4.3 Million viewers tune in to watch an "idiot" travel abroad

It's times like these that make people think twice about the value of travel insurance. The question is, how much can it actually help with situations such as the escalating political tensions in Egypt, the suicide bombing in Moscow or flooding in Australia? We decided to find out. It turns out that the answer really depends on the type of travel insurance that you have. Most travel insurance providers have an option that allows travelers to "cancel for any reason," which offers the most comprehensive coverage. Unless you check that "any reason," box, however, most plans don't cover "civil unrest," which is how the majority of travel insurance providers would define the current situation in Egypt. "Right now, because it's declared 'civil unrest,' I don't know any travel insurance policy that would cover it," said Carol Mueller of travel insurance provider Travel Guard. She said that unless a customer had opted for Travel Guard's "cancel for any reason" policy, if they wanted to cancel their upcoming trip because of the violent protests, or because the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for Egypt, they would not be covered under any other Travel Guard plan. Travel insurance provider Access America had 195 customers traveling in Egypt when the uprising started, and according to Access America's policy those that are traveling to, from or inside Egypt might be covered if their travel is delayed for six or more hours due to the unrest, if their policy includes the "travel delay" benefit. If it does, customers can be reimbursed for meals, accommodations and additional transportation expenses, up to the coverage limit of their policy, explained Daniel Durazzo of Access America, which also has an emergency travel arrangement concierge service to assist stranded travelers. As for airlines and tour operators that have canceled their Egypt departures, they are for the most part offering customers refunds or the option to rebook at a later date—alleviating the need for travel insurance providers to get involved in those instances. Mueller said the Moscow bombing will be covered by most insurance policies if and when it is declared an official act of terror—which will happen if and when a terrorist organization takes credit for the attack, she said. Until that time, if a traveler cancels he/she will not be covered unless they have the "cancel for any reason" plan. For a situation like the floods in Australia, if the area a traveler is going to "is declared uninhabitable," said Mueller, then necessary changes in travel arrangements are covered. Worth the investment? Noted Mueller, travel insurance runs on overage between 5 and 7 percent of the total cost of the trip, and if travelers are heading somewhere in the world where there could be civil unrest in the coming months, they should just opt for "cancel for any reason" coverage. At Travel Guard, "cancel for any reason" coverage can be purchased as an optional add-on to many of its core base plans and typically runs between 30 and 40 precent more on top of the base plan. A list of travel insurance providers can be found through the U.S. Travel Insurance Association at Ustia.org/. More from Budget Travel: How to Survive 10 Travel Emergencies How Rental Car Companies Undermine Credit Card Insurance 10 Hot New Travel Gadgets

Last year, BT readers chose America's savviest packer, and now it's your turn in the spotlight! Have you set sail more times than you can count? Do you know deck plans like the back of your hand? Keep a souvenir from every port? Have you mastered the art of recreating your favorite towel animals? Prove it! Make the case as to why you—and only you—are the world's best cruiser in this online contest. From now to March 15, send photos, videos, best-of lists, insider tips—any and all evidence of your expertise (or obsession)—to starcruiser@budgettravel.com. Points will be given for creativity of submissions! The winner will be determined in an online reader poll starting May 3 and will win a free cruise! (Bet you didn't see that coming...) Stay tuned for more details about the prize, and check back in May to see the finalists! MORE ON CRUISES Smackdown: Which Mega-Cruise Rules the Seas? Real Deals: Cruises From $399

