We strongly recommend all travellers take travel adequate insurance for their journey to protect you against unforeseen costly problems. There are many different types of travel insurance available. You will need to decide what type of cover you require and check thoroughly that the policy you choose suits your needs.

The guide to buying travel insurance
All policies are not identical, which means that there is no alternative to checking the scope of the cover offered by your insurer.

Many travel insurance policies presume that valuable items such as cameras, jewelry etc are covered under your household insurance and are often excluded from cheaper policies.

Do not assume that cover offered as a perk with your credit card is suitable for your needs. When Barclaycard launches its travel insurance deal in September, it will offer the cardholder free cover for up to six people. But only those who book their holiday through Barclaycard travel services will be eligible. Free travel accident insurance is also offered by some other credit cards. However, this is not the same as travel cover because these policies cover only mishaps that occur in transit.

If traveling in Europe, complete the E111 form, which is available from post offices. It provides UK citizens with free or reduced-cost healthcare in the EU. Some insurers will refuse to pay out if you try to claim for costs, which would have been covered by an E111.

Medical treatment in countries without national health services on offer to UK citizens can be very costly especially USA, so insurance is defiantly required.

Elderly travelers face a battle to gain competitive travel insurance. Research for Help the Aged this year found that 91 per cent of annual policies impose an upper age limit.

Single-trip insurance is similarly hard to come by. Saga, which specializes in insurance for the elderly, has no upper age limit, but premiums depend on your age and health.