DO I have to go on my holiday?

If you are one of the many people who are booked to go off on holiday in the next few weeks you may be asking yourself this question. Understandably some people may no longer want to go abroad and are asking what they can do.

All tour operators follow the advice of the Foreign Office when deciding whether situations are such that travel should be suspended. At present the Foreign Office is advising against travel to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. So if you are travelling anywhere else and wish to cancel or postpone your holiday, you may be liable for up to 100 per cent of the cost of your holiday because normal booking conditions will apply.

The Foreign Office is advising all travellers to be extra vigilant when abroad but this does not mean that you can cancel/postpone your holiday without penalty. If you are thinking of not going on your holiday then you must contact your travel agent or airline to see what their current position is. Tour operators are permitted to levy cancellation charges, but these must reflect the costs and actual losses involved and cannot be such that they impose additional penalties.

If you get to the airport and find that your flight has been altered you are not necessarily entitled to a refund. Your rights are governed by how fundamental the change is. You will also need to refer to your tour operator's brochure which will define what a significant/significant change is.

Most airlines are insisting on passengers taking minimal hand luggage and you should expect to have to check in much earlier than normal. Again all passengers are advised to check with their tour operator/airline. Certain items have been banned from being carried in hand luggage - knives, replica guns, guns, scissors, nail files, tools and all similar goods. If you are taking a camera as part of your hand luggage take any film out of the camera as it may be opened up as part of the security checks. The purchase of duty free is not affected. If you want to keep up to date on the latest Foreign Office advice you can contact them at www.fco.gov.uk/travel or by telephone on 020 7008 0232/0233. York Trading Standards can advise you on your rights but before you do anything check with your tour operator/airline or travel agent because the situation may change daily.

For further information on this or any other consumer problems, contact York Trading Standards on (01904) 551562, call at 9 St Leonard's Place or email us on trading.standards@york.gov.uk Our fax number is (01904) 551590.