Oxford is a beautiful English city in central southern England and revolves around its prestigious university, established in the 12th century. It has attracted tourists from all over the world and many students come here to study in one of the UK’s top universities. The Oxfordshire Cotswolds open your eyes up to the real beauty Oxfordshire has to offer with streams running through villages surrounded by miles and miles of green lands.

Whilst staying in Oxford, there are some great places you should visits. The Oxford museum is free entrance and have a range of items to look at from dinosaur and animal fossils to mummified cats and historical weapons.

There are some great places to eat in Oxford and if you are up for a bit of shopping then you will find it hard not to stay out all day with the wealthy and variety of shops on offer.

When choosing to go abroad for your holiday, you may want to take time to get to know the locals. Many countries are very happy to welcome visitors and the local people are often all too pleased to help you with whatever you need. When staying in another country you need to respect their rules and regulations and show respect to the people living there.

If you can mix with some of the local people you will have more of a chance to experience what life is actually like living there, rather than only seeing it from a tourist’s point of view. The local people will often be able to advise you better on where is great to eat and drink and places of interest to visit and indeed avoid.

It is vital to stay safe when on holiday and therefore you should never go off with someone of a group of people you do not know on your own and especially without telling someone where you are going and contacting them at regular intervals.

When holidaying with children you need to make a few more preparations and pre planning is definitely in order to avoid any nasty surprises. The first thing to consider is location. Ideally you want to go somewhere that is tailored towards children and can cater for their needs. If you are staying on a campsite this may mean looking for one with good facilities, play areas and close to the beach or a town offering entertainment.

Depending on how old your children are, you may look for a place that has children’s clubs onsite allowing the children to go off for a few hours participating in an activity whilst you get a bit of time to do what you wish to.

Car journeys can be hard work with children, so try and plan a few activities that they can do on the way and make sure you stop for regular breaks.

When you are going on holiday abroad holiday insurance is a must and most people are use to factoring this cost into their trip, however there are still people who simply look for the cheapest cover possible, and the issue with this is that should you need to make a claim you can be stung by extra costs or insurance companies refusing to pay out in certain circumstances state on their terms and conditions.

Here’s what to look out for when getting your travel insurance:-

ALWAYS read the full terms and conditions of any policy, it may seem like boring legal jargon but it’s important before you sign that you have read and understood exactly what you are covered for.

Ensure that you are covered from the start of your journey right up to when you return home, most claims are made in the actually travel part of the journey rather than the main body of the holiday.

Ensure that your insurance covers a suitable amount for lost luggage or damage to your property during transport.

Check the excess that you would need to pay out on a claim is not too high, high excess will bring down the initial cost of the insurance but is not worth it if it’s too high to bother making a claim on.

There’s nothing more frustrating than checking into a hotel for the start of a great holiday to find that the room that you have been allocated is not up to scratch.

Some people to avoid confrontation will simple put up with this and just make a note not to stay in the hotel again but I really feel that if you are paying for a product and a certain level of services that is what you are entitled to and you should raise any issues you have to avoid ruining your holiday.

The first thing to do if there is a few minor issues, such as cleanliness issues or not enough of something in the room, is to go to reception and tell them which room you’re are in and what is needed. Be honest with them, if you are not happy in the room that you are in ask to switch rooms and state what you require in the room (as per what you paid for on booking).

If the hotel is not being particularly helpful then ask to speak to a manager and tell them, calmly but firmly that if the issues cannot be resolved and the room that you have been given is either not fit for purpose or not as it was advertised then you will be going elsewhere and not paying for the room. If the hotel tries to levy any charges on you for doing this simply explain that you would be happy to go to trading standards with your complaints or publicise on social media/trip advisor if they would rather.

Even the most difficult hotel staff won’t want the bad publicity so sometimes this can just get you the resolution you were after.