possible tour cancellation.

I would suggest that you call the Rick Steves office and ask about your particular departure. They may already know based on how many people have signed up. It is unlikely, but I do know someone who signed up for an RS trip which was then cancelled; they ended up traveling independently that year.

I always insure my airfare; it's not that expensive. Definitely look into that.

Ditto on the suggestion of travel insurance. In 2010 when the Iceland volcano was erupting, my April trip had to be moved to May. Fortunately I did not have to submit a claim against the insurance I purchased because everyone was so accommodating. Plans change though... get insurance is my advice. Linda

I had the same concern before booking and I called the RS office. They were very helpful and were able to check how many people had signed up-they had enough to assure me. Also keep in mind that if the trip has to be cancelled or moved, you don't lose your ticket money. You get a credit with airline.

To add to the last posting........check w/ your particular airline,
but in most cases, even though you get a credit with the airline for future travel, there is a $250 (+/-) penalty applied per ticket. If you are doing travel insurance, it is often (not always) a good idea to insure just the non-refundable portion of an airline ticket, if you think you can use the credit for future travel. If you don't think you can use the credit within the time allotted by the airline, then you might want to insure the entire airfare. Trip insurance will only cover the amount that is not refundable to you, unless you waive your rights to the refundable portion (insurance company will have you sign something). Good advice to call Rick's company to see how many are signed up, etc.