Travel Insurance Protects

For all travel warnings go to the FCO website, which provides information on where not to travel. The swine flu outbreak in Mexico is a case in point. The FCO imposed a full travel ban on the country for a short period of time because of risk of spreading the disease. Insurers, tour operators and airlines all follow this advice and so customers were entitled to have their money refunded.

But now the ban has been raised as the threat recedes. Unfortunately those who fear swine flu and no longer want to go to Mexico are not entitled to a refund, unless there happens to be other legitimate reasons to stay at home. The opposite also applies. People who ignore the FCO warnings put themselves at risk, because they will be invalidating their travel insurance.

Frequent updates to the status of places occur, so it is important to take a look often. The FCO warnings are region-specific, so might include only part of a country. An example would be the recent bomb in Lahore, Pakistan, which put parts of the country off limits whilst other parts were open to travel to.

If it happens that the travel company is responsible for disrupting or cancels your holiday they should give you an alternative or your money back. However, they are not obliged to compensate you for any disturbance, inconvenience or disruption caused. They might if you are lucky.

Once you arrive safely and on time at your destination, be aware of how to keep yourself healthy whilst away. Much of it is obvious. In many areas tap water will upset your stomach, so if the Lonely Planet says don't drink it then listen to them. Bacteria and germs thrive in warmer climates and so prosnal hygiene, such as hand-washing, is particularly important to take care of.

When dining out or cooking yourself make sure meat is properly cooked, so that any germs have been killed in the cooking process. White meats should be pale and of an even colour, with no traces of pinkish opaque flesh showing through. The juices that flow from white meat when cooked should be clear, not pink or bloody. Red meats obviously aren’t necessarily well done and can be bloody.

Other annoyances occur for a vast number of reasons, such as the incident at Bangkok airport in November, when protesters held a sit-in and stopped the airport from functioning. There was no danger of violence but it did casue a lot of flights to be cancelled. Travel insurance really helps under these circumstances because it means another flight will be provided for you, so you won't end up stranded.

The bottom line is, anything can happen. So whilst you shouldn't be put off travelling overseas by the dangers or inconveniences that may occur, you should buy a decent travel insurance policy to give you peace of mind and make sure you’re protected.