Not having a passport - one sure way to avoid a holiday accident

You are a young person, perhaps a recent school leaver or university graduate, and are about to embark on your first holiday abroad without either of your parents. Naturally, no matter how excited you are at the prospect, at the back of your mind fears of mishaps such as getting lost or suffering a holiday accident slightly plague you.

Yet, for last minute or unprepared young people poised to put themselves through this rites of passage, fear of a holiday accident may actually be the least of their worries. This is because a first parent-free holiday is most often the one where the hopeful traveller will need to get his or her first adult passport, and under recently introduced rules it now takes up to six weeks for first-time adult passports to be processed.

Dashed dreams
So unless the young travellers make early applications for the vital document, there is every chance that they will be sitting at home, left only to daydream about what might have been.

Yes, for those who procrastinate or think late, enjoying a formative holiday romance, waking up with a first ouzo hangover, or skinny-dipping in Sicilian waters will just be a distant fantasy.

And with 18-year-olds being the most likely to break their holiday virginity (making up 21% of all first-time holiday-makers), it seems that making holiday and passport plans is one of the first true tests of new adulthood.

The experts view
Brendan Herdan, Executive Director of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), comments, "Of all potential holiday mishaps that could befall you, not getting to go away with your friends in the first place is perhaps the most disappointing.

"Due to changes being introduced to prevent identity theft, fraud and forgery, from this summer first-time adult passport customers are advised to allow six weeks for their passport to be processed. They may also be asked to attend a short face-to-face interview as part of new anti-fraud measures being introduced into the passport application process.

"We want to ensure that those who are going on their first unsupervised trip abroad don't get left behind because they didn't get their passport organised in time."

No win, no fee solicitors with experience who will put you first
Claiming compensation is a right, and sometimes a necessity, of any person who has suffered injury while on holiday as a result of tour operator's or other party's negligence.

We put the holiday injury claimant's needs first. We don't charge any legal costs or fees, protect you from the opposing side's costs, and, with our policy of never taking a cut, deliver 100% compensation to every winning case.

All solicitors on our excellent panel firms work under the professional governance of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and all share the same commitment to you, the holiday accident compensation claimant.

Click or dial
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reached either online or over the telephone.

So, to do things from your desktop, fill out an internet claim form or have an online chat.

To speak directly with a legal advisor, call 0800 10 757 95, or leave a callback request.