Many Scottish families will travel far and wide to visit friends and relatives this Christmas.

So what happens if your flight plans are disrupted?

Travellers have an automatic right to a refund from their airline if the company cancels the flight. Alternatively, they can choose to be rerouted to their destination. If a short-haul flight is delayed more than two hours, airlines must provide food, drinks and even accommodation if the delay runs overnight. For medium-haul flights, the delay must be three hours, and for long haul, four hours. If you have been delayed for more than five hours and no longer wish to travel, you are entitled to a full refund from your airline. If you are a transfer passenger, your airline should provide you with a return flight back to your departure point. For more information, visit the Civil Aviation Authority's website: www.caa.co.uk.

You are entitled to financial compensation under European law if you are denied boarding, your flight is cancelled, or if it arrives more than three hours late to its destination for flights within the EU. For journeys of a distance of 1500km or fewer you are entitled to €250. More information can be found on the Europa.eu website.

Most travel insurance policies also include some kind of cover for delayed departures, as long as the flight is international not domestic. The cover usually comes into force after a delay of six, eight or 12 hours.

If you are travelling to the airport by public transport and disruption causes you to miss your flight, you should be able to claim under the 'missed departure' section of your travel policy. Insurers will usually pay for you to board a later flight of the same class. The value of the cover will vary, but up to £1000 is not unusual.

The situation could be a bit more tricky if you were travelling in your own car. Rebecca Brown, head of lifestyle at AXA, says: "Be careful if you are driving to the airport and miss your flight. Policies vary over the cover offered in these scenarios so the safest course of action is to leave plenty of time to catch your flight."

Meanwhile a third of skiers and snowboarders will hit the slopes this season without the right insurance, according to ABTA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Martin Redmond of the Foreign Office's Know Before You Go Team says: "Whether you are an experienced skier or hitting the slopes for the first time, it is crucial to take out appropriate travel insurance. The FCO provides support for British nationals who get into difficulties overseas. However, we cannot pay medical bills if you are hospitalised and we can't arrange to fly you home.

You cannot rely on your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), either. The EHIC might entitle you to some medical treatment. Most insurers also waive the medical excess on your policy if you use your EHIC. But it won't necessarily offer the same cover or standard as the NHS. Plus, it won't get you down from a mountain and doesn't pay out for lost luggage or cancellation.

Specialist ski cover is therefore essential, or you could end up seriously out of pocket. You can either buy a separate policy or you can add winter sports cover to your existing travel insurance. Most insurers offer different levels of winter sports insurance and you can pick the policy that suits your needs and your budget.

Remember insurers can reject a claim if you are in any way negligent. So, if you leave your skis outside a bar and they are stolen, you might have trouble persuading the insurer to meet the cost of replacements. You could also end up with an unpaid claim if you were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident

Most experts recommend a winter sports policy with £2m of medical expenses and £1m of personal liability, in case you injure someone or damage their property - not totally unheard of on the slopes. The limits sound high but they are actually pretty standard across most decent winter sports policies.

Cancellation and curtailment cover is also essential in case you have to come home early or cancel your trip completely, normally due to ill health. It should at least equal the value of your holiday, which should include all pre-booked equipment and lessons.