Food critic Ruth Reichl once said "restaurants free us from mundane reality; that is part of their charm. When you walk through the door, you are entering neutral territory where you are free to be whoever you choose for the duration of the meal." And this is the perfect week to celebrate that sentiment. Yes, it's official: Restaurant week is upon us. A week (well, actually weeks) dedicated to food, indulgence and a dash of gluttony, and it's sending foodies and food lovers scurrying to book the best reservations. This week, restaurants in New York, L.A., and Toronto offer set menus designed to get you out of hibernation and sampling some of the best dishes in these cities. The best part? A three-course meal comes with a price tag that won't leave you penniless. Participating restaurants in all three cities offer pre-fixe, three-course lunch and dinner specials at bargain basement prices—dinner at New York restaurant Ilili, for example, goes for just $35 whereas ordinarily dinner can cost upwards of $60 (note: prix-fixe prices exclude alcohol, tax, and gratuity). Reservations are almost always a must, so call to book in advance or visit opentable.com (especially in New York). Consider booking reservations during off-times (e.g., 6pm or after 9pm) to ensure you get a chance to dine at your restaurant of choice. Here are my personal recommendations for restaurants in each city. If only I could visit them all… Recommendations: New York's Ilili is the perfect escape from the dwindling temperatures. It blends traditional Lebanese food with modern Mediterranean influences, and offers an extensive wine list that includes wines from around the world. Sample Arak, an anise-based liquor with peppermint undertones, and dig into a feast of veal sweetbreads, date braised beef, and more. Ilili, 236 5th Ave, New York NY, 212/683-2929, ililinyc.com Slip into Toronto's Southern Accent, located in the heart of Mirvish Village, for home-cooked Cajun food that will leave you wishing you had booked that flight to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Not only does the Winterlicious menu feature restaurant favorite Canal Street Creole Jumbalaya, it also offers Cajun Turducken (you know, that venerable nestled roast of your favorite birds). Southern Accent, 595 Markham Street, Toronto ON, 416/536-3211, southernaccent.com One of L.A.'s most romantic restaurants, The Little Door in West Hollywood offers rustic European fare with a focus on seasonal and healthy ingredients. The concept of the restaurant is simple: to provide a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of LA. Perfect for scoring a three-course meal with a loved one; after all it is the most romantic place around. The Little Door, 8164 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA, 323/951-1210, thelittledoor.com The finer details: - New York's Restaurant Week takes place January 24-February 6 and offers 3-course, pre-fixe lunch specials for $24.07, and dinners for $35. - Toronto's "Winterlicious" takes place January 28-Feb. 10 takes place Jan. 28-Feb. 10 and offers 3-course prix fixe menus for lunches ($15, $20, $25), and dinners ($25, $35, or $45). - DineLA's Restaurant Week takes place Jan. 23-28, and Jan 30-Feb.4, and offers 3-course menus for lunches ($16, $22, or $28), and dinners ($26, $34, $44). —Madeline Grimes RELATED: World's Weirdest Restaurants Making the Most of Restaurant Week America's Favorite Restaurants

By April, every Expedia customer will have the chance to enroll in Expedia Rewards, a re-launch of the online travel agency's loyalty program. But current customers can join the beta test, as Gary Leff was first to report. Why wait? Existing customers can go to the Expedia Rewards page and sign in using the "Join Expedia Rewards Beta" link in the center left hand column of the page. During the beta period, you can earn points that will still count once the program becomes official. Expedia's revamped rewards program is now the easiest to use of the major online travel sites. As before, users will earn a point for every dollar spent on hotel stays, redeemable with no blackout or expiration dates. But following the upgrade, travelers may buy vouchers good for partial payment of a hotel stay and earn points when booking airfare, which oddly, they couldn't do before. You earn one Expedia point per dollar spent. "Any time there's a change in the program people think it will be for the worse," says says Edward Nevraumont, Senior Director Loyalty Marketing Expedia. "This is a rare time where a company has made things better." You can use your points to stay at 90 percent of hotels sold on Expedia or toward any airfare sold on Expedia. No blackout dates for redemption. Points won't expire for 18 months, and you can keep the points active if you have some spending via your Expedia account. Another positive change is that if you use a lot of your points with hotels, Expedia will give you a better ratio of rewards to points. If you save up your points, you'll usually get greater redemption value for the points—bringing the program into line with the most popular loyalty programs out there. Coming soon is a little "slider" icon, which will allow you to see how many points you can get for a redemption. Budget Travel checked in with Randy Petersen, the ultimate guru of loyalty programs and founder of InsideFlyer and FlyerTalk, to ask his view: "What we do know is that the hotel experience and reward has certainly become more important than even the mighty frequent flyer mile when it comes to the travel experience because after all most hotel guests aren't subject yet to paying a fee for checking in." What do you think? MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Loyalty programs with the best payoff! Air miles hard to earn? Not with new card bonuses Why you won't find American's fares on Expedia or Orbitz