Episode 1 X-Ray

You're watching X-Ray,

the programme that fights for your rights on holiday.

Are you jetting off abroad or enjoying Wales' stunning scenery?

To celebrate summer we've been out and about

-finding brilliant ways to save you money.

-Yes!

From cheap days out in Wales to designer looks,

but we haven't forgotten to investigate your holiday horrors

and confront the rogues.

We're from X-Ray! Excuse me!

Tonight, the couple whose luxury hotel promised romantic meals

beside the Indian Ocean.

So how did they end up with views of a car park?

I think there's a mixture of tears and anger really because

the place was so depressingly awful. It was grim.

What happens if your dream destination becomes

the focus of a terrorist attack?

Watch our guide to your rights if you've already paid out.

The hotelier can say, "Your room's ready.

"The fact that you're not here isn't our problem."

And how to get the kids out and about over the summer

when they just want to stare at a screen.

They love their video games, they love playing indoors,

but you'd be surprised what kids are like

once you get them into an environment like this.

Hello and welcome to a special

holiday series of X-Ray. We're on the banks of the beautiful

Llyn Tegid, just outside Bala.

And tonight, it's all about camping.

Yes, whether you're going away to a festival or a family campsite

like this, I'm going to be finding out

how to keep your stuff safe.

Are gadgets like this the answer?

ALARM BLARES

Oh, that was loud!

And I'm going to find out whether a weekend under canvas

has to mean a diet of bangers and burgers.

Award-winning restaurateurs Abul and Sabia Hussain

insist there's another way.

But first, the families who didn't get the holidays they paid for,

even though they booked through one of the biggest online travel agents.

The online travel industry is big business.

Around 80% of all holidays are now booked on the net.

And Travel Republic is a giant in the industry,

sending around three million people on their holidays every year.

And it's quick to boast its credentials.

Atol, Iata and the Association of British Travel Agents - Abta -

are amongst the industry logos stamped all over its website.

It says you can book your holiday safe in the knowledge

that you are protected.

But customers we've spoken to tell quite a different story.

Annie Pritchard and husband John from Swansea went on

the Travel Republic website to book the five-star Galle Face Hotel

in Sri Lanka.

Known as Colombo's Grand Old Lady, the great and good have stayed here.

Hollywood star Vivien Leigh, Frank Sinatra

and US President Richard Nixon.

This is a hotel where glamorous people stay,

and I think that was attractive.

And it's overlooking the seafront

and a veranda you have breakfast on and dinner.

And the whole thing just oozed glamour and elegance.

So, Annie and John paid over £2,000 for the flights and hotel,

reassured everything would be OK because their booking confirmed

Travel Republic was a member of Abta.

So, with this extra peace of mind surely nothing could go wrong.

Well, no. Their luck wasn't in.

On the day of departure,

Annie and John got a call out of the blue from Travel Republic.

They said that the hotel had overbooked

and they were going to have to give us an upgrade at a different hotel.

And I wasn't happy at all and I said, "Do I have to accept this?"

They said we should go and see and if we didn't like it

then maybe they could do something about it.

But once in Colombo they found their grand Galle Face Hotel

had been swapped with the not so grand Galadari.

Instead of the sweeping panoramas of the Indian Ocean

they'd been expecting, their view was the car park.

I think there was a mixture of tears and anger really because

the place was so depressingly awful. It was grim.

It was very down at heel, dirty place mats

and stains on the headboard.

We said, "What options have we got?

"Could they move us to any other hotel, really?"

And they couldn't move us anywhere.

The holiday was a total write-off.

We didn't feel like doing anything. It was awful.

It turns out the booking in their dream hotel was never made.

Travel Republic told Annie and John

this was the fault of their supplier Youtravel.

But we know this isn't the first time they've laid the blame

with their suppliers.

X-Ray has discovered that Annie and John's story is not a one-off.

Other holiday makers have also experienced problems banking on

the travel bookings they've made with Travel Republic.

Darren Holland, wife Becky and their three kids zipped off to Zante

on a two-week, all-inclusive last August.

But once they arrived at the Sunrise Hotel,

the sun had already set on their booking.

They asked me to take a seat at reception.

We kind of figured out something was wrong,

so we tried to put on a brave face at that point for the children.

