The military coup in Thailand and political demonstrations in Hungary are two recent overseas developments in which holidaymakers have been caught up - though fortunately, not injured. But in recent years we have witnessed, and an unfortunate few have experienced, a dreadful series of terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

The events of September 11, 2001, may be the most memorable terrorist atrocity, but the recent roll call includes bomb blasts in Bali, Sharm el-Sheikh, Istanbul, Madrid and London. In autumn 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused death and destruction in New Orleans while Hurricane Wilma shredded the Yucatan coast of Mexico. And the tsunami of December 26, 2004, brought us all to a horrified standstill as we watched people being washed away on beaches familiar to many of us from our holidays in Thailand, Sri Lanka, south India and the Maldives.

Until the turn of the 21st century, few holidaymakers considered that they might be caught up in such horrors when they headed off to relax on a beach or explore a city.

But the bar has been dramatically raised - and our holiday industry has taken a while to work out how to deal with these unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations. For some years, there was a knee-jerk response. After an incident, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) would rule that it was too dangerous for us to travel to destination X any longer, and once they put a destination off-limits, travel insurers would refuse to cover us if we went there. So tour operators, in turn, would rule that it was too risky to take us there.

But these days, the sad and seemingly endless catalogue of disasters and atrocities has prompted a new outlook. Amongst travellers there's now a rather stoic view - particularly since the attacks on London of July 2005 - that horrible things can happen anywhere, so why stop travelling? In March 2006, a Mintel report found that 67 per cent of British adults said they will not let terrorism prevent them from visiting places that have been attacked; 49 per cent said that, as more such events occurred, they are becoming hardened to them.

Others travellers have told me that the tsunami was the incident that made them realise how important it is for holidaymakers to continue to travel, because so many of them had been to the affected destinations, and knew local hoteliers or shopkeepers who had been caught by the waves, and so wanted to go back and support them and their families.

Within the travel industry, there's now greater sophistication in the analysis of where problems really lie and how we should respond to incidents. It's now far less likely that the FCO will declare an entire country off-limits following an incident. The FCO's new approach has been welcomed by many holidaymakers and tour operators, who had become frustrated by the old, inflexible approach which blacklisted some destinations long after operators on the ground felt they were safe. But the FCO's new reluctance to blacklist destinations puts a greater onus on the traveller to prepare. It's now as important to make judgements about personal safety when planning a trip as it is to ensure that you've booked the tickets and renewed your passport.

How should travellers prepare?

Travel insurance should be your starting point. It's never been more important to have good insurance, with medical cover that includes repatriation if necessary.

If you are caught up in a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake, your insurance should cover you for medical costs or loss of possessions if you were injured or lost items because of the event. But it may not cover you for the curtailment of the trip. However, if you have booked a package holiday with a bonded holiday company, they will be obliged to switch you to a suitable alternative resort or bring you home and compensate you for the remaining days that you missed, or to offer you an alternative trip of equal value if you're yet to travel.

If you plan to visit a country that's affected by war, revolution or terrorism, and the FCO advises against travelling there (check on www.fco.gov.uk), parts of your travel insurance cover may be invalid. However, you should check the small print carefully. If you are in a country that is experiencing civil war or terrorism, but you fall ill for completely unrelated reasons (such as tripping over a paving stone and breaking your leg), you may still be covered. But you may not be covered for expenses that are incurred as a result of the war or insurrection.

"The travel insurance market is changing slightly because terrorism is something we all live with now, whereas in the past the terrorist risk was not obvious," said Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers. So some insurers are now including cover for anyone caught up in a terrorist incident, in part prompted by calls from the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba).

Biba spokesman Graeme Trudgill told me: "After September 11, a lot of travel exclusions appeared in policies' small print - you would find that most policies exclude paying out in the event of a terrorist attack. So, for example, if you were caught up in something like the Bali bomb, tough luck.

