

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It was really hard to walk,

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it was really hard to really get out of bed and do anything

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and I was already 40 weeks pregnant and I thought I've got flu.

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Maybe it's the hot weather and the pregnancy.

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I didn't know really. Just forgot all about the tick bite. Didn't,

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just didn't pop in my head at all.

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Putting her symptoms down to the late stages of pregnancy,

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it was some time before Veronika sought out medical help.

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She had no idea that what she was suffering from

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was most likely Lyme disease,

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caught from the tick that she'd found buried in her skin.

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At the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,

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Dr James Logan has studied the condition closely over the years.

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Lyme disease is a bacteria which is found inside the tick

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when it's infected and so when it bites,

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it can transmit the bacteria into us.

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Now, the symptoms of Lyme disease can really vary

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between different people.

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Some people can get it and not even know they've got it.

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Other people can develop very severe symptoms,

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and certainly if you have it and it goes untreated for a long period

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of time, it can cause paralysis,

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it can start to affect the internal organs.

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If you have any symptoms within a few days of being bitten by a tick,

0:17:360:17:41

then a course of antibiotics can help.

0:17:410:17:43

But leave it for any length of time

0:17:430:17:45

and there's a risk of long-term damage.

0:17:450:17:48

One of the clues that you might have caught Lyme disease

0:17:480:17:51

is a particular kind of rash.

0:17:510:17:53

One of the telltale signs of Lyme disease

0:17:530:17:55

is a rash called an erythema migrans, or a bull's-eye rash.

0:17:550:17:59

So it's just a red rash that looks like a bull's-eye

0:17:590:18:02

and it starts to spread.

0:18:020:18:04

And if you have that, you definitely have Lyme disease,

0:18:040:18:07

but it's only found in 50% of people that have Lyme disease.

0:18:070:18:10

So if you don't have it, it doesn't mean you don't have Lyme disease.

0:18:100:18:13

Peekaboo!

0:18:130:18:15

Back at home in Bristol,

0:18:150:18:17

shortly after her summer holiday Veronika gave birth to Isabella,

0:18:170:18:20

who is perfectly healthy.

0:18:200:18:22

But she continued to feel very weak and then she noticed that red rash.

0:18:220:18:27

I actually got a rash all over my chest and all over my back.

0:18:270:18:31

And I went to the doctor's, asked about the rash and they said,

0:18:310:18:35

"Oh, you are breast-feeding, you are weak.

0:18:350:18:37

"It's still early days after the delivery.

0:18:370:18:39

"We don't know what it is. It could be just that your immune system

0:18:390:18:43

"is a bit low." So they gave me some steroid cream to put on the rash.

0:18:430:18:49

But sure that it was something more serious,

0:18:510:18:53

Veronika went to see a doctor back home in the Czech Republic,

0:18:530:18:57

who said her long list of symptoms exactly mirrored

0:18:570:19:00

what you could expect with Lyme disease.

0:19:000:19:02

Frustratingly, though,

0:19:020:19:04

here in the UK she's yet to have it formally diagnosed

0:19:040:19:07

as her blood tests have come back negative,

0:19:070:19:10

which, according to Dr Logan, is common in Lyme disease cases.

0:19:100:19:15

One of the tricky things about Lyme disease is that it can be

0:19:150:19:18

quite difficult to diagnose, so there are diagnostic techniques,

0:19:180:19:21

but they don't always give a positive result when they should.

0:19:210:19:25

But it's not just about the diagnostic test,

0:19:250:19:26

it's also about the history of where you've been -

0:19:260:19:29

where have you been on holiday, what have the symptoms been?

0:19:290:19:34

Well, Veronika is in no doubt that it IS Lyme disease

0:19:340:19:36

that she's suffering from. Over the last 18 months,

0:19:360:19:39

she's had to leave her job as a childminder

0:19:390:19:42

and seek help from family and friends like Christina

0:19:420:19:45

to help carry out the simplest of tasks.

0:19:450:19:48

I can see a change almost every day. She's just getting worse.

0:19:480:19:51

It's just getting... The symptoms are getting worse.

0:19:510:19:54

Because I am with her every day, I can actually see it.

0:19:540:19:58

I can see that she's got really bad days.

