So many things can go wrong when you're abroad that you don't think about, so it is wise to plan ahead and know your options if calamity befalls you, writes Caroline Madden

1. You crash your hire car

One minute you're cruising through stunning French countryside or zipping along the Amalfi Coast, enjoying the scenery and the wind in your hair, the next minute your rental car gets a flat tyre or worse still, you've crashed. What should you do?

Fortunately most major car hire companies offer a 24-hour breakdown service, so if it's a minor problem simply find their number on the rental contract and call for roadside assistance. If it's a more serious incident, call the police and an ambulance if necessary. Then contact the car hire company and follow their instructions.

If major damage has been done to the car, you might have to pay a fee to get a replacement car, but if the damage is small, the agency may allow you to continue driving the car.

Most rental contracts include collision damage insurance, which limits the customer's liability for damages to the rental car while on hire. However, the contract will also stipulate an "excess" which you must pay if repair is necessary, which could amount to several hundred euros.

2. You lose your passport

Pos-Leaving Certificate holidaymakers celebrating their exam results in sunnier climes are particularly prone to losing their passports, but it could happen to even the most conscientious traveller. If you discover that your passport is missing, you should contact the local police immediately and request a written statement confirming that you have reported the loss.

The nearest Irish embassy or consulate should then be contacted. It will be able to get you a replacement or emergency passport to allow you to return home, but you'll have to provide the police report as evidence that the passport is actually lost and also some proof of identity and of your Irish citizenship. For this reason it is a good idea to bring photocopies of the personal information pages of your passport on holidays.

3. You are the victim of a crime

If you are the victim of a crime while travelling abroad, from pick-pocketing to a serious assault, you should report the incident to the local police and request a copy of the police report.

If you need further help, then you should contact the nearest Irish embassy. While the embassy won't be able to give legal or medical advice, it can provide lists of local legal and medical practitioners and also help out with police formalities and in contacting your insurance company. It will also assist in contacting friends and family and help with arrangement to get you home if that's what you wish.

"Our officers will do everything possible to assist you if you have been the victim of an accident or assault while abroad," says a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs. "If you request it, and it is possible for us to do so, we will visit you in hospital, or in prison if you have been arrested."

4. You buy something that doesn't work - what are your rights at home?

For bargain hunters, a foreign holiday may seem like the perfect opportunity to stock up on cut-price clothes, electronic gadgets or jewellery. But what if you get home and discover that the Gucci tags are fake, that your ring is not 18-carat gold or that your new digital camera is missing the high-tech specifications promised?

Seeking a refund from the foreign seller can become a logistical nightmare once you are back in the Republic, but if the goods were bought in another EU country, then help is at hand in the form of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Dublin.

If your purchases do not reach an acceptable standard, are not fit for the purpose for which they were bought, or don't meet the seller's description, then you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. The ECC will act on your behalf to ensure that these entitlements are met. "Your rights are the same as if you buy something here," says Tina Leonard, director at the ECC. "You have the same come-back, the same protection."

Although most countries have their own system of consumer protection, Irish consumers may not enjoy the same rights when it comes to purchases made outside the EU as they do on goods bought within the Union, and there is no equivalent to the ECC to fight their battles in these cases.

5. Your accommodation isn't what it was meant to be

If the plush five-star luxury accommodation overlooking the beach that you booked turns out to be a Fawlty Towers-esque hotel located five miles inland, it can certainly seem like your holiday is ruined.

However, if the accommodation was booked as part of a package holiday, and you report the problem immediately to the tour representative, they may be able to remedy the situation quickly, for example by moving you to better accommodation.

If things do not improve, you should gather as much evidence as possible to support your claim (by taking photographs, for example), and then make a written complaint to the tour organiser or the travel agent within 28 days of returning home.

If you do not receive an adequate response, then consider pursuing the matter through the Small Claims Court. Don't be afraid to complain and take things to the Small Claims Court because that's the only thing that keeps retailers on their toes, advises Tina Leonard of the ECC.

If you booked the hotel through an internet booking site, check the terms and conditions as your contract may be with the website and not with the hotel. If the website provided an inaccurate description of the accommodation, then you may have some come-back with the site's operator.

If, on the other hand, you're trying to resolve the issue directly with the hotel, and are struggling to overcome the language barrier, the ECC can intervene on your behalf.

