Avoid buying travel insurance at the 'last-minute'

Britons should avoid buying travel insurance at the last-minute as cancellation cover will be "virtually worthless", it has been claimed.

Emma Lunn, writing for the Independent, expressed her belief that many holidaymakers delay purchasing a policy until just before their trip and this can result in issues when trying to claim compensation.

"Most policies include cover which kicks in if you need to cancel your trip due to illness, a death in the family or redundancy," she said.

"So it's a good idea to buy insurance around the same time you book your holiday, or else have an ongoing annual policy in place."

Ms Lunn added that UK consumers travelling to the US and Canada should also ensure that their medical expense cover is at least £2 million due to the high cost of healthcare in these countries.

A recent survey by the travel association Abta revealed that one in five Brits do not purchase travel insurance before travelling overseas.

Posted by David Shuker