0:19:580:20:01

You know, she, she's just getting worse.

0:20:010:20:03

I struggle to get out of bed.

0:20:060:20:08

I struggle to just do basic things like making myself breakfast,

0:20:080:20:13

because sometimes I get so weak I can't even carry a bowl with cereal.

0:20:130:20:17

It's just too heavy.

0:20:170:20:19

And sometimes the pain is so crippling

0:20:190:20:22

that you just can't get on. You need so much painkillers

0:20:220:20:25

that make you drowsy and make you even worse than you are.

0:20:250:20:28

And you like feeding Mummy.

0:20:280:20:30

Mm!

0:20:310:20:32

Now, of course there are ticks in the UK

0:20:340:20:36

as well as in holiday destinations abroad.

0:20:360:20:39

Around 6% of the ones found here are estimated to carry Lyme disease,

0:20:390:20:43

whereas in Central Europe, the figure is around 20%.

0:20:430:20:47

And with the number of ticks increasing by as much as 70%

0:20:470:20:50

in the last ten years, you can see why it's feared that

0:20:500:20:54

holiday-makers to European countries,

0:20:540:20:56

where the tiny creatures are most common,

0:20:560:20:58

face a growing risk of being bitten

0:20:580:21:00

and possibly contracting the disease.

0:21:000:21:02

In France, where 17 million Brits visit every year,

0:21:030:21:07

ticks have been described as a major health issue

0:21:070:21:10

after an increase in cases of Lyme disease over the last ten years.

0:21:100:21:14

There were 27,000 recorded in 2016 alone.

0:21:140:21:18

Indeed, so seriously is the risk considered for tourists

0:21:180:21:21

that an app has been launched called Signalement Tique

0:21:210:21:25

which translates as "tick alert".

0:21:250:21:28

With the help of people registering locations

0:21:280:21:30

where they've been bitten,

0:21:300:21:32

it's been designed to build up a map of the areas it's best to avoid.

0:21:320:21:36

An English version recently came out

0:21:360:21:38

so that non-French-speaking visitors can use it too.

0:21:380:21:42

In other destinations, however,

0:21:420:21:44

you might just need to keep your wits about you.

0:21:440:21:47

So, back in his lab

0:21:470:21:48

at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,

0:21:480:21:51

Dr Logan has advice on what to look out for.

0:21:510:21:54

If you're in the countryside,

0:21:560:21:57

and particularly if you're in an area where there's lots of deer

0:21:570:22:00

and there's fairly sort of long, longish grass,

0:22:000:22:03

that's the kind of place where you're likely to pick up a tick.

0:22:030:22:06

And anybody can pick up a tick.

0:22:060:22:07

They do a behaviour called questing.

0:22:070:22:09

So they climb to the edge of vegetation

0:22:090:22:11

and they put their front legs out

0:22:110:22:12

and as you walk past, they'll cling on.

0:22:120:22:14

Once that the tick has found a place on your skin

0:22:160:22:18

in which to bury itself,

0:22:180:22:20

it's then than it can potentially pass on Lyme disease,

0:22:200:22:23

and Dr Logan has drafted in an assistant

0:22:230:22:25

to demonstrate how they do it.

0:22:250:22:28

So we're just going to put the tick

0:22:280:22:29

onto the start line of your hand here.

0:22:290:22:31

And what it should do is start to climb upwards.

0:22:310:22:34

That's what we call questing behaviour.

0:22:340:22:36

And it does that because it's trying to find a place to feed on

0:22:360:22:39

on your blood, essentially, a nice, warm, sweaty place.

0:22:390:22:42

So it has these sort of sensing organs

0:22:420:22:44

on its legs called the Haller's organ,

0:22:440:22:46

and it uses that to detect carbon dioxide

0:22:460:22:48

and other chemicals given off the skin.

0:22:480:22:50

So your arm at the moment smells really attractive to a tick.

0:22:500:22:53

And you can see, actually, it's turned around

0:22:530:22:55

and it's starting to head north now, isn't it?

0:22:550:22:57

So if you're planning to venture into the countryside this year,

0:22:570:23:01

either in the UK or in Europe, James advises some simple precautions

0:23:010:23:05

to keep the ticks at bay.

