Victoria Vigors’ holiday of a lifetime was left in tatters at the airport
Victoria, Roxie and Riley before their ill-fated ‘holiday of a lifetime’(Image: Jam Press)
A family’s dream holiday costing £6,500 was left in tatters after they were turned away at the boarding gate. Victoria Vigors, 41, arrived at Gatwick Airport ready for their all-inclusive two-week break to Hurghada, Egypt.
Victoria, who was with children Riley, 15, and Roxie, nine, checked in online for their easyJet flight. But problems emerged when staff scanned their boarding passes at the gate and noticed Roxie’s passport didn’t meet Egypt’s entry requirements for remaining validity.
“My stomach dropped, and I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach,” Victoria, from Kent, told creatorzine.com.
“The kids crumpled and I burst into tears. I begged the staff but there was nothing they could do. We had to be escorted back to get our luggage off the flight. It was so embarrassing.
“The kids were devastated, Roxie kept saying it was her fault and we were so disappointed. It was a really bad day.”
Victoria had saved up for two years for the trip, which she described as the “holiday of a lifetime”. The 41-year-old said it would have been their first two-week trip abroad together, and their first time staying at an all-inclusive resort.
Roxie’s passport expires on January 4, 2027. However, Victoria said she hadn’t realised that could still prevent travel. UK government foreign travel advice states British passport holders must have at least six months’ validity remaining from the date they arrive in Egypt.
Because Roxie’s passport did not meet that threshold, Victoria said the airline refused to let them board. She said she hadn’t known the rules and believed everything was in order.
“I wasn’t aware of the rules. I was given her passport the day before we flew by her dad. In my head, it was six months anyway, so I didn’t think there’d be an issue. For people like me who don’t always travel and it’s the first time with my children, I wasn’t to know.
“I would have thought when I put her passport details in to check in that would tell me it wasn’t valid. That would be a simple system to install so save this agony and heartbreak. It’s crazy.”
Victoria said the family is now trying to secure an emergency passport in the hope they can still get away for at least the final days of the trip, after being told they can’t get a refund.
“I’d been saving up for two years. We were incredibly excited as we’d never had a two-week holiday abroad together or been to a resort like this. It was going to be the holiday of a lifetime.”