Like many industries, luxury holiday operators are showing signs of the downturn. There are airlines, holiday insurance companies and travel companies reporting significant losses. Everywhere you look there are offers to tempt you into making a booking. Even the stalwart British Airways have posted losses in the region of ?00m.

It is a risky and exciting time, depending on your point of view. Some travellers have taken advantage of holiday destinations that have been hit the hardest. Holidays to Iceland are yielding good value because of a favourable exchange rate following the collapse of Icelandic banks. On the other side of the coin, British travellers in Europe are noticing how the weak pound compared to the Euro can make things seem expensive.

Since holidays can amount to a significant financial outlay, what…

So you have decided to plan a holiday and you are all excited about your coming holiday away from everything. Of course before you go you definitely need to make sure that you purchase some good travel insurance to keep you covered. The big question may be, where can I buy travel insurance? Well, there are actually a couple different options that are available. Here is a look at the options you have when you need to know where you can purchase quality insurance to keep you protected on your holiday.

Purchase from a Travel AgentOne place where you can purchase this is through a travel agent. More than likely you have some travel agents in your area and most will be able to offer you the travel insurance that you…

If you are watching your finances during this seemingly endless recession, you might be getting a bit gloomy and in need of a holiday - a short city break could be just the thing to recharge your batteries. Contrary to reports, flight prices have not gone up massively and if you do some careful research you can get a good deal.

The same is true of travel insurance - you might be tempted to skip this to save some cash, but by carrying out a travel insurance comparison you will see you can secure cover from as little as ?. Though a city break is more often that not a short break, this doesn't mean luggage can't get lost or accidents don't happen. Once you've secured the travel insurance you need…

Finding a backpackers insurance plan that's tailor-made to assist a traveler is imperative on long-stay excursions. Making all arrangements for a worldwide expedition is often a stressful process with so much to organize and prepare, so being able to plan the ideal travel insurance for backpackers is a welcome relieve.

Backpacking insurance is often a smart and cost-effective approach to gaining protection against possible travel disruptions. Hiking in a foreign state can bring with it a plethora of difficulties, so it is a wise choice to get well prepared for all circumstances.

A long-stay worldwide travel package is designed to offer protection in circumstances such as cancellations or travel delays, personal liability, emergency medical expenses, stolen or lost luggage, legal expenses and advice, personal property, and hazardous or extreme activities.

Long-term travel packages…

The first thing you need to decide upon before buying any type of travel insurance is where you will be going on your holiday. There are several types of travel policies and some are specific to certain holidays, such as ski insurance which covers you on a skiing holiday and adventure insurance which covers you on any type of holiday that may involve adventure sports such as kayaking. If you are going abroad for a beach holiday then general travel cover will do.

Once you have got to this stage you now need to customize your policy by adding and taking away cover features. Most travel insurance providers include medical cover, personal baggage cover and personal liability cover as a standard set-up but you may want to add 'loss of passport'…

When planning their annual holiday many people think that, they do not need to purchase holiday insurance/travel insurance. But you should always take out adequate holiday insurance cover. Why. Because then you will be fully covered if anything goes wrong.

People who do not bother to take out travel insurance will often say, if I need to see a doctor I can use my EHIC card (european health insurance card) And if the airline lose my suitcases I can claim from the airline at the airport, or if the travel company goes bust, I am covered by ATOL (Air Transport Organisers Licencing scheme)

All of the above are true, but they are not the whole truth.

Your EHIC card will not cover everything, as the level of care varies between each european country,so…

Whether its Swine Flu (H1N1) or any other outbreak of infectious disease, you may or may not be covered by your travel insurance policy. It all depends on the circumstances and the fine print on your travel document. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that travelers are asking about swine flue.

Am I covered if I catch swine flu on holiday?

Yes - if you have a normal medical travel insurance policy and you get ill any doctors visits, hospital stays, medication, and costs associated with changes to travel plans will be covered. Swine flu is just another disease and your policy will cover you. Fortunately for most healthy adults a hospital stay is unlikely.

Am I covered if營 get swine flu before I go on vacation?

Yes you should be…

In this installment of our guide to skiing we look at ski holiday insurance...

About one-third of all skiers do not purchase insurance, and thereby open themselves up to the risk of owing literally thousands of dollars of medical and/or rescue bills in the event of an accident.

Murphy's Law would suggest that what can go wrong, will go wrong, and skiing is no exception; consider issues such as baggage loss, stolen or broken equipment, personal liability in the event of an accident that requires repatriation/restoration, and even things like piste closure that you may not have thought about, all of which can cost you money.

That's why it is recommended that you invest in some insurance that will cover your skiing trip. How can you choose, however, from the tremendous range of…

Each year as summer comes around people across the globe start to prepare for their summer vacation, for some this may be a long haul journey to the other end of the world where as for others it may only be a trip down the motorway to somewhere a bit warmer!

Whatever the vacation is the associated traveling takes a lot of preparation with people buying new clothes, luggage, toiletries, sun lotions, medicines and other holiday essentials. As well as gathering all the holiday essentials there is the matter of arranging travel to and from airports, ferry terminals, train stations etc, which can involve booking taxi's, minibuses or getting a bus. After organizing travel and gathering all the holiday essentials together, travelers also have to ensure that all tickets and passports…

Rugby hero, Johnny Wilkinson, fell foul of illness abroad in August 2005. He was abroad as part of a tour of Japan, but he never made it onto the pitch. Instead, the only ball he got close to was the ball of pain in the lower-right side of his abdomen as his appendicitis took hold.

Johnny found himself installed in the hospital for a whole week; hospitals can be expensive places to stay in abroad. Had the rugby team not taken care of him, he would have needed some cheap travel insurance to cover the medical bills. It turned out that three weeks later his appendix ruptured and the injury-cursed sportsman required surgery. Thankfully, he was home by then.

TV belle, Holly Willoughby, was indeed 'dancing on ice' when she took a…