0:23:050:23:07

So there are lots of ways that you can protect yourself against ticks.

0:23:070:23:11

So you can tuck your trousers into your socks,

0:23:110:23:13

which stops them being able to get in. You can wear wellies as well.

0:23:130:23:16

And of course if it's the middle of summer and it's really hot,

0:23:160:23:18

you can use insect repellents and they work really well,

0:23:180:23:21

so you can spray them on the skin or on your clothing.

0:23:210:23:25

As Dr Logan has demonstrated before,

0:23:250:23:28

the most effective repellents are the ones that contain deet.

0:23:280:23:31

It smells quite nice to us, actually, doesn't it?

0:23:310:23:34

But to a tick, hopefully, it won't smell very nice.

0:23:340:23:38

Once deet has been applied, the tick will quickly change its mind

0:23:380:23:42

and be repelled away from your skin.

0:23:420:23:44

So it's definitely not as active, this one, is it?

0:23:440:23:46

-No.

-It's slowly making its way up,

0:23:460:23:48

but it's actually starting to go sideways now.

0:23:480:23:51

And it's not sticking its legs out,

0:23:510:23:53

you know, it's not actually doing that sort of characteristic

0:23:530:23:56

sort of questing behaviour.

0:23:560:23:58

So that's three minutes.

0:23:580:23:59

The repellent was applied down to this line here,

0:23:590:24:01

on your arm, this middle line.

0:24:010:24:03

It hasn't even crossed that line.

0:24:030:24:05

So it absolutely is being repelled by this, so this passes the test.

0:24:050:24:09

This repellent works against ticks.

0:24:090:24:11

And if the worst happens and you do find a tick on your body,

0:24:110:24:15

here's how to get rid of it safely.

0:24:150:24:18

So the best way to remove a tick is to use a very,

0:24:180:24:21

very fine pair of tweezers, not the ones you pluck your eyebrows with,

0:24:210:24:24

but a very fine pair of tweezers that you can buy in

0:24:240:24:27

sort of outdoor shops.

0:24:270:24:28

Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upward,

0:24:280:24:33

quite firmly upwards.

0:24:330:24:35

So, no twisting with the tweezers.

0:24:350:24:38

You can also buy tools that kind of look like

0:24:380:24:40

a sort of claw of a hammer, for example,

0:24:400:24:43

and you can use those to grab the tick, again, near the skin,

0:24:430:24:47

and with those ones you do twist.

0:24:470:24:49

So those are the two main best methods to remove a tick.

0:24:490:24:53

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when removing a tick

0:24:540:24:58

is not to kill or try to harm it

0:24:580:25:00

as this can cause the tick to secrete more of

0:25:000:25:03

its toxins into your bloodstream.

0:25:030:25:05

That may well have happened to Veronika when she scraped

0:25:050:25:08

the tick off her skin, something she now really regrets.

0:25:080:25:12

If I could take the time back,

0:25:120:25:14

I would be much more aware about ticks,

0:25:140:25:17

how to prevent ticks in the first place,

0:25:170:25:19

if you have got bitten, how to remove the tick safely

0:25:190:25:24

and what to look for after.

0:25:240:25:27

So if a week after I got bitten by a tick,

0:25:270:25:32

after that I got flu-like symptoms, I know I need treatment now...

0:25:320:25:38

..immediately.

0:25:380:25:40

And while Veronika continues to struggle with the consequences

0:25:410:25:45

of being bitten, she wants to raise awareness

0:25:450:25:48

so that no other holiday-maker has to deal with that too.

0:25:480:25:52

A year ago, I was a completely healthy, fit mother,

0:25:520:25:56

who just would never stop, you know,

0:25:560:25:58

I loved my job, I looked after children, you know?

0:25:580:26:01

I was running every day and I was just happy.

0:26:010:26:04

And a year later, I'm 35 and I feel like I'm 70 years old.

0:26:040:26:11

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain,

0:26:200:26:21

our travel experts are tackling your holiday problems to do with

0:26:210:26:26

everything from lost luggage

0:26:260:26:27

to flight delays at our annual pop-up shop.

