Dont think its the HDD Bart, if the Bios would start, and show anything on the screen, one of the items it would report is the HDD failure.
First thing on POST (Power On Self Test) is run the BIOS, no Bios, no nuffink....
Sounds like its the Bios issue reported by Warren (and suggested on FB
).
Dont depair Liz, looks like a simple fix with a USB key, keep it safe till you get back, maybe buy another memory card for the camera in the meantime.
Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your now "low tech" holiday, we can wait for the rest of the pics....
Cheers
Chris