Holidaymakers going to Greece this summer should check with their travel insurer that they are covered for expenses incurred because of wildcat strikes and other protests.

In the past two months, Athenians have held several strikes and protested on the streets against austerity measures designed to set the country's economy back on track, and following the bailout measures announced last week it is possible these will continue.

Although the protests have not affected holiday bookings to the country, Rochelle Turner, head of research for Which? Holiday said people planning to travel there during the next few weeks should double-check with their insurance companies that they are covered in the event of anything going wrong.

She said: "If insurance companies feel that something has been going on for a long time, it becomes a 'known event' – people need to check whether they will be covered if they can't get to hotels because of a strike."

Cruise companies had been having trouble getting taxi drivers to take their travellers off ships, she said, while backpackers had found they could not get ferries because of strike action.

"You might be able to argue that wildcat strikes were not expected on the islands, because it hasn't happened there previously. But if you are in Athens it's perhaps quite predictable. Holidaymakers need to be aware that they might not be able to claim for expenses when they get back home," she said.

Bob Atkinson of price comparison site travelsupermarket.com said people taking package holidays which included transfers by ferry or some other form of public transport should be protected by the Atol travel insurance scheme and their tour operator should make alternative arrangements if necessary.

But those who have made their own travel plans need to read the small print on their policies.

For example, not all policies pay out for missed inbound flights to the UK as well as outbound ones. "Many only cover missed departures from the UK, not back," he said.

Even those who are covered should check with their insurer before committing to any extra expense: they especially should not try taking pre-emptive action, such as staying the night in a hotel near the airport, without checking with the insurer first.

"Imagine if the strike didn't happen," said Atkinson. "Even if it did, you will have to prove there was a strike and get confirmation from the ferry company that it wasn't operating.

"It's better to ring the 24-hour number and saying 'this is the situation, this is what I would like to do, can you authorise it?'. Make sure you take down the time, what was said and who you spoke to for verification later on."

Aviva, one of the UK's biggest insurers, agreed, saying that provided you are travelling by public transport to the airport, and so long as you did not know about the strike before buying the policy, you should be covered for the cost of missing an international departure.

Esure spokesman Adrain Webb said: "So long as [the holiday] is not booked via a tour operator, it will be covered up to £800 under the mis-departure section of the policy and we'll pay for any reasonable hotel costs too."