0:26:270:26:32

So I would argue that as a gesture of goodwill,

0:26:320:26:35

the airline should be giving you that money back.

0:26:350:26:39

Our travel expert, Simon Calder,

0:26:420:26:44

is full of the secrets that save you money on your travels.

0:26:440:26:47

He is full of tips on everything from how to avoid the crowds

0:26:470:26:51

to the best way to steer clear of those tourist traps.

0:26:510:26:54

This time, South Africa.

0:26:540:26:56

Bleak midwinter in the UK spells the height of summer in South Africa.

0:26:580:27:02

And with flights from Britain surprisingly affordable,

0:27:020:27:05

a holiday there could be more within reach than you think.

0:27:050:27:08

But make sure that you've got the correct paperwork sorted out

0:27:080:27:11

well in advance of your trip.

0:27:110:27:12

Plenty of families head for South Africa but very sadly

0:27:120:27:15

some of them get no further than the airport check-in desk.

0:27:150:27:19

Strict rules intended to combat child trafficking mean that every

0:27:190:27:24

traveller under 18 must have an unabridged birth certificate.

0:27:240:27:29

And it's the full, unabridged version that is needed

0:27:290:27:32

with both parents' details listed.

0:27:320:27:34

Without this, you're not going anywhere.

0:27:340:27:36

And unless both natural parents are travelling with the child,

0:27:360:27:41

it gets even more complicated, with legal affidavits required,

0:27:410:27:45

so do your homework, and bear in mind that this applies

0:27:450:27:49

even if you're only changing planes in South Africa

0:27:490:27:53

en route to another southern African nation.

0:27:530:27:56

Thank you.

0:27:560:27:57

But the hassle of getting into the country is certainly worth it.

0:27:580:28:02

And if wildlife is your thing, or quite frankly even if it isn't,

0:28:020:28:05

booking a safari is a must,

0:28:050:28:07

as the country has lots of record-breaking animals,

0:28:070:28:10

including the cheetah, the fastest land mammal,

0:28:100:28:13

the largest bird, the ostrich,

0:28:130:28:16

the tallest animal, the giraffe,

0:28:160:28:18

and of course the largest land mammal, elephants.

0:28:180:28:21

South Africa is a marvellous destination for close encounters

0:28:210:28:25

with wildlife, and because most of the National Parks

0:28:250:28:29

are free of malaria,

0:28:290:28:30

it's a great family-friendly safari destination.

0:28:300:28:35

However, mosquitoes can carry all manner of other nasty diseases.

0:28:350:28:39

So one word - repellent.

0:28:390:28:41

No, not me, what to slap on as sunset approaches.

0:28:410:28:46

And once off the safari track,

0:28:460:28:48

getting about the rest of the country by car is straightforward.

0:28:480:28:52

South Africa has the longest wine route in the world,

0:28:520:28:55

stretching from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

0:28:550:28:58

The route spans more than 530 miles,

0:28:580:29:01

with more vineyards than you can shake a stick at.

0:29:010:29:03

Though as a tourist you'll stand out like a sore thumb,

0:29:030:29:06

so stick to main roads and well-lit areas to avoid being targeted

0:29:060:29:11

by robbers, and drive carefully.

0:29:110:29:13

Before you decide to rent a car in South Africa,

0:29:130:29:16

bear in mind that driving can be very dangerous.

0:29:160:29:19

Relative to the population,

0:29:190:29:21

the road death toll in South Africa is nine times worse than in Britain.

0:29:210:29:26

In fact, if driving seems too daunting,

0:29:270:29:30

then take a professionally run tour company that takes in

0:29:300:29:32

all the sites as well as offering you some security.

0:29:320:29:36

The freedom to do what you want may also be an option.

0:29:360:29:39

The Foreign Office warns there's a high incidence of credit card fraud

0:29:390:29:42

in South Africa and so do I.

0:29:420:29:45

Last time I was there I paid for a meal,

0:29:450:29:47

my card was taken to a back office for "processing".

0:29:470:29:51

Next thing I knew, it had been skimmed,

0:29:510:29:54

all the details used to create a new forged card with the villains

0:29:540:29:58

starting spending my money.

0:29:580:30:00

So never, ever let your card out of your sight.

