One year on from the start of the revolution in Egypt, and the safety of travellers in that country and in other hotspots around the world are still cause for concern.

A new wave of revolution threatens Egypt – only last week, nine coaches transferring tourists from Cairo to Hurghada were stopped by armed protesters who held the passengers captive for nine hours before releasing them.

The world is now a much more open place for those who wish to travel and we can visit countries which only a few years ago would have been almost impossible to reach. But as exotic places have opened themselves up for us to enjoy, some countries have become more dangerous or unpredictable for the foreign tourist.

Consider localised disputes in the Middle East, sailing near the Somali coast or being kidnapped in South America. If the worst happens, then are you covered by your policy of travel insurance?

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides travel advice for all countries in the world. Its website is accessible at www.fco.gov.uk and the travel advice section is easy to work around.

The FCO reviews its advice for each country once a month but it also updates the advice immediately if there is a specific requirement for it to do so.

For each country the FCO offers a wealth of advice about security and safety warnings, which is based on information received from British embassies, the British security services and local information. It also sets out details about entry requirements, health concerns and natural disasters.

So will your travel insurance cover you? The advice from the FCO can affect insurance in specific ways.

In many cases, a travel insurance policy, which you take out before you visit the country, and which is covered by a warning against "all travel" would not pay out if you decided to go ahead and visit that country.

Warnings against "non-essential travel" may mean that the situation is different and it is always best to check with your insurer.

Sometimes problems can happen when you are already abroad.

If advice is issued at that time, then normally your insurance will cover you for a trip that you began when the travel advice was not in place.

If you have booked with a tour operator or airline and they cancelled the trip, then they will generally be responsible for refunding to you your money.