Once again parts of Britain’s travel network has been brought to a near stand still with chaos on the railways, roads and airports, just as the busy holiday season begins with thousands stuck in road jams, railways under water and aircraft unable to land or take off in some regional airports…welcome to sunny Britain.  ? Under the delay section of a policy , most insurers will give some benefit for periods of delay faced at the airport. Do check your individual travel insurance documents as some of the cheaper basic covers do exclude this protection.

We are all used to Kite marks and Corgi approved engineers to provide a level of consumer protection in our everyday life but what about when we go on holiday? The nightmare scenario for any holidaymaker is being stranded when their airline or tour operator goes out of business.

Although it isn’t an everyday occurrence, these situations do happen with little or no notice so it is important to ensure that your travel organiser can provide sufficient evidence of security for the refunding and repatriation of customers in the event of insolvency.

So who or what is out there?  Some insurers offer Passenger Protection Insurance sold separately or part of a , they offer travel insurance with a difference.

How easy it is to lose your laptop? Well, latest reach for Dell suggests that the chances are fairly high if you ask someone to keep an eye on it for you when at the airport. A staggering 42% of respondents who lost their laptop had trusted someone to look after it for them.

Simply put, you need both if you are planning to travel abroad. One does not replace the other. First of all what is EHIC? The EHIC replaced the old E111 form in 2006 which is no longer valid. Do make sure you get your EHIC before you travel. Application forms are readily available from Post Offices and you can also apply online through the Department of Health website or by telephoning 0845 606 2030. EHIC is valid throughout the EU and a number of other countries, namely Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechenstein.

Should you be suddenly taken ill or have an accident in any of these countries, then the EHIC will entitle you, in most cases, to free, or at a reduced cost, necessary medical treatment.

Not sure where to holiday in 2009? Well, top destinations tipped to
weather the financial downturn include Mexico, Turkey and Egypt.

  The
low cost of goods and services in these counties means that they remain
an attractive holiday destination as they did throughout 2008. Other
destinations in 2009, which are predicted to beat the global credit
crunch, are Dubai, Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Cuba , South Africa and
Australia.

The accident over the weekend on the major rail route between London
Euston and Manchester Piccadilly has sparked severe disruptions for
travellers heading home after the Christmas break.

More than 100 trains on the West Coast Main Line, to and from
London Euston, were cancelled after overhead wires became damaged,
blocking all tracks at Watford Junction on Sunday afternoon.

The latest disruption was caused when a light aircraft crashed into
power cables, killing the two occupants and forcing the cancellation of
many trains on the route between London and Manchester. Commuters will
be hoping they do not see a repeat of last yearâ??s chaos, when
engineering work at key sections of the rail network were not complete,
causing disruption well into the New Year.

Since the 1st November when low-duty marine diesel was phased out for
all leisure boaters a few less controversial increases are being
experienced.

1st December 2008 duty on , including the Harbour Commissioners’ barge off Custom House
Quay and a number of marinas.

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It is recognised that there is the potential for pollution incidents when boats are refuelled at
on the pontoons, other than on those dedicated to refuelling. Off the
boat, the Government recommends a distance of at least 10m from the
water.

It nearly always pays to get cancellation cover for your holiday trip abroad. All
at the same time that you booked your holiday, which could be several
months before the actual trip. That way, cover would be provided for a
range of events, such as unexpected serious illness to the policy
holder, travelling companion and quite often, illness or worse of a
close relative which results in you having to cancel your trip. Whilst
on the subject of cancellation, do check that the same level of cover
extends to curtailing or cutting short your trip and also look out for
holiday abandonment, which is closely linked to cancellation, for when,
after a set period of delay at your departure airport or seaport , your
policy offers you the option of not continuing your trip and being
reimbursed for your costs up to a specified limit. So the best advice
is that travel insurance
should not be relegated to a ?necessary evil’ purchased just before
your travel but should be considered as a fundamental pre-requisite to
protect your holiday investment.

Portsmouth harbour is the main naval base in the UK and as such offers
a fantastic variation of naval and pleasure craft. There are many ways
to explore the harbour including )
? (rigid inflatable boat) for the day. If you take some friends or
family this actually works out great value for money and gives you the
freedom to chose which parts of the harbour you visit. The Rib can be
at your disposal all day and some are capable of over 50mph so you can
be anywhere in the Solent in no time. Portsmouth harbour actually has a
speed limit of 10 knots so if you , they have
huge deck space and large areas beneath deck. As with the Rib you can
chose where you visit and you are not restricted to Portsmouth harbour
alone. Despite there large size the lack of a keel means that you are
not restricted by shallow water which is handy as Portsmouth harbour is
very tidal. Most of the sailing barges also have plenty of berths down
below so you can even sleep on the boat and continue sailing the next
morning.