0:30:000:30:04

We get scores of letters and e-mails from people telling us about

0:30:130:30:17

the problems that they've had with either travel or holiday plans,

0:30:170:30:21

which means that whenever we come to our pop-up shop,

0:30:210:30:24

our travel guru, Simon Calder,

0:30:240:30:25

is always inundated with people who are just asking for his help.

0:30:250:30:29

So this year he's been joined by Emma Colthurst

0:30:290:30:33

and between them they really have helped

0:30:330:30:35

dozens of people with their travel problems.

0:30:350:30:38

Among the people who came to see Emma was Shelley,

0:30:430:30:46

who had particular needs for her last holiday

0:30:460:30:49

but right from the start things didn't quite go to plan.

0:30:490:30:52

The first thing was, we got on the plane,

0:30:530:30:56

and we were put in front of a cupboard

0:30:560:30:59

and I couldn't even move my legs.

0:30:590:31:01

I can't sit for too long without stiffening up,

0:31:010:31:04

so I have to stretch my legs and I couldn't do it.

0:31:040:31:06

You might think a cramped seat is just one of those things.

0:31:070:31:11

But as Shelley suffers from back and knee problems,

0:31:110:31:14

she'd deliberately paid extra

0:31:140:31:15

so that she would have more room on the flight.

0:31:150:31:18

We'd bought extra-legroom tickets.

0:31:180:31:20

So it literally said extra legroom.

0:31:200:31:23

Was it any different than a normal seat, then?

0:31:230:31:25

No. Not at all.

0:31:250:31:27

Did you see better seats with legroom on the plane?

0:31:270:31:30

Yes, I've always had those.

0:31:300:31:32

And the travel agent who we've booked with for years

0:31:320:31:35

knows my profile. So they know what I expect.

0:31:350:31:39

So I don't understand how we got pushed over there.

0:31:390:31:42

They were just like ordinary seats.

0:31:420:31:45

Shelley has tried asking her travel agent why she was put in

0:31:450:31:48

such bad seats but was told it was out of their hands.

0:31:480:31:51

But Emma doesn't think she should leave it at that.

0:31:510:31:55

So I think in terms of what you can do,

0:31:550:31:57

you can contact the airline directly.

0:31:570:31:59

Go straight to the airline, that's one thing I haven't done.

0:31:590:32:02

And say, you know, I don't feel that we got the adequate legroom

0:32:020:32:06

and we didn't get the same amount of legroom, we wouldn't have paid for that.

0:32:060:32:10

-No.

-Because you want your money back, don't you?

0:32:100:32:12

-Yeah.

-Presumably. The extra that you paid.

0:32:120:32:14

If you want to, you could take it up with CEDR.

0:32:140:32:17

The Centre for Effected Dispute Resolution.

0:32:170:32:19

They will look at it independently and provide you with a binding judgment.

0:32:190:32:22

But that will cost you £25 if you are unsuccessful,

0:32:220:32:26

so you will need to weigh up how much that will cost you, is it worth it.

0:32:260:32:29

But complain to the airline.

0:32:290:32:30

-Yeah.

-And see if you can get your money back.

0:32:300:32:33

But all of that was just the start of her problems.

0:32:330:32:36

Due to her back and leg issues,

0:32:360:32:38

Shelley had asked her travel agent for a resort that is all on one level.

0:32:380:32:42

But the hotel she had been put in was totally unsuitable.

0:32:420:32:46

Lunch, you have to go downstairs...

0:32:460:32:50

..to the beach restaurant.

0:32:500:32:53

Right. Is there a lift? No.

0:32:540:32:57

How do I get there? Well, there was 25 steps, which were my nightmare.

0:32:570:33:04

Every day was my nightmare.

0:33:040:33:06

And sometimes I would just get so upset about it because it hurts...

0:33:060:33:11

I had to go down there otherwise I didn't eat.

0:33:110:33:14

There were steps that you couldn't avoid.

0:33:140:33:16

So did you speak to someone in the hotel?

0:33:160:33:19

-Yes.

-Who did you speak to?

-I spoke to the reps and they said that

0:33:190:33:24

they would try and sort something out for me.

