Hurricanes, volcanos and earthquakes: Is travel insurance really worth it?

Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Riots. Airline strikes. Volcanic eruptions. There are so many things that could foil even the best laid vacation plans this summer.

Weather experts are predicting a more active hurricane season in 2010, with scientists at Colorado State University in Fort Collins estimating 15 named storms, including four major hurricanes with sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour in the Atlantic Ocean alone.

And then there's that pesky volcano, which caused the largest disruption to air travel since World War II, forcing European officials to cancel 100,000 flights and costing carriers $1 billion. Geologists are reminding travelers that the last time Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted it spewed ash into the air for two years, raising the specter that Europe's air traffic authority may be faced with canceling more flights this summer.