They called us over and said,

"We're awful sorry, but we've got no record of you booking."

We have three young children, all of a sudden it was quite serious.

Once again, they were reassured by the Abta logo, and once gain,

Travel Republic blamed their suppliers, this time Hotelbeds.

They found the family new accommodation,

but there was a problem.

It was a half-board basis only,

so we were left still having to find lunch and having to pay for drinks

that we obviously thought were going to be provided as part of

the all-inclusive package.

After numerous calls to Travel Republic they finally provided

all-inclusive drinks and snacks, but the Hollands had to traipse

backwards and forwards to where they should have stayed to get them.

They claim they've been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

It just made me appreciate how vulnerable you are by booking

with companies like Travel Republic.

We knew that we were totally on our own.

It was quite frightening, to be honest,

for the first couple of days, and afterwards just very frustrating.

So, what about Travel Republic's promise that you can book safe in

the knowledge that your holiday is protected.

Is it water-tight?

Uh, no. Their suppliers Youtravel and Hotelbeds are not Abta members.

So if you have a complaint, you could be left treading water.

After checking Travel Republic's website we've discovered that

most of their other suppliers are also not registered with Abta.

So what does consumer law expert Margaret Griffiths

make of these complaints

and Travel Republic's seemingly hollow promise?

How have our viewers got caught out here?

Well, I think like most consumers they wouldn't realise that

a booking agent like Travel Republic is just that, they're an agent.

You're not actually making the final contract with them.

Then any claim the consumer's got would be against the hotel

or whoever else is providing their services.

On their website, wonderful statement - you can book your

holiday safe in the knowledge that you are protected.

Is that fair?

Well, it certainly is very misleading, isn't it?

Because it does mean that you've got to read the advert to the word

and not make any assumptions whatever about quite how far

your protection's going to go.

So what advice do you have for people then who are booking a

holiday and want to make sure it is water-tight if anything goes wrong?

Well, really suppose the best way is to book a package.

And book a package with a company based in the UK and that

the holiday company who's providing the whole package is Abta

protected because then every aspect of it will be protected

and you don't need to worry about it any further.

But that's little comfort to Annie

who hasn't received any compensation.

Well, what's the point of putting an Abta logo on there

if it's absolutely no protection to anybody?

I think that is actually sharp tactics,

sharp practice and that's part of the reason I'm angry about it.

Some very unhappy holiday makers there.

But when we took up the case Travel Republic apologised

to both families for the problems they experienced on holiday,

although none of the companies involved have taken

any responsibility for what went wrong.

They have though offered compensation.

£950 to Annie and £860 to the Hollands,

which is a massive result, over £1,800.

Still to come tonight, the mobile phone app which helps you get

the kids out of the house and into the fresh air.

This is really fun and it's adventurous.

Now, camping is all about family fun and the great outdoors.

The only thing you miss apart from a comfy bed is a bit of home cooking.

I wonder what campers here have been rustling up.

Can we have a peak under there? What have you got on the go?

-Burgers.

-Ooh!

-Local burgers.

-Nice.

We like to cook breakfast, so bacon, sausages, beans and eggs.

Really unhealthy stuff.

Hello, everyone. Hi. How are you?

So what kinds of things do you tend to have when you're out camping?

Bacon butties.

Burgers, barbecues, things like that.

Just nice and easy.

Burgers.

Toasted marshmallows at the night-time.

Oh, that sounds like heaven.

I like to eat sweets and sausages.

-Sweets and sausages together?

-Yeah.

Do you ever try anything a bit more adventurous?

No, not to be honest.

If I want something more adventurous I'd nip to a take away nearby.

Well, I'm with one couple who would never burn their tea on a barbecue,

even when it's raining like this.

Sabia and Abul Hussain who run the award-winning Abul Spice

restaurant just down the road from here in Corwen.

-Hello, both.

-Hello.

-Hello.

We've got a cheap camping stove here, just two rings.

I'd be cooking a fry up now probably, but I suspect

-you're going to be doing something a little bit more exciting.

-Yes.

It's going to be simple, with simple ingredients

where you'll be getting great flavour, Asian flavour.

What are you going to be cooking, Abul?

