Many travelers do not buy travel insurance when they go abroad, and many are not any worse off for it. However, there are some key reasons why buying travel insurance could be right for you.

If needed, how would you receive medical care at your destination? In a lot of countries, the cost of medical care is either high or non-existent. In most countries, you will need proof of insurance prior to receiving care. And most policies that cover you at home do not cover you abroad. Buying a travel insurance policy that covers any non-reimbursed costs could very well save your life, and at the very least will help your peace of mind.

Many people purchase expensive trips well in advance. What if you are unable to make it on your trip due to unforeseen circumstances? A travel insurance policy can be purchased to cover any non-refundable costs in case of this scenario. Do note that many policies will not refund if the cancellation is due to a pre-existing medical condition not covered by the policy.

Will you be traveling with a lot of cash? This is the case in a lot of countries where it is uncommon to pay by credit or where ATMs compatible with your cards are rare. This includes many countries in South America and Africa, where you’ll be lucky to find a Western Union, let alone an ATM. With this much cash, theft immediately becomes a large concern. A travel insurance policy can help cover any losses incurred due to such theft. It can cover valuable possessions you may be taking along as well.

Finally, in some parts of the world terrorism is of concern when it comes to trip cancellation costs. If you are traveling to any cities where this is a threat, a separate policy may be purchased to cover any non-refundable charges in case of a cancellation due to a terrorist act.

Again, perhaps the largest part of buying any insurance, and especially travel insurance, is the peace of mind it provides. Most travel insurance policies are affordable, and can prove to be indispensable in the event that some unfortunate event befalls you on your trip. But in case it doesn't, knowing that you are covered can make your vacation that much more relaxing.

No trip to the Scottish capital would be complete without paying a visit to the Royal Mile. The old town, built mostly from the beautiful, local limestone which characterises the whole area, is a must see. But what is there to do amidst the inevitable hordes of tourists other than spend copious amounts of money in the mile’s multitudinous shops, selling traditional Scotch and Tartan?

The castle, of course, is certainly worthy of a visit, with audio guides providing comprehensive historical information about the many developments of the site. If you happen to be visiting in August, too, you will no doubt notice the huge, temporary stands for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo – an immense display of military bands from all over the world, in which the Scottish pipe band plays a leading role. The Tattoo is certainly an experience and even if the music isn’t your thing the spectacular back drop of the illuminated castle, the buzzing city below and Arthur’s seat amongst other heathery slopes should be enough to warrant the ticket price.

Working back along the mile from the castle, one of the first attractions is the Camera Obscura – a hands-on museum of optical illusions, holograms and moving panoramic city views. The Obscura is usually a favourite amongst families as there is plenty to entertain the children, as they enter something of a magical world where they can swap heads with their siblings, spot the hidden magic eye pictures, transform themselves in the morph machine and even shake hands with their own ghost. The Obscura’s slogan, ‘where seeing is not believing’, certainly does it justice.

Further along, you might want to take a look at St. Giles cathedral, distinctive thanks to its famous crown shaped spire – a famous feature of the Edinburgh skyline. St. Giles’ is a fascinating mixture of styles and designs as it has been repeatedly damaged and restored throughout the ages. One of the cathedral’s most recent additions is the striking new organ, which will be much used throughout this year’s festival for a host of different concerts.

For a bit of literary culture and some light refreshment, why not stop at Rabbie Burn’s Café, a little further down the mile, for a quick coffee or a bite to eat? From there are signs to the Scottish History Museum – a fascinating glimpse into the complex and bloody history of a country constantly fighting to maintain its identity – and the Museum of Childhood, another family favourite, is just across the road.

For accommodation in close proximity to the Royal Mile, you’re spoilt for choice. From the up market Radison hotel on the corner of the Mile to the reliable and friendly St. Christopher’s hostel, situated a little further towards the North Bride, there are plenty of options to suit all budgets. For further information check out visitscotland.co.uk  and for accommodation, from cheap hotels to all out luxury, take a look at lastminute.com.

Switzerland is one of those countries that, in Britain at least, is usually rather maligned. I wouldn’t say that they suffer the most out of all our European cousins – the French and the Germans receive more derision – but the Swiss are coming in a relatively close third. The home of cheese, cuckoo clocks, neutrality, banking and skiing, Switzerland is nestled between Germany, France and Italy in the Alps and quietly goes about its own business.

