It is understandable that people panic in emergency or unexpected situations, but a little bit of composure should allow things to be sorted out pretty quickly. It's easy to get caught up in worrying about what might happen. But there's usually nothing to worry about. There are a few simple points you need to remember that will allow you to ensure things work out okay.

The biggest tip is to take several copies of your policy information with you. The numbers to call, your policy number, a brief summary of your schedule are all important bits of information that could help sort things out with a minimum of fuss.

Especially in medical situations, speed is vital and quite clearly, this should take on greater importance where treatment is needed. Should you be unconscious, so long as someone finds your documents then treatment should be given without delay.

Considering the medical implications, theft is not such a big deal but can ruin your holiday nonetheless. In extreme cases immediate action is necessary, such as getting replacement funds and documents. For smaller cases you can wait until you return home to contact the insurer. but make sure you get a police crime report to prove your claims.

Be aware, in developing countries with high numbers of foreign tourists, this is seen by many police as a waste of their time. You might have to give officials a small bribe to make progress. While this may seem alien to us, is some countries it is standard procedure.

Another common claim is for baggage lost by airlines, hotels or transport companies. The thing to watch out for here is accountability. It's important that, if possible, some sort of admission of culpability is obtained to forward to your insurer. It wouldn't be unheard of for an airline to deny losing something even after their staff admitted to the fault at the time.

In the information age getting in touch with your insurer, even if you've lost your wallet with all the contact details in, isn't usually going to be that difficult. Even if you don't have a policy number to hand, the staff at the insurance office should recognise your name and be able to confirm your details through some sort of password system set up when you bought the policy.