I'm cooking chicken bhuna.

Simple ingredients, with fresh onions, tomatoes, peppers,

fresh garlic, ginger paste, with some dry spice, cardamom,

cinnamon and bay leaves.

So simple, straightforward, easily available ingredients.

-Yes.

-And how long will it take to prepare and cook?

About half an hour to 45 minutes. It shouldn't take long.

We'll be back later to see how they coped with the campsite conditions.

Now, sadly most of us can't spend the whole of the holidays

away from home in a place like this.

So how do you entertain the family for the rest of the time

without spending a fortune?

This holiday series we're going to be trying out a few options.

Tonight, how about a bit of Geocaching?

From majestic mountains to a stunning coastline,

Wales has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

But in a world of smartphone zombies, or smombies,

how do you get your kids to look up from their phone and enjoy the view?

What if there was a way of combining our kids love of their smartphones

with the great outdoors without spending a fortune.

I've come to meet one mum from Neath who thinks she's discovered

that magic combination.

Sarah Parsons regularly goes Geocaching with her family.

-Hello, guys. How you doing?

-Fine, thank you.

Right, Sarah, I have to admit,

I have never heard of Geocaching before.

What exactly is it?

Well, it's a national treasure hunt

that you can pretty much pick up anywhere.

It's going and using your phone, using an app,

using the GPS to get you to the point of the cash

and then using the hints and tips to try and discover the cash.

How exactly does it work?

You can download this Geocaching app from the website.

All you have to do is press the button here,

find your nearest Geocaches,

pick the one you want to go from and then your adventure begins.

Well, shall we go? Are you ready for an adventure?

-KIDS:

-Yes!

-OK.

Let's go, everybody. Sarah, I think you better lead the way.

That's OK. Follow me.

Sarah has put the coordinates of the cash we're trying to find

into this free app and we're now tracking it using GPS.

And while we're en route we can't help but look up from

the phone to appreciate some stunning scenery.

-Oh, this is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

-It is.

It's a very nice spot.

It's brilliant because it gives you a real purpose to get out and about, doesn't it?

It does. I mean, you get to bring the kids out.

They love their video games, they love playing indoors,

but you'd be surprised what kids are like

once you get them into an environment like this.

They really get into it, into the fresh air and playing with nature.

The kids agree it's the perfect combination of gadgets

and the great outdoors.

You do use your phone as well to look for it

and you do get outside as well, so most people say,

"Oh, no, I'm not going to do anything today.

"I'm just going to sit inside on the Xbox or on my phone,"

but it's a really good thing to do to get out.

This is really fun and it's adventurous.

And the Gnoll Estate isn't the only beautiful place you can find

a geocache -

at the Antarctic,

at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean,

and even on the International Space Station.

Since the hobby was first invented in 2000,

it's become so popular, there are now million of geocaches worldwide

with around 50,000 hidden across Wales.

Geocaches, they can come in all different sizes.

Traditional caches will be something usually round about this sort

of size, which is a small box container which can fit

a few sort of swaps and things for kids.

Some caches, called trackables, can be moved from location to location.

We set one off last year, Zaggy the bat,

and he got taken by a Welsh couple to Spain.

We saw a photo of him having a cocktail on the beach

and he's now done 7,000 miles and he's currently in Germany,

so it's brilliant to watch that at home.

Do you have to pay with the trackables?

It is part of the premium service.

It's £24-a-year, I think it is,

but initially the app is free and basic membership is free

so you don't need anything to see if this is what you want to do.

'Once you get close to the cache you have to stop looking at your phone

'and rely on your eyes to find it.'

We are only seven metres away.

-Seven metres!

-So we are really, really close.

-Let's go.

So we're looking for a small box or something.

Remember, it can be disguised.

-Oh, well done!

-You found it.

Guys, wow, look.

So, we've got, look at that, a trackable.

-So we can take that with us.

-We can take that with us.

The log there is who has been to the cache before and has signed it.

'Some geocaches also like to make swaps part of the hunt.'

People can take things from this,

but they have to put something of equal value or size back.

OK, well, I've got this ball.

Well, obviously that's a bigger ball than these two,

so we could probably take two balls...

-Brilliant.

-..and put a big ball back.

-Good swap.

