Planning a holiday is an exciting time, particularly if we plan to visit a country that we haven't seen before. All sorts of things are possible. New sights will greet you at every turn, a different culture comes with so much energy and colour that it can be hard to take it all in. New food and drink will pleasure the palette through every meal. You will do things that you wouldn't normally find time to enjoy - moonlit strolls along a beach, leisurely days by the pool, karaoke!

So you book your flights and your hotel, you pay all the necessary disbursements, such as insurance, albeit a little begrudgingly because you're unlikely to ever need it and pretty much go back to day dreaming about the sun drenched beaches and foreign waiters (or waitresses).

But as some people have discovered, these holidays don't always go to plan. Accident, illness and injury can occur just as easily as when at home - in fact, possibly even more so as you are less aware, your guard is dropped and frequently more alcohol is consumed under such relaxed circumstances.

If unforeseen circumstances occur while you are on holiday, your travel insurance will cover basic hospital expenses as well as transport to get you home and possibly reimbursement of your trip, depending on the degree of insurance you have. What it does not cover however, is compensation.

There are lawyers that will specifically deal with holiday accident claims, but why would you need one? Barely a week goes by where we don't see a British national has lost their life in a freak accident whilst overseas on holiday. This is obviously a complete devastation for the families concerned.

Holiday accidents recently in the news have covered a man from the UK who was attending a wedding on the Greek Island of Rhodes when he fell from a balcony and died. Another balcony fall claimed the life of a sixteen year old British boy in Spain and one pregnant woman was allegedly pushed from a balcony by her boyfriend. On impact, she became impaled on a spike. This cost her the life of her unborn baby and very nearly her own life too.

All the people that have had the misfortune of these holiday accidents have left families behind who deserve some sort of compensation, particularly if a third party were at fault. This is not simply a financial gain. Many people use a holiday accident compensation lawyer as a way of feeling that the death of a loved one wasn't in vain. It often leads to the responsible parties and any onlookers being more careful in the future and learning lessons that will prevent others losing their lives. It's not always about holing someone up as being responsible but more about future prevention.

However, trying to assess responsibility when the incident occurred in a foreign country can be extremely difficult, which is exactly why a specialist is called for. Foreign countries have different laws and the public are often restricted as to what information they are allowed access to. This can be very frustrating for the average layman who cannot get past the red tape.

It is also important to understand the language and medical terminology that will come from any reports following the accident, illness or death that has occurred. This can mean the difference between winning or losing a case and at least seeing some sort of recompense for your loss knowing that it won't have been in vain.