My two favourite characters in Come Fly With Me – the spoof BBC documentary about an airport from Matt Lucas and David Walliams – are Judith and Peter. They regularly storm out of arrivals in high dudgeon. "We have had the holiday from hell," is Judith's unvarying opening line, followed by a litany of misfortune and a threat to sue for damages.
What they really should have done, I think to myself, is tried harder to sort things out before their holiday was ruined completely. Knowing your rights before you travel, and having a few strategies to sort out any problems while away, can often help avoid the need for a protracted argument afterwards.
So, as the main summer season gets under way, here are some pointers for Peter and Judith, and anyone else who turns up at their accommodation to find it is not how it was described in the brochure, has their excursions cancelled, or finds other things which threaten to ruin their holiday.