Regular columnist Jane Hawkes, who runs the consumer advice website Lady Janey, says you should turn detective if you become unwell on holiday. Timing is critical for holidaymakers who become unwell if they want to claim from their travel insurance or tour operator.

When you've booked a package holiday, it's the responsibility of the tour operator to try and sort issues for you. They need to be given the opportunity to do so before you consider any escalation.

That means it's as described, that hygiene standards are at the level that they should be, that health and safety standards are what they should be and that all components of that package holiday are vetted so that you are getting the service and the actual product that you have paid for.

More than 1,700 people have joined legal action against travel company Tui after becoming ill whilst on holiday in the Cape Verde islands.

It really is important to record anything that you feel that may be unusual or out of order because it could mean you could have a little stomach upset while you're away, but then that develops into something more when you come back.

You need to record things at the time so if you need to go back to and raise an issue, you can say, ‘at this point in this time, I had this, and this is how I felt.'

Timing is critical, so act in the moment and gain as much evidence as you can. It’s important to try to speak to other people who might be in a similar situation to you to help to prove your case.

You may need to extend your search beyond your own personal experience. You may need to ask other guests and see what other people have experienced.

But look around you in the hotel, the accommodation provider.

Are there other examples of poor hygiene, of lower safety standards, or anything that would concern you?

If there are, take photos and videos in order to support that and keep all your receipts.

Look back at what you were eating, when and where, and so you can try and track it back.

The difficulty in these situations can be because there are so many different contact points on your holiday it might be difficult to prove.

You're going through the airport, you're on an airplane, you're with other passengers, you’re with all the guests.

But equally, that would mean that others may have experienced the same thing as you have.

And it is important to act at the time, but also to follow it up then in writing when you get home.

Complaining in the moment means you have an accurate record of what happened, and it's easier to collate your evidence trail of what happened and when.

It's inherently difficult to go back and to prove what happened. You're looking for the cause. You're looking for. Where did this arise from? And you have to collect that evidence to support that.

If you've got the travel insurance in place, then you will have the support for those upfront costs that you may incur while you are trying to get the help that you need.

Turn detective on your own holiday to get the evidence you need to support any claims.

This is likely not what you had on your wish list of holiday activities but the more you do in the moment, the stronger your position becomes.