Fly Me to the Moon

The time is upon us when the first civilian journeys into space are on the not to distant horizon. And with Virgin Galactic already having sold out of tickets for their first (as yet unscheduled) flight, it appears there is going to be no shortage of people willing to shell out the minimum $200,000 ticket price. Amongst all the excitement of preparation however, these first space tourists have to face up to a serious issue - travel insurance. Cheap weekends away or ground-breaking adventure holidays - whatever the occasion, it is the responsible traveller's duty to ensure they are fully covered for every eventuality.

So, if you are one of the lucky ones who is in a position to join in the race for space, chances are you'll need some tips on what to look out for. To make sure your out-of-this-world experience does not give your wallet an out-of-body experience, just remember when it comes to insurance cover you don't always have to spend the earth. Cheap travel insurance could cover you for most of the calamities which could occur on your lunar trip; but remember don't take our word for it! Always check the fine print.

Trip delayed due to meteor shower
This is it; you've done your training, your bags are packed and you've kissed your Mum goodbye. Then you get the call no hard-working holiday-maker wants to hear. Inclement weather on Mars and an out-of-season meteor shower has delayed lift-off for 48 hours. Disappointment aside, you don't have to worry. Cheap travel insurance should cover the cost of a hotel room for a couple of nights and any other related expenses you incur. Now, start the countdown again - two more sleeps....

You leave your spacesuit on the bus.
You just popped over to your mate's place to show off your groovy new spacesuit and ended up having one too many wines while sitting around telling space jokes. On the way home on the bus you nod off and wake up in a panic just before your stop. You leap off the bus like a well-oiled gazelle, alas, leaving behind your prized spacesuit under the seat. The last you see as the bus rumbles off into the night, is the sight of two teenaged gangsters spray painting your three-weeks-wages worth of helmet with their tag. Embarrassing though it is, if you've planned wisely, cheap travel insurance might cover you for a replacement.

You drop your camera in a crater
You made it! You've arrived on the Moon. Wow! It's an incredible sight; you really must take some photos to show the folks at home. You buzz around clicking here and clicking there - but wait! What's that down there right at the bottom of the crater? You inch forward trying to focus on the image, then your camera strap gets caught up in your gloves and before you can grab it, it's fallen deep into the centre of the crater. Boo hoo. Although there's no bringing back those precious snaps, your cheap travel insurance could pay out for a new camera when you get back. The folks at home will just have to make do with your memories...

A moon man steals your wallet
You're sure you tucked it in the back of your space suit when you went for that romantic moonset walk with that only other singleton on the ship. But how embarrassing - when you came to pay for the cocktails at the weightless wine bar, your wallet had gone! Luckily your companion was gracious enough to foot the bill, but the loss of all your cash and credit cards is a real inconvenience. But at least your cheap travel insurance might get you some emergency funds for the rest of the journey.

You miss your connection back to the Mothership
Uh oh. Those cocktails really went to your head and you and your companion completely lost track of time! You missed your scheduled shuttle back to the Mothership and now you'll have to fork out big bucks to get the next one. Not to worry, you might be able to claim that on your travel insurance too. Just keep the receipt!

You chicken out at the last minute
It sounded like a good idea at the time didn't it? Be among the first people in the world to spend their annual holidays on the moon? You passed your training with flying colours, you said your goodbyes to your 576 friends on Facebook, and you packed your toothbrush and long-life toothpaste. But when the time came, you just couldn't step aboard. Turns out you're more of a homebody than you thought. Lucky you took out travel ins

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey's Travel. Their consumer travel insurance website, Insuremore, offers cheap travel insurance for families, couples and singles with a quick and easy online claims feature.