What are my rights if my flight is
cancelled, and what is the airline
obliged to do? It depends how much
notice the airline gives, as well as who
you fly with and where.
If flying with a UK or EU airline or from
a UK or EU airport, your airline must
offer you the choice of a full refund,
rerouting at a later date or rerouting
at the ‘earliest opportunity’. In truth,
most airlines rebook on their next
service, or that of a partner airline. That
can mean missing a day or two of your
holiday. You can challenge this and ask
to be booked with an alternate airline
that gets to your destination sooner or
book this yourself, but it’s likely you’ll
enter a lengthy dispute process with
the airline to get your money back.
Cancellations made with less
than 14 days’ notice entitle you to
compensation, in addition to the
same choice of rerouting or a refund.
Compensation amounts range
from €1 25 (£104) to €60 0 (£500),
depending on the distance of your
flight and how quickly any new flight
gets you to your destination. You
can’t claim compensation if there are
extraordinary circumstances,
such as bad weather or air traffic
controller strikes.
While waiting to be rerouted, the
airline must also provide food and
drink, usually via a £ 5 voucher at the
customer service desk, and pay for a
hotel if you’re stuck overnight. You’ll
often be asked to pay for the hotel
then claim the money back.
R O R Y B OL A N DI’m looking to take a two-
week Spanish language
course abroad this year.
Where would you suggest?
Nearly 500 million people
speak Spanish as their first
language, so it’s no surprise that
learning Spanish is becoming
increasingly popular for
travellers and international
workers alike. While you
could spend months being
harangued by the Duolingo
owl or labouring through Harry
Potter y la Piedra Filosofal, the
best way to learn is to immerse
yourself. But with 20 Spanish-
speaking countries to choose
from, picking somewhere can
be overwhelming.
Colombia claims to have
the clearest Spanish accent in
the world, making it ideal for
beginners. Head to Medellín,
where the temperate weather
and cosmopolitan community
may make you never want to
leave. One popular school is
Toucan Spanish, which offers
20 hours of classes a week for
about £120, as well as a range
volunteering opportunities.
toucanspanish.com
Meanwhile, for the budget-
conscious, Guatemala is
the cheapest place in the
world to learn Spanish.
Head to Quetzaltenango
in the highlands, which is less
touristy than Antigua and
has spectacular hiking right
on the doorstep. The city is
set up for learners with dozens
of schools and private tutors
offering a variety of classes
and activities. Try UtatlánSpanish School — one-to-one
lessons are just £95 for 20
hours a week, and the team
can arrange homestays
with local families for the
full immersive experience.
spanishxela.com
Closer to home, Salamanca
bills itself as the largest
Spanish learning hub in Spain,
educating more than 25, 000
international students a year.
It offers a huge choice of
academic and leisure activities,
all set in a tolerant, safe and
picturesque university city. Tía
Tula, an Instituto Cervantes-
accredited school in the heart
of the historic city centre,
offers private, small group and
online classes starting from
£165 per week. tiatula.com
B E L L A F A L KI want to try a home swap.
What tips do you have for
a novice? UK home swaps
boomed in popularity during
the pandemic’s international
travel bans. With traditional
accommodation often sold
out, people who wouldn’t
have considered a home swap
before gave it a try. Now
destinations worldwide are re-
opening, travellers’ confidence
in swapping further afield is
growing. Arrangements are
typically set up via a website
and involve a membership
fee — averaging £50- 100
annually or costed per swap
or per month — which allows
users to browse available
accommodation and showcase
their own property. You’ll
find homes at thousands of
destinations across the globe,
available through websites
such as holidayswap.com (with
500,0 00 active users), and
homeexchange.com (with
more than 450, 000 listings
globally). There’s also the likes
of homebase-hols.com (which
runs guardianhomeexchange.
co.uk, too) and lovehomeswap.
com. Meanwhile, peoplelikeus.
world and switchome.org are
free to use. Most platforms
offer a free trial and operate
on a swap-for-swap basis
(so, either travelling at the
same time as your host, or ondifferent dates), although some
have a points system for non-
mutual exchanges.
The property you swap for
doesn’t have to be comparable
in size or quality; it’s up to
homeowners to agree based on
what each wants, so you could
exchange, say, a beach house in
the Caribbean for a townhouse
in Bath. Other than the
occasional cleaning charge, the
stay itself is entirely free, and
it’s a great way to find houses
that fit your lifestyle needs: a
family home that comes with
toys, for example, or a place
with a beautiful garden, high-
tech kitchen or fully equipped
gym. S A R A H B A R R E L LJulia Buckley
Travel writer &
Italy expertRory Boland
Travel editor,
Which?which.co.ukBella Falk
Travel writer &
photographerSarah Barrell
Senior editor,
National Geographic
Traveller (UK)