'Once you've finished,

'you need to put the cache back where you found it

'so other treasure hunters can follow the trail in the future.'

-Well done, everyone.

-Good job, good job. We did it.

-Excellent.

-Fantastic.

-There you are, you're all experts now.

Oh, I think you've all earned an ice-cream.

When you're camping, there is always one nagging worry, isn't there?

Security - how are you going to keep your tent and its contents safe?

Well, Mark Howell-Warmsley is a bit of a camping security expert.

Now, Mark, I'm guessing it's when you're at festivals or when

you're out in the sticks that you're most vulnerable?

In a festival it's very busy.

There's lots of activity going on, so someone going into your tent,

it's not going to draw that much attention to anybody.

However, there are simple things we can employ with a panic alarm.

-We've got one attached to the tent here.

-OK, let's have a look.

We can see it's just attached to either side of the zip

-and as soon as you pull the zip apart it's going to set it off.

-OK.

ALARM SOUNDS

That is noisy, isn't it?

In most events, it's going to act as a deterrent and people are

going to leave it and leave your contents safe.

Now, if you brought your car with you,

you might as well utilise that, I'm guessing?

Yeah, that's quite true and if you've brought anything of

great value with you from cameras to laptops, any of that,

place them in the car.

Put them in the boot, put them out of sight in the car.

What about the car keys then?

OK, that's a big thing cos that's where you've kept everything safe

so you need to keep your keys safe on you.

We have a simple answer to that.

It's a waterproof pouch which you can buy from most outdoor outlets.

-Good for the beach.

-It's good for pretty much everywhere.

You can even take it swimming if you wish. It'll keep it all waterproof.

What you've got to do is pop it open, pop your keys into there,

seal it all up again which keeps your keys nice and dry,

pop it in your pocket and that'll keep your car keys nice and safe.

What do thieves tend to target?

Thieves will target expensive tents.

A good two-man tent, three-man tent,

you can spend anywhere from £500 to £1,000.

So they will know what they're looking for.

They will go to campsites.

They'll know you're going to disappear for four, five, six hours,

so once you're gone then it's open to them.

So how do you make your tent less desirable?

You can mark it with a permanent marker on the outside of the tent

which is clearly identifiable to anybody walking round the campsite

and you can mark it from a smiley face to flowers and roses

or whatever makes you smile.

Mark, thank very much.

Good advice. Well, now to a security threat of a very different kind.

Over the past few years,

thousands of families have had their holiday plans turned upside down

because of civil unrest or terrorism in different parts of the world.

Many have been left badly out of pocket.

So what are your rights if your dream destination goes off limits?

Our guest presenter Omar Hamdi has been investigating.

Holidays.

We spend ages planning them and we look forward to them for months.

But sometimes our dream destinations can turn into a nightmare.

Tonight at ten, the BBC understands the British death toll from

the shooting at this beach resort in Tunisia is at least 30.

In June 2015, the popular Tunisian resort of Sousse hit the headlines

when a gunman opened fire on the beach.

38 people were killed.

It was uncertain if the country's resorts would ever be safe

to visit again.

Trevor Morgan from Ferndale was due to stay in Sousse for two weeks

in July last year.

We'd been there five or six or seven times before. We like it.

But the terror attack shattered his plan to return.

We will also be cancelling all Thomson and First Choice holidays

to Tunisia for the next week.

Trevor was told his flight had been cancelled.

He'd booked his apartment separately,

so he contacted the owners to get back the £790 he'd paid them.

They said then that they weren't offering any refunds

for cancellations, so I wrote back and I said, "I didn't cancel."

They said, "Neither did we."

So it wasn't that you didn't want to go,

it's that you couldn't get to Tunisia?

I physically couldn't get there.

I did say to the lady in question in the e-mail,

"What do you expect me to do, swim?"

There's nothing else I could do. Everything was cancelled.

On 9th July, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office changed

their travel advice for Tunisia.

They advised against all but essential travel there.

That advice hasn't changed and Thomson say they won't be

flying there until November at the earliest.

So, once again, Trevor asked for a refund

and once again he was told no.

Where have you left it now with the accommodation owner?

