10 ​holiday red flags to watch out for this summer, according to travel writers

Telegraph

09-06-2025

A holiday is meant to be a time of relaxation: a pressure valve releasing all the stress of day-to-day life. Especially a summer holiday, where thoughts turn to sunshine and the beach, and the only difficult decisions should be between ice cream and sorbet, cone and tub.
But too often, these precious weeks away can be fraught with traps and tricks, issues and irritations – from the vastly inflated taxi fare to the resort fee that (you're sure) wasn't mentioned in the brochure, and those insidious terms and conditions where the devil is most definitely in the details.
What to do, and what to watch out for? Here, 10 of Telegraph Travel's regular contributors name their main travel bugbears – and the 'holiday red flags' you should take care to avoid if you are heading to distant shores in the coming months.
1. The double tip (of the iceberg)
I am not pointing the finger at America in particular. But the USA, the spiritual home of service culture, does seem to be especially guilty of this very modern sin: the double surcharge on the cost of your dinner.
It is a pitfall that seems to have widened and deepened in the post-Covid world, where most transactions are not just electronic, but so commonplace in their contactless simplicity that, very often, we fail to check, properly, the sum we are coughing up.
Yet it is well worth pausing to peruse the small print. More often than you would like, a restaurant will add a – perfectly reasonable – service charge to your bill, only to then present you with a hand-held payment terminal whose screen asks you whether you want to add a tip -– sometimes 20 per cent or more – on top of what should be the total amount.
How to avoid it
There is no shame in taking your time, and examining, again, the bottom of the 'cheque'. It certainly makes for less expensive evenings.
Chris Leadbeater
2. The departure gate rush
'Now Boarding'. When the message flashes up at the departure gate, there is always a stir of movement towards the desk. Indeed, many passengers start queuing as soon as they arrive. It's a mistake.
Airlines now start the boarding process before the plane is even at the gate – as a way of speeding things up. The result? You spend 15 or 20 minutes crowded into a chilly, airless tunnel with no idea how much longer you will have to wait.
How to avoid it
Don't rush forward. Check the window to see if the plane has actually arrived yet, and ideally wait until passengers are actually boarding, before you move forward.
Nick Trend
3. Off-airport car hire headache
That first, nail-biting hire car journey from the airport is bad enough: add an uncomfortable journey on a packed shuttle bus and a long queue in a sizzling parking lot before you even get the keys and that bargain off-site car hire deal starts to seem like a dreadful way to kick off a holiday.
How to avoid it
Before you book, check with a consolidator such as auto-europe.co.uk, as they offer competitive deals from in-terminal operators that can be as cheap as the off-airport alternatives. Another bonus? You'll have more time on the beach pre-departure too.
Amanda Hyde
4. Hotel buffet horrors
We've all been there – that first circuit of the hotel buffet, fresh off a flight and ravenous. Loading up a plate with a random assortment of foods that may look enticing, but taste...otherwise. At best there are the mini pastries at breakfast that are all deviations of the same (dry, uninspired) thing.
At worst there's a paella at dinner that's been a hit with the local fly population. The husband of one of my colleagues once memorably described the seafood and raw bar section of a resort hotel dinner buffet as 'certain death'. You have been warned!
How to avoid it
Embrace mindful eating – think carefully about whether a particular item is likely to be high quality. Do an initial lap to assess the full selection rather than just grabbing the first thing you see. And if you see flies, walk on by.
Rachel Cranshaw
5. The lure of all inclusive
'All inclusive': such magic words! Your golden ticket to eat, drink and repeat – no fretting over the bill, and no need to scrimp on your third (ok, fourth) margarita. But reader, beware the small print.
Hotels' dining packages are becoming outrageously stingy, whether they're charging extra for à la carte dining (or else you're stuck in the hellish buffet canteen, see above), or rinsing you for key dishes on the menu. I stayed at one 'all-inclusive' resort recently that demanded a premium for prosecco, and just three cocktails on its entire menu were bottomless. Never again!
How to avoid it
Read the terms and conditions (see below), quiz your travel agent – and check your favourite bevvy is definitely included.
Hazel Plush
6. Check-in terms and conditions
