Five essential tips for ALL travellers

CHECK for ‘supplier failure’ or ‘airline failure’ when you buy travel insurance. It is not included as standard but covers costs if a travel company goes bust – as happened recently with online travel agency Lowcostholidays.

Otherwise, ensure packaged holidays are booked through a company registered with ABTA.

This protects customers under the ATOL scheme, which issues refunds or rescues stranded travellers if a company collapses. Customers who booked with Lowcostholidays were not ATOL protected and are likely to receive very low compensation. TAKE a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you. The future of the cards is uncertain because of Brexit, for now they give holidaymakers access to local healthcare for the same cost as residents. But you still need insurance. If you fall ill, make sure you go to a staterun medical centre or hospital that accepts EHICs, not an expensive private clinic. Otherwise your insurer may insist you are moved mid-treatment. BEWARE of buying insurance last minute at the airport. Columbus Direct has rolled out 30 digital kiosks where you can buy insurance at nine UK airports, including London Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Although their cover will be priced the same as if bought from the company online, it will not search across different insurers to find you the best deal.

Experts advise you buy insurance in advance while booking your holiday. THINK about quirks that could be excluded by your insurer. A look at more than 750 annual travel insurance policies by comparison website Gocompare found that a third only cover a stepchild if they live with the insured parent. Six per cent exclude stepchildren altogether. Meanwhile, 36 per cent of policies do not cover children if they travel independently of the insured parent. ASK ‘Ciindy’, pictured left, if you have any queries about travel insurance – visit website askciindy.com. It was set up by the Chartered Insurance Institute.