Everybody looks forward to their annual vacations. As our vacation time draws closer we’ll start to count the days until we pack our holiday clothes and head off for a week or two in the sun.

There are unfortunately many people who take their families away on holiday without thinking about the need for holiday insurance. This is particularly true for those who don’t arrange their holidays through a travel agent. Travel agencies will generally remind people of the need for holiday insurance but even when they do many people take out the cheapest policy possible which can often be inadequate for many circumstances.

The key reason that many people don’t take out adequate holiday insurance cover is that they don’t expect they will need it. Nobody expects to have an accident, to need medical attention or that they will be the victim of crime. Its an unfortunate fact of life that emergencies do arise and when they occur abroad they can be incredibly expensive. For example, if the worst was to happen and you needed to be flown home to the UK it could set you back many thousands of pounds. From the USA the cost of repatriation by air ambulance is estimated to be between £35K and £45K and from the Canary Islands the cost could be between £12K and £16K.

Unfortunately, while nobody plans for disasters problems can occur and imagine that you had to pay the cost of an expensive air ambulance yourself?

Although I’ve never had cause to claim for medical expenses from my own holiday insurance I have, on two occasions, had to claim for items that were stolen or lost. On one occasion my expensive camera was stolen from my baggage while on a train in India. And on another occasion my suitcase was completely lost by the airline when I flew to Italy.

These incidents highlight another key reason to make certain that you have adequate holiday insurance cover. Having your personal possessions stolen while on holiday is bad enough but it can be a lot worse if you don’t have adequate insurance cover.

Always be sure to read the details of your holiday insurance policy as there are always exclusions that you really need to be aware of. For example, did you know that most holiday insurance policies will not cover drink or drug related incidents?

It is worth remembering that cheaper policies will tend to offer less cover than the more expensive ones. Always be certain that the policy provides adequate cover before being tempted by the cheapest insurance policy available.

You can often save money by looking at annual multi-trip insurance or by looking at group insurance policies for your whole family. If there is one travel expense that should be absolutely essential it is the need for adequate holiday insurance cover.

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