In a similar vein to the above, watch out for the hotels that seem determined to fleece guests at every turn. There might be a room service tray table charge that's more costly than the item you ordered, or a minibar coke priced at €12 when it can be found at a shop down the road for €1.50.
Hotels that charge guests for the use of their swimming pool and spa facilities also leave a sour taste in the mouth, as do those with ruinous 'resort fees,' purporting to cover water and Wi-Fi (surely a human right at this point).
How to avoid it
Be less British. Ask for a breakdown of various spurious charges and check any resort fees before booking.
Emma Beaumont
7. Do not trust (British) public transport
Air-travel related stress once began after take-off: in the event of bad weather, bumpiness, uncouth piloting, and horrors like minimal legroom, rotten food, snotty stewards. But as planes have become safer, the stresses seem to have been rewound to begin ever earlier. First was the nasty frisking and all-round faffing at security. Then they turned airports into shopping malls. Then dropping off became ripping off.
For non-Londoners, though, the stress begins at home. Based in the North West, every time I use the train (Northern, Cross Country, Avanti West Coast, take your pick), without fail it lets me down – and I'm not alone. Cancellations, delays and general chaos mean there's a very good chance of missing the flight.
How to avoid it
Avoid public transport if you want to relax before the inevitable stresses of the airport – especially if you live beyond the capital. Get a lift, or a taxi, or doze in a pod hotel the night before.
Chris Moss
8. Dog-friendly dilemmas
Thousands of pet owners wouldn't dream of going away without the dog – they deserve a holiday, too, after all. When a hotel advertises as 'dog-friendly' I'm thrilled, but all too often I'm disappointed on check-in: we arrive to receive a long list of rules my dog – who cannot read – must follow.
He's not allowed in the dining area, breakfast room or the bar. He can't sleep on the sofa as he does at home, and he's not to be left alone in the room (lord knows what I'm supposed to do at breakfast time). Hardly dog tolerant, let alone dog-friendly.
How to avoid it
Avoid this kind of disappointment by booking the extra dog-friendly hotels – the ones that provide a canine menu, like Kimpton or Four Seasons, or those with their love of dogs displayed on their website, like Homewood Bath.
Lottie Gross
9. Neighbourhood watch
There are multiple red flags that suggest you are in the touristy part of a city and should leave immediately, in search of a more authentic part of town. These include: people throwing those whizzy toys in the air; a pub with O' in its name; open-top buses; tuk-tuks; people in waistcoats beckoning you into their restaurant.
But you know of all these already. More nuanced signals include people wearing hiking trainers, being somewhere shaded in orange on Google maps, and the much maligned key lock boxes affixed outside homes. Increasingly, a not-so-subtle clue is a piece of graffiti scrawled on a wall, politely requesting that you 'go home'.
How to avoid it
Whether visiting a small city like Bratislava or a behemoth like Berlin, it always pays to do your research before you arrive. After asking friends for recommendations and scouring online sources (such are The Telegraph's city guides).
I like to build a customised Google Map filled with some of the most interesting cafes, restaurants, galleries, bars and parks. Generally this pinboard of 'good stuff' seems to cluster in one or two quarters of a city, which can make planning the day over breakfast each day a much smoother process.
10. The tourist trap restaurant
After a long day exploring, and eventually hobbling, exhausted, around a city – determined to see all the sites – it's easy to succumb to an overzealous restaurant greeter (spot them, more often than not in a skimpy vest and ripped jeans, drenched in sweat, chain smoking and gesticulating like Basil Fawlty).
The red flags of a tourist trap restaurant might also include: laminated menus displayed outside, TripAdvisor stickers plastic table filled by British and American couples (spot bum bags and DSLR cameras as necklaces) and (most importantly) diabolical food.
How to avoid it
Contrary to popular belief, it is easy to eat extremely well within a stone's throw of iconic landmarks – but you may need to divert from the beaten track a little. Observing crowds is a good way to suss out any restaurant – if a place is full of locals it is usually a good sign.
Asking for recommendations is, most certainly, the easiest way to find a good restaurant – but avoid hotel staff, and instead strike up conversation with shopkeepers, bartenders, cleaners, or taxi drivers.
Jonathan Hatchman