6. Your luggage is lost

Roughly 30 million bags go astray around the world each year and with airport congestion growing and turnaround times getting tighter, the problem of lost luggage is getting worse.

If your luggage goes missing, you should report the problem at the airline's customer services desk in the airport baggage hall, and produce the baggage labels you were given when checking in your bags. The airline will request the completion of a "Property Irregularity Report" - make sure to get a copy of this as proof that the airline was notified of the problem at the time of discovery.

Next you should make a separate written claim to the airline seeking compensation, but according to Brendan Moylan of the National Consumer Agency (NCA), the amount of compensation paid by airlines normally doesn't come anywhere close to covering the value of the lost property.

If you have taken out travel insurance, you may be entitled to compensation depending on the terms of your policy, so you should advise your insurance company of the loss or damage to your baggage as soon as possible. Some insurance policies will also reimburse you for emergency purchases such as clothes and toiletries, so it is worth holding onto receipts for such items.

7. Your flight is delayed

Most holidaymakers have come to accept delayed flights as a necessary evil of modern travel, but when inordinately long delays occur, passengers should bear in mind that they may be entitled to some form of compensation.

Under EU regulations, if passengers are delayed two hours or longer for flights of less than 1,500km, three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500 km or four hours for all flights over 3,500km, then they are entitled to free meals and refreshments, two free phone calls, faxes or e-mails and hotel accommodation where an overnight stay becomes necessary.

If the delay goes over five hours, then you are entitled to seek a refund of the unused part of the ticket if you decide not to travel, or you can choose to be re-routed by the airline later.

Unfortunately airlines can, and often do, wriggle out of their obligation to provide compensation if the delay was caused by bad weather, strikes, a security risk, an unexpected flight risk or political instability and therefore was not the fault of the airline.

Your travel insurance policy may cover flight delays, but insurers typically pay out only a small amount in compensation.

8. Your credit card is skimmed, lost or stolen

Ever more sophisticated methods of skimming your credit or debit card details (ie where the data on your card's magnetic stripe is electronically copied onto another card without your knowledge) are constantly emerging. According to the SafeCard.ie website, fraudsters in Spain are now posing as police officers at ATMs, and insisting that they "test" your card in the machine. They then proceed to skim your card details, hand back your card and watch you enter your PIN.

If you suspect that your credit card has been either skimmed, lost or stolen while on holidays, then you should immediately report it to the card issuer, who will cancel your card and organise a replacement if necessary. It is recommended that you keep your credit card provider's emergency helpline number stored on your mobile phone.

If you have a card protection plan insurance policy, you may be entitled to benefits such as an emergency cash advance, cover against fraudulent use of your cards, a hotel bill advance and replacement travel tickets if they were lost or stolen with your cards.

9. Your credit card doesn't work and you have no cash

You may think that you can rely on your flexible friend at all times, but what happens if your credit card is declined or you've forgotten your PIN when you're holidaying in some far-flung corner of the world and you realise that you haven't got any cash?

The simplest and quickest route out of this potentially sticky situation is to get friends or relatives to transfer money from Ireland through a reputable commercial agency such as Western Union.

If you're struggling to find an agency or can't get in touch with anybody at home, then contact the nearest Irish embassy or consulate. Although the embassy cannot extend loans, they can contact relatives or friends on your behalf and can arrange to have funds transferred directly to you, or through the Department of Foreign Affairs. A fee of €35 applies to transfers made through the Department.

You should also get in touch with your credit card provider as soon as possible on their emergency helpline, as they will be able to provide advice and assistance.

10. You become ill on holidays

If you're struck down with Bali Belly, sunstroke or some mystery illness while travelling, the best (and most obvious) rule of thumb is to head straight for the nearest doctor or hospital.

If you're travelling in the EU, then you are entitled to emergency healthcare with any public system doctor, hospital or treatment centre, as long as you have organised a European Health Insurance Card. This card has replaced the E111 form, and can be obtained from your local health centre, or from www.ehic.ie. However, private treatment is not covered by the card and it shouldn't be regarded as a replacement for travel insurance.

If you have travel insurance, contact the insurance company, which will probably have its own medical care support team operating a 24-hour helpline. It may need to talk to your doctors, particularly if it is trying to decide whether your condition is serious enough to warrant an emergency repatriation.

Make sure to keep all receipts and medical reports relating to your illness, as these will be necessary if you intend to make a claim on the policy when you return home.