"But that's when you need your travel insurance the most." So in 2005, Biba launched a travel insurance policy that includes medical, repatriation and baggage cover in the event of a terrorist attack, through insurers Arch (contactable via Biba, 0870 950 1790, www.biba.org.uk). "We're still unhappy that a lot of insurers are not covering terrorism - we think they should be doing that," he said. Norwich Union (0800 121007, www.norwichuniondirect.com) and Insure and Go (0870 901 3674, www.insureandgo.com) are among insurers that offer terrorism cover.

For a detailed look at buying travel insurance, see my complete guide to travel insurance.

If you are travelling within the 28 countries covered by the European Health Insurance Card, ensure you carry that, too. To obtain one, collect an application form from the Post Office, or contact 0845 606 2030, www.ehic.org.uk. Unlike the old form E111, which it replaces, every member of the family needs their own EHIC.

Then check the FCO's latest advice (0845 850 2829, www.fco.gov.uk/travel). As well as listing travel safety advice on every country, it has a useful Know Before You Go section (www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo), covering such subjects as sustainable tourism, health, money, terrorism, drugs and advice for special events, such as a section offering advice to British Muslims travelling to Mecca for the Hajj. Gap-year travellers can consult its sister site at www.gogapyear.com.

The FCO is planning to launch an Online Traveller Registration scheme in early 2007. It will be accessed via its website and will help officials to work out who is likely to be in the area at the time of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Backpackers and expatriates will be particularly encouraged to sign up, although any holidaymaker, even someone on a two-week trip to France, can register. You'll be invited to fill in your itinerary, personal information and next-of-kin details, and to update this information if your plans change as your trip progresses.

If a terrorist incident or natural disaster occurs, your family can ask the FCO to search the database - which will not be made public - to see if you might have been in the area at the time. Meanwhile travellers in the vicinity of an incident will be encouraged to log back in to their online profile and leave a message to say they are safe, which can be passed on. This will help relieve pressure on emergency telephone lines, which become overloaded during a disaster (following the tsunami, the FCO was receiving 11,000 calls an hour), and also allows the FCO to work out if British nationals are likely to be in a particular area where a disaster has occurred.

Last but not least, don't forget about the benefits of booking a package holiday rather than an independent trip where you have no consumer protection. If you are caught up in a terror attack or natural disaster, your tour operator is obliged to help you.

"A lot of people say, I do not need a rep," said Sue Biggs, MD of Kuoni, the UK's leading long-haul tour operator. "But when things go wrong, nothing beats the reassurance of having someone who knows what to do, and who can charter aircraft at an hour's notice to get you out of trouble."

She speaks from experience. Within 24 hours of the Asian tsunami, Kuoni had chartered a plane to fly to Sri Lanka to bring back anyone who wanted to return. "The British are wonderfully resilient and most wanted to stay!" said Biggs. "Though we filled the plane with other tour operators' clients. We have now funded three field hospitals in Sri Lanka - tour operators do have a social responsibility to these destinations."

Safe travel checklist

• Take out good travel insurance
• Consult the FCO website
• Register with the FCO, once Online Traveller Registration starts
• Keep a note of the phone number of the nearest British Consulate (details on the FCO website)
• Register yourself with the local British Consulate, if advised to do so by the FCO website
• Dress modestly and do not draw attention to yourself when travelling
• Avoid political demonstrations or rallies
• Tune in to World Service radio or international TV channels to keep updated
• Be very careful if taking photographs
• Leave passport and insurance details with your family
• Fill in the next-of-kin section in your passport
• If an incident occurs in the country you're visiting, contact family to let them know you are OK, even if the incident was far away
• Read up on local laws, particularly concerning alcohol and drugs

Cath Urquhart is the author of The Times Holiday Handbook (Navigator Guides, £12.95), published this month and available for £11.50 and free p&p from The Times BooksFirst (0870 160 8080, www.booksfirst.co.uk)