Holiday insurance: Five questions to ask before you book

If you’re planning a holiday this summer, it’s important to check the insurance policy details carefully so you don’t get caught out.

Many of them do not cover losses linked to a war as Debbie and Ardon Rainbird from Northallerton in North Yorkshire found out the hard way.

The couple got stuck for an extra two weeks during a holiday in Sri Lanka after their return flight through the Qatari capital Doha was cancelled when the Iran conflict broke out.

They had an annual insurance travel policy but it didn’t cover war, leaving them around £1,000 out of pocket even though their tour operator paid for some of their extra nights after which they moved to a budget hotel.

If they had bought an add-on then that cost would have been covered.

“It is frustrating because you budget for a holiday,” Debbie says. “But we were incredibly lucky compared with others.”

The cost of insurance hasn’t really changed, but holidaymakers now have far fewer travel insurance policies to choose from when visiting areas in or near the conflict in the Middle East, say analysts Defaqto.

Here are the five insurance questions you should ask before booking your summer holiday.