Top Holiday Accidents and How to Avoid Them!
Holidays should be full of surprises, but more and more often the news seems to features stories of tragic accidents on holidays abroad – and not always involving young adults and high jinks.
Avoiding holiday accidents involves remaining alert to potential dangers while you are enjoying yourself – and also making sure that any fun does not get out of hand.
It is easy for any holidaymaker, however careful, to end up injured in a holiday accident through no fault of their own – and although tragedies like falls from balconies and drowning incidents are widely reported in the news, many more holidaymakers are injured through slipping on wet floors or staircases – or even in hotel restaurants, when food or liquid has been spilled and not wiped up by staff.

- Balcony falls – often as a result of poorly designed or badly maintained balconies, or as a result of holidaymakers climbing across balconies or sunbathing on balconies with unguarded walls
- Falls on stairs – watch out for hotel stairs which are poorly maintained, made from marble and other slippery surfaces, or have been washed without a warning notice having been put in place
- Slips in the shower – showers without mats or with slippery surfaces can be lethal, especially if the floor becomes soapy or there is not enough room to move in the cubicle
- Swimming pool accidents – swimming when tired, drunk or after taking medication is a no-no, and also do not jump off tables and chairs into a pool, as these might tip over and deposit you onto the hard tiled surface below
- Cooking accident – self catering accommodation which is cramped or not well maintained can mean burns and scalds when pans tip over or there is not enough room to move round the kitchen while cooking
- Fire accident – smoking in bed or on a sofa which is not fire treated is a definite Do Not. When you are tired or have been drinking, it is easy to fall asleep with a cigarette in your hand, so do not put yourself and others at risk – and always make a note of where the fire exit is when you arrive
- Fall in hotel restaurant – shiny, polished floor surfaces in hotel restaurants can be lethal if liquid is spilled, food is dropped and trodden in, or children are allowed to run around when people are carrying plates and glasses. Keep an eye on the floor, especially around the buffet, and make sure children are not running around near food and drinks
- Hotel lift accident – lifts which are not properly maintained can be lethal if they drop suddenly down the shaft – or if they do not open flush with the floor and cause holidaymakers to trip on entering or exiting. Watch out for lift doors which jam or open too quickly, also.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning on holiday – this is known as the silent killer as CO gas has no odour. Check ceiling and walls for a black sooty edge to them – and also take a portable CO detector on holiday with you. Other signs of CO emissions include heavy condensation in a room, a match not lighting when struck, and feeling tired, lethargic and sleepy. Always keep a window open when cooking, as ovens release CO emissions – and keep BBQ equipment well away from tents and caravans. Even smoking causes CO gas – another reason to cut back on the Duty Free ciggies
- Holiday glass accident – not just dropping glass items in cramped self-catering kitchens, but also walking through or into glass patio doors in bedrooms, which may not be made to the same standards of strength as patio doors in the UK. Glass can also be hard to see in certain weather conditions when there is no reflection or curtains or nets are drawn, so always reach out to check if a glass door is open or shut before you stride through it – quite literally.
No one wants to read about people being injured on holiday, so take a little more care when on holiday abroad and avoid returning home as another