0:33:240:33:27

One day they said, "Well, if you want,

0:33:270:33:30

"we can bring the food up for you."

0:33:300:33:32

But it was a buffet. So how can they bring the food up?

0:33:320:33:37

They would bring a little bit of everything upstairs?

0:33:370:33:40

Very, very frustrating.

0:33:400:33:42

Emma says to make sure you don't find yourself in a situation

0:33:420:33:45

where you have been promised something that wasn't delivered,

0:33:450:33:48

try to write down your requirements.

0:33:480:33:51

The best thing to do, and it is hard to do it,

0:33:520:33:55

is to speak to the operator of the holiday,

0:33:550:33:57

even contact them directly and say these are my stipulations,

0:33:570:34:00

it is really important that there is step-free access

0:34:000:34:03

and that my needs are catered for.

0:34:030:34:06

And then try and get something in writing from the tour operator.

0:34:060:34:09

-Yes.

-So don't rely on somebody in the travel agent's,

0:34:090:34:12

because the problem you have got is her word against yours.

0:34:120:34:15

After complaining to the travel agent,

0:34:150:34:17

Shelley was offered £100 off the next holiday that she booked

0:34:170:34:21

with the same tour operator.

0:34:210:34:22

She doesn't think that's enough and wants to know what else she should try.

0:34:220:34:26

Go to the trade body, which is ABTA,

0:34:260:34:28

the Association of British Travel Agents.

0:34:280:34:30

If the tour operator don't give you a response you are happy with,

0:34:300:34:34

ABTA will look at it and bring you and the member together as such,

0:34:340:34:38

-so do that.

-Thank you. I will. I will. Thank you very much.

0:34:380:34:43

In the end, Shelley didn't take her complaint any further due to the fee

0:34:430:34:47

that she would have been charged to take her case to arbitration.

0:34:470:34:50

She has however since had two holidays that did go to plan

0:34:500:34:54

but she didn't book them with the same travel agent

0:34:540:34:57

or tour operator.

0:34:570:34:58

Our pop-up shop isn't just about tackling your problems face-to-face.

0:35:030:35:07

Our experts love being let loose to pass on nuggets of advice

0:35:070:35:12

or to get a sense of the things that wind you up.

0:35:120:35:15

Now, can I ask you a couple of quick questions about travel?

0:35:150:35:18

What from your point of view is the worst part of a flight?

0:35:180:35:21

The size of the seats and the legroom is a real bugbear.

0:35:210:35:26

Really, really bad. They should just...

0:35:260:35:29

You know, I have been long haul, and when you are long haul,

0:35:290:35:32

you can cross your legs and you can spread out a bit more.

0:35:320:35:36

But when you are just going... We are going to Crete this year.

0:35:360:35:39

When you are sat on a plane for three, four hours,

0:35:390:35:42

just a bit more legroom. It would just be fabulous.

0:35:420:35:45

That is the worst part. Apart from that, I love it.

0:35:450:35:47

One of the problems that a lot of you wanted to talk to us about was

0:35:510:35:54

flight delays and specifically where you stand

0:35:540:35:57

when it comes to compensation.

0:35:570:36:00

Chris and Marian say the start of their two-week holiday was

0:36:000:36:03

ruined by a long delay.

0:36:030:36:06

We were booked on a cruise, going to Dubai from Manchester Airport.

0:36:060:36:10

When we finally did set off and we arrived at Dubai

0:36:100:36:14

we were told there was fog.

0:36:140:36:15

Basically what had to happen is they took us to a municipal airport,

0:36:150:36:19

where they allowed us to land.

0:36:190:36:21

But we sat on the aircraft for five-and-a-half hours.

0:36:210:36:25

According to the couple,

0:36:250:36:27

the airport they landed at was only 45 minutes' drive from Dubai.

0:36:270:36:30

So rather than make everyone sit around for hours,

0:36:300:36:34

they reckon it would have been easier to lay on a coach and get everyone to the city.

0:36:340:36:38

How long from when you should have been landing at Dubai do

0:36:380:36:40

-you think it was when you...?

-We were basically 12 hours late.

0:36:400:36:43

-Around 12.

-12 hours late.

