Check your travel insurance, says consumer magazine Which?

Holidaymakers are being urged to read the small print of their travel insurance to make sure they know what it covers.

The consumer magazine Which?Holiday says many holidaymakers assume their travel insurance covers them for everything, which might not always be the case.

For example, holidaymakers might assume their travel insurance will pay out if they miss their flight due to getting caught in a traffic jam on their way to the airport, whereas some polices only cover delays caused by public transport.

Some travel insurance policies will compensate holidaymakers who miss their flight due to their car breaking down, but they might not cover delays caused by flat tyres or flat batteries. Some travel insurers will require proof of a mechanical breakdown and others will want to see evidence that the car was adequately maintained.

Holidaymakers whose travel plans were ruined by the recent British Airways strikes might have assumed they'd be compensated by their travel insurance, but only those who booked their flights and bought travel insurance before the strike dates were announced would have been covered.

Very few travel insurance policies provide compensation for holidays ruined by acts of terrorism, although most travel insurers will still provide emergency medical treatment for holidaymakers in such circumstances.

Many holidaymakers don't realise that they have no protection against the failure of a scheduled airline as they tend to assume, incorrectly, that they will be refunded either by their travel insurance or by the Civil Aviation Authority.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways for holidaymakers to protect themselves against their airline going bust is to buy Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance, which can be added to their travel insurance.

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