Having travel insurance is a worthwhile purchase for anyone going abroad for their holidays. Even in relatively safe locations such as central Europe, a number of things can go wrong.

Flights can be delayed. Airlines can lose your luggage. Tourist areas may be prone to opportunist thieves who may target your belongings. And you could fall ill anywhere in the world, to the detriment of your holiday plans.

We hope that none of these events happen to you. But, if they do, you could be out of pocket. And with emergency medical problems it could be by tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Holiday insurance may be able to help avoid some of this risk. It’s a way to insure for travel you, those travelling with you and your belongings.

If your luggage is lost, holiday insurance may not be able to replace it, but the payout from a claim can help recover any costs that you have had to pay to get temporary alternatives.

In particular, the medical cover outside of the EU offered by insurance is a necessity.

Within the EU, you may think that an European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) or its replacement, the UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic), can cover all your medical needs. This isn’t true. Some of the most expensive medical services, such as repatriation, aren’t covered by the Ehic or Ghic. They are limited to health cover and won’t help at all with things like cancellation, loss or theft. And the Ehic no longer provides access to healthcare for UK nationals travelling to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

Even if you’re staying in the UK for your break, having holiday insurance will provide cover for lost, damaged or stolen possessions such as baggage, and cancellation, cutting your trip short or delay to your trip in some circumstances.

To qualify for cover on our Annual Multi-trip policies, UK trips must consist of:

• at least 1 night’s pre-booked and paid-for accommodation, or
• a stay at least 100 miles from your home, or
• at least 1 sea crossing

We provide cover whether you’re taking a break in the UK or going on holiday overseas. It could provide welcome reassurance if your luggage or personal belongings are lost, stolen or damaged while you’re staying away from home in Britain. You’re also covered if you have to cancel or cut short your trip in some circumstances, as set out in the policy.

For Annual Multi-trip Travel Insurance, to have cover for trips within the UK there is a minimum requirement to have 1 night’s pre-booked and paid accommodation or your stay must be at least 100 miles from your home, or you must have at least 1 sea crossing.

The UK Government provides guidance on travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is to enable you to understand any restrictions, safety issues and quarantines information that may be in place for the destination that you are travelling to. For each individual country the FCDO will list if travel is permitted or not. We recommend that you check the latest advice regularly as from time to time it can change, sometimes at short notice. Remember, your cover won’t be valid if you travel against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice of all travel, or against local government advice. Check the latest on the FCDO site.

Specialist cover is mandatory for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. There’s greater risk and emergency costs to airlift you from a mountain can be high. Make sure you’re protected on the pistes

If you’re going on a cruise, specialist cover is both important and mandatory. It covers missed departure due to breakdown, falling ill on board, being confined to your cabin, lost baggage and more