Travel customers should take care to read the smallprint when it comes to financial protection for their holidays, says travel expert Ros Walsh.

Currently there are a number of advertising campaigns on the issue of travel protection, offering various degrees of protection for the customer.

But Ros who works for award winning travel company Travel Counsellors, argues that customers should receive all-encompassing travel protection for any arrangements they want to make, not just ATOL protection for package holidays, or protection that only applies up to a certain value or during a specific time frame.

ABTA also no longer guarantees financial protection. It follows the collapse of companies such as XL Leisure Group and Zoom Airways at the end of last year, which saw thousands of passengers lose their money due to lack of financial protection when booking their holidays.

Ros says: “All Travel Counsellors customers not only received their money back, but benefited from having their own personal travel expert putting in place alternative travel arrangements for them. The protection offered by Travel Counsellors through the Travel Counsellors Trust Fund since 2004 is free of charge.

“I am delighted that other travel companies at last seem to be taking the issue of financial protection seriously.

“But I am still concerned that many customers will need to read the small print to see whether they are covered or not. With the current economic climate people want complete reassurance, not to be having to check the smallprint for terms and conditions.”