In fact, if you were to ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of Switzerland the only thing that might come out that wasn’t on that list above is public transport. Deservedly so the Swiss have a reputation for outstanding and punctual public transport, if our train system worked as spectacularly as theirs did, I don’t think we’d have very much of a problem when it comes down to congestion on the road.

In my, relatively limited, experience of Switzerland I did not see a single piece of Swiss cheese, I do not remember witnessing a cuckoo clock, there wasn’t a ski in sight (apart from in the airport) and not very many people demonstrated a preference for neutrality. Admittedly there were banks literally everywhere, but you can’t have everything can you.

Switzerland is an amazing country, and French Switzerland particularly. The country is split into French speaking (in the west) of which Geneva is probably the principal town, German speaking (which comprises the majority of the country and is in the east) of which Zurich is most well known, and the Italian-speaking region (down in the south) which is quite small. It is not just a country designed for skiing, during the summer it can be absolutely baking, Lake Geneva becomes like an inland sea – it does, after all, have beaches – and surrounding it all are the ever present crests of the snowy mountains of the Alps.

Most people are multilingual and speak the kind of English that should make us ashamed as a nation that we don’t seem to be proficient in any other tongue. It does mean, however, that whatever language you know to some degree of proficiency is workable. They are, on the whole, friendly and helpful, beer is expensive, in fact, everything is expensive, and the waiters are generally offensive, but that’s more or less to be expected.

The most remarkable thing about Switzerland is the laid back and relaxed approach that they take to life. Life progresses calmly, but they seem to enjoy it. The other thing that stands out is the absolute love of culture, there are museums everywhere, in the most astonishing buildings and they are sometimes thrown open to the public for free, and people go and experience as many as they can in one night.

City breaks in Geneva (including flights from London and 7 nights in the three star Best Western Chavannes de Bogis) are available from £346 per person on Lastminute.com.

While it would be great to think that all of our travel and vacation plans would go off exactly as we plan them to and there would never be any kind of hitch in the travel schedule, this simply doesn’t always happen. The fact is, problems do occur unexpectedly and sometimes plans need to change in order to offset these problems or challenges. Many of today’s travelers may not realize the benefits that they are losing out on when they decline to take advantage of the benefits provided to them with travel insurance. While travel insurance may not be necessary on every trip a person ever takes, some people would rather be safe than sorry. Here are some of the most popular trips that would benefit from having travel insurance in place.

Let’s Go on Spring Break!

If you are flying from New York to Florida, you might not need to have travel insurance. But what if you are flying from Rhode Island to Spain? Traveling abroad is a great time to look at investing in travel insurance. Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance companies are not going to provide U.S. citizens with healthcare coverage for their policy holders when they are traveling outside of the United States. To compensate for this, many travel insurance policies will cover the cost of medical emergencies when individuals are traveling outside of the area in which they are covered by their regular health insurance. Even credit card insurance policies rarely cover individuals who have health problems when they travel, so it would be in the best interest of many people who are traveling abroad to look into the various policies available through travel insurance.

That Cruise Does Look Like Fun….

Sometimes cruise lines, like many other businesses, will go bankrupt and this will affect a number of people – not the least of which are those who were supposed to be taking a cruise. If a cruise goes bankrupt and a person has travel insurance through that same cruise line, they will not be protected from the negative fallout of the bankruptcy and their money will be lost. On the other hand, if a person has third party travel insurance when their cruise line goes bankrupt, they will be protected. Cruises are a lot of fun for most people, but it is important to make sure that you are protected if you are planning such an expensive and exciting vacation.

Cherry blossoms in Japan are a lovely image and one that Japan celebrates through the country through viewing parties and festivals. But when is Cherry blossom time? Spring may be your first thought but it depends on which part of Japan you’re talking about.

The cherry blossoms begin blooming in January in Okinawa, and they are at their peak in late March to April in the Tokyo area. So if you plan to be in Tokyo sometime in the spring to see the Cherry blossoms, you may also want to take a side trip to Tokyo Disneyland.