Have you booked your holidays yet?

Have you booked your holidays yet? This is the time of year that many winter-weary Brits hit the internet or the travel agent to sort out some skiing or some summer sun. It is something to look forward to on these cold grey winter days.

When you book your holiday, it is just as essential to take out insurance cover to protect yourself. With the best will in the world, plans change – someone close to you may fall ill, resulting in the need for you to cancel your trip, or you may find yourself too unwell to travel.

More worryingly, there may be a security emergency which ruins your plans. The airline or travel company may go bust – 50plus Travel Insurance will reimburse you for airline failure: peace of mind in these financially troubled times.

In winter, bad weather can close down the airports and the Channel Tunnel, as we have seen recently. If you have spent a lot of money on your week in the Alps, you will not be best pleased if you have to spend the time waiting in departures at St Pancras or Gatwick. Travel insurance may make this more bearable.

When the airlines and airports are under extreme pressure, it is inevitable that mistakes will happen and your luggage may not arrive at your destination when you do. Your travel policy will cover the cost of buying enough clothes and toiletries to survive until your own faithful case arrives, or reimburse you if you never see it again. Airlines offer very little compensation for missing baggage.

Get artistic with your own case so you can recognise it across a crowded arrivals bay; and make sure you label it clearly inside and out, so that it stands a chance of being reunited with you before you get home. Try to keep a note of what you have packed, in case you need to make a claim later.

It goes without saying that you must make sure the medical cover on your travel policy is enough for the region you are visiting. Buying your travel insurance from 50plus will ensure this, and you will also have the opportunity to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Over-the-counter travel insurance does not usually offer this facility.

Your travel insurance should also protect you from the inconvenience of losing your money or your passport, which can dampen your holiday spirits considerably. Help yourself here by taking copies of all essential documents and keeping one set in your case, scan them onto a flash memory drive to keep in your pocket or handbag, or email the scans to yourself at a web-based internet email provider. The same goes for all the emergency numbers you might need – a copy in your case, and save them to your mobile.

When you’ve done all that, just go and have a wonderful time…