0:36:430:36:45

As the flight was from the EU,

0:36:450:36:47

because the delay was more than three hours,

0:36:470:36:50

compensation is due if the airline can't argue

0:36:500:36:53

that an exceptional circumstance caused the hold-up.

0:36:530:36:56

And while Chris accepts that the fog was out of the airline's control,

0:36:560:37:01

the couple's frustrations are more to do with how the airline handled

0:37:010:37:05

everything after that.

0:37:050:37:06

The fog is an act of God.

0:37:060:37:08

Sitting on a runway for five hours 35 minutes is not an act of God.

0:37:080:37:13

It is incompetence from the airline.

0:37:130:37:15

-Have you heard anything from the airline?

-Yeah.

0:37:150:37:17

They are not going to give us anything.

0:37:170:37:19

Again, Emma suggests that one of the dispute resolution services

0:37:190:37:24

that is active in the industry might be the way to go.

0:37:240:37:27

And the Civil Aviation Authority has template letters on its website

0:37:270:37:31

to help you make a case for compensation.

0:37:310:37:33

Someone else who came to tell us about a long delay

0:37:350:37:37

was Kathleen Payton,

0:37:370:37:39

who wanted to share her experiences

0:37:390:37:41

with Simon Calder and solicitor Gary Rycroft.

0:37:410:37:44

Tell us what happened.

0:37:440:37:46

In 2014, myself,

0:37:460:37:48

my husband and two friends were flying from Alicante to Manchester.

0:37:480:37:52

The flight was delayed for seven hours.

0:37:520:37:55

-Oh, how annoying.

-A little bit annoying.

0:37:550:37:58

So I thought I would look at trying to claim compensation.

0:37:580:38:02

But despite sending ten letters over two years,

0:38:020:38:05

she wasn't any closer to getting her money back.

0:38:050:38:08

And it was only when she sought help from a solicitor that she finally

0:38:080:38:12

managed to squeeze £1,300 from the airline.

0:38:120:38:15

The airlines are doing different things.

0:38:150:38:17

Some of them are saying, "All right, we hate these rules,

0:38:170:38:20

"we think they are really unfair,

0:38:200:38:21

"but we are going to pay out straightaway."

0:38:210:38:24

Others are just saying, "We are going to fight you every step of the way."

0:38:240:38:27

And they are doing that because for everybody like Kath,

0:38:270:38:30

who is saying, "No, you owe me some money,"

0:38:300:38:33

there are probably ten people who just think, "Oh, forget it."

0:38:330:38:36

Over in our gripe corner,

0:38:380:38:40

there were plenty of other travel grievances

0:38:400:38:42

you wanted to get off your chest.

0:38:420:38:43

What infuriates us is when you pay for a flight to go on holiday,

0:38:430:38:48

if you get a good deal,

0:38:480:38:49

sometimes the baggage can cost more than the flights.

0:38:490:38:51

We booked a holiday, my husband put the wrong name on,

0:38:510:38:54

we needed to change the name.

0:38:540:38:56

They are charging us double.

0:38:560:38:58

What really annoys me is the price of holidays

0:38:580:39:00

during the school holidays.

0:39:000:39:02

It trebles in price and it is absolutely ridiculous.

0:39:020:39:05

That last complaint came up a lot,

0:39:070:39:10

as did another perennial problem, lost luggage,

0:39:100:39:13

which is something Hannah Palfreyman knows about only too well.

0:39:130:39:17

We flew out first thing, bank holiday weekend last year.

0:39:170:39:21

The case was over...overweight, so we had to pay an extra fee.

0:39:230:39:27

And when we landed, the case wasn't fortunate enough to land with us.

0:39:270:39:31

-That's the worst feeling.

-But as if losing the bag wasn't bad enough,

0:39:310:39:34

Hannah doesn't feel that the airline staff seemed especially bothered.

0:39:340:39:38

And as far as she is concerned,

0:39:380:39:39

they did nothing to track down where the bag had gone.

0:39:390:39:42

When you got to the customer service desk of the airline,

0:39:420:39:46

what did they say?

0:39:460:39:48

It wasn't the company's fault. It was the baggage handlers' fault.

0:39:480:39:51

You were really let down.

