What will travel insurers think of next? Hot on the heels of cover for injuries caused by falling coconuts come insurance discounts for vegetarians.

Give up meat and you'll get a 10 per cent discount on holiday insurance with specialist company JourneyWise (0870 845 5555) which says vegetarians take health matters more seriously and are less likely to be taken ill on holiday.

The Vegetarian Society says non meat-eaters have a 40 per cent less chance of getting some cancers, and 30 per cent less chance of suffering from heart disease.

Not only that, they are less likely to suffer kidney and gall stones, diet-related diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. And since 80 per cent of all food poisoning cases in the UK are meat-related, being a vegetarian in countries where food hygiene isn't always up to scratch is a safer bet. Proving you no longer succumb to the smell of frying bacon is another matter. A spokeswoman said: 'When it comes to cover, we would have to take people at their word. If there were claims, we would have to investigate to see if they didn't choke on a pork chop or something.'

Earlier this month, Club Direct (0800 074 4556) highlighted its cover for injuries inflicted by coconuts, stating that each year on average 150 people are killed by falling coconuts and another 1,000 are injured; a nut falling from an 80ft tree can reach a speed of 50mph.

'Breadfruit are dangerous, too, and mangoes can give you a nasty bruise,' said a spokesman. 'We give cover if you're hit by any of them. If you drop a coconut on someone's head, you are covered for up to £2 million.'