Well, at the moment now,

I spoke to them back in early February when Thomas Cook and

Thomson cancelled all flights till October 31st,

and they told me then that they were still holding my 50% deposit

and they were prepared to hold it until such time

flights were available.

Trevor was stuck in Ferndale, unable to get to the apartment which

was holding his money, so what are your rights in this situation?

The Foreign Office issue travel advice for 225 countries

around the world and it turns out it's that advice that decides

whether you go on holiday.

Simon Calder is Britain's leading travel journalist.

If the Foreign Office warns against all travel or all but

essential travel to a destination,

then you and I are not going to be able to book package holidays

through UK firms.

If you're on a proper package holiday,

then you are relatively well protected.

The tour operator has to offer you, and it's your choice,

either a full refund or an alternative holiday.

But if you've been hunting for deals and you booked your flights and

your hotel separately, you could be in trouble.

Let's see what Simon says.

The airline can say, in the case of Tunisair from Heathrow to Tunis,

"We're still flying.

"The fact that you don't want to go there isn't our problem."

The hotelier can say, "Your room's ready.

"The fact that you are not here isn't our problem."

And same with the rental car.

So therefore, if you're buying a holiday with individual

components, you're in a much weaker position than somebody who's

booked a proper package holiday.

So if you do want to shop around and book different parts of your holiday

separately, is there a way to do that while protecting your cash?

Simon?

The best way to avoid being in the dreadful position of having

paid out an awful lot of money for flights, accommodation to

a destination you no longer want to go to, is don't leave too much time.

Honestly, if you're travelling off peak,

then there's no great need to commit a long way ahead.

If you decide to go against FCO advice then you can,

but you could invalidate your travel insurance policy.

And, until the official advice changes,

Trevor has hundreds of pounds locked away in a holiday he can't take.

I never dreamt in my wildest dreams

that this type of thing would happen.

I mean, it's a sad situation all round for everybody.

That is not how you want your holiday plans to end.

We've put all that advice on our website for you.

Now, this is the part of the programme I've really been

looking forward to.

Abul and Sabir Hussain have been trying to show us that it is

possible to eat like a king while you camp.

With only a two-ring camp stove and a rickety table to work on,

the couple start cooking up a chicken bhuna and some pilau rice.

The veg and spices are fried up, then in goes the chicken.

Now, just wait for it to cook.

You have managed to cook up something that looks spectacular.

-It didn't take very long really, did it?

-No, it didn't.

The preparation maximum ten minutes.

About half an hour cooking and there you are.

So really about the same time as it would take to fire up

-a barbie and cook your sausages...

-Yes, yes.

-..and look what we've got.

Abul, you use really interesting spices but would it be OK

-just to use some curry powder.

-Curry powder, yes.

You can get some curry powder from the local shop.

So, really, do you think anybody could do it?

Anybody can do this. It's very simple.

If you can make an omelette, you can do it.

'Time to serve up the curry.'

Here you go, gentlemen. Shall I pass that over to you?

'Looks like the whole campsite wants to taste it.'

It's absolutely delicious. It's so fresh, it's lovely.

Can you believe it was actually cooked on a campsite?

-Can't believe it, no.

-It's amazing.

I could smell it the other side of the site. It was gorgeous.

-What do you think?

-Hot and spicy and delicious.

What do you think of the fact that it was just made on a basic stove?

It's amazing what can be done on two rings, yes.

Well done.

Very, very nice, yeah.

I do cook curries regularly at home,

but I've never considered cooking while on holiday from the

camper van, but probably yes.

-Give it a go?

-I would think so.

Do you think you would ever attempt something like that?

Definitely, yeah, if we had some instruction. Maybe a recipe.

Yeah, I'd have a go.

Well we were all hugely impressed, weren't we?

-ALL:

-Yes.

-Delicious.

And if you'd like to try this out at home,

we've put the recipes on our website for you.

And that's all we've got time for this week.

Next week, we've all got a holiday beauty routine,

but if yours includes a botox treatment, you might want to

steer clear of the cut-price clinic run by this bogus nurse.

She's opening her clients up to such unnecessary risks.

Until then, if there's anything you'd like us to investigate,

you can call us.

Our next programme is on Monday at 7.30pm.

Until then, enjoy the holidays. Bye-bye.