0:39:510:39:53

They should have been phoning you at your hotel to keep you informed,

0:39:530:39:56

to let you know where the bag is.

0:39:560:39:57

Do you think the airline took responsibility?

0:39:570:40:00

No. In fact, they even told me

0:40:000:40:01

if I referred to their terms and conditions,

0:40:010:40:04

it was in their terms and conditions that they weren't

0:40:040:40:07

responsible for any luggage that goes missing.

0:40:070:40:10

Well, that wasn't correct.

0:40:100:40:12

Airlines are responsible for missing luggage and Hannah should have been

0:40:120:40:16

asked to fill out what is called a property irregularity report to

0:40:160:40:20

register the bag as lost.

0:40:200:40:22

Well, I'm hoping the bag was found.

0:40:220:40:24

It was located in Manchester Airport

0:40:240:40:27

and the guy on the phone who my brother's partner spoke to

0:40:270:40:30

was really helpful and said that the case was next to him.

0:40:300:40:32

And they made sure it stayed in Manchester Airport

0:40:320:40:35

for when we got home.

0:40:350:40:36

But appalled at how she had been treated

0:40:360:40:39

by the airline staff in Spain,

0:40:390:40:41

once she was home, Hannah made an official complaint.

0:40:410:40:45

I wrote to the airline and they sent me a response and said that the

0:40:450:40:49

complaint had been dealt with.

0:40:490:40:51

How long ago was that?

0:40:510:40:53

-Ten months... Ten months ago?

-OK.

0:40:530:40:57

Unfortunately, there isn't any compensation for delayed bags.

0:40:570:41:00

You paid that £40 excess charge and that bag never travelled.

0:41:010:41:06

-I know.

-So I would argue that as a gesture of goodwill,

0:41:060:41:11

the airline should be giving you that money back.

0:41:110:41:14

And at last, that is now what has happened.

0:41:140:41:18

Shortly after she came to our pop-up shop,

0:41:180:41:21

Hannah received a refund from the airline covering the cost

0:41:210:41:25

of the check-in luggage and excess weight charge totalling £65.

0:41:250:41:30

And that's great news for her.

0:41:300:41:32

And while it really shouldn't have taken so much time and effort to claim back the money,

0:41:320:41:36

it just reinforces that it is worth keeping going with a complaint.

0:41:360:41:40

Don't give up if you haven't immediately had the right answer.

0:41:400:41:43

Rip-Off Britain wouldn't be here without your stories

0:41:490:41:52

and we've got plenty of ways that you can get in touch.

0:41:520:41:55

Send us an e-mail...

0:41:550:41:56

Or write to us at...

0:42:000:42:02

But please don't send original copies of any documents.

0:42:090:42:13

And even if you haven't got a story you would like us to investigate,

0:42:130:42:17

you can still join in the conversation on our Facebook page.

0:42:170:42:20

Just search BBC Rip-Off Britain.

0:42:200:42:23

I must tell you, my heart goes out to anyone who has been through

0:42:270:42:30

the same sort of experiences as the people we have heard from today.

0:42:300:42:33

You know, to be stuck with an illness that started from a simple tick bite

0:42:330:42:37

but then developed into a situation that has had such huge side-effects

0:42:370:42:41

must be so debilitating.

0:42:410:42:43

But I suppose the good news is that at least now

0:42:430:42:45

we all know the signs and symptoms to look out for.

0:42:450:42:48

And I have to say, for me at least,

0:42:480:42:50

every one of these stories has been a very timely reminder that whilst

0:42:500:42:53

holidays of course are supposed to be a time when you can relax,

0:42:530:42:56

that doesn't actually mean that you can just throw caution to the wind

0:42:560:43:00

and completely let your guard down.

0:43:000:43:02

Absolutely. Well, do please keep sending us your stories to investigate,

0:43:020:43:06

not just about holidays but on any of the topics that we cover on

0:43:060:43:09

the various Rip-Off Britain programmes throughout the year.

0:43:090:43:12

We have plenty more coming up, which is great, but that's it for now.

0:43:120:43:15

We will be back with more of your stories soon, so until then,

0:43:150:43:18

-from all of us, goodbye.

-Goodbye.

-Bye-bye.

0:43:180:43:20

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