Summer holidays – things to check before you go

• Don’t leave your valuables, for example car keys, jewellery and laptops, lying around – put them in a safe place out of sight. Some policies won’t pay out for anything left in your garden, so lock it away if you can.
• Check to see if your contents insurance covers you for any valuable possessions you might be taking away with you such as cameras or sports equipment – most of them do.

• Compare policies and make sure you understand what’s covered and what isn’t, for example pre-existing medical conditions, and ask questions if you’re not sure about something.
• Check if you’re covered at work or as part of your bank account, and check exactly what this covers.
• Compare the value of single trip and annual cover policies, and only buy what you actually need. If you’re only going on one holiday this year, a single trip policy could work out cheaper.
• Check how you’re covered if you’re stranded at home or abroad due to the volcanic ash cloud or industrial action.
• Find out what your rights are if your travel company or airline goes bust – see the Directgov website. Think about whether you might want to take out Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI).
• Check that all of your party is covered. The definition of ‘family cover’ varies between travel insurers, so it’s worth double-checking before you go. Generally it means two adults and up to four dependent children. Some insurers specify that all members of the family must live at the same address. The definition of ‘adults’ can vary from two people sharing the same address or may mean only husband and wife, and ‘children’ may mean biological children only and not include step-children or grandchildren. It may even exclude your own children if you don’t live with them.
• Get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – this entitles you to free or discounted healthcare in Europe. If you’ve already got one make sure it’s still valid – over 3 million of them expired in March this year. However, this shouldn’t be viewed as a substitute for travel insurance.

• Find out which documents you need to take with you. Requirements vary from country to country – see the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
• All UK motor insurance policies provide the minimum cover required by law in other European Union (EU) countries. But this cover doesn't automatically include theft or damage to your car. Some insurers automatically provide this extended cover for a specified period and often without extra charge, but not all. So check with your insurer before you go.
• If you are driving outside the EU, check with a motoring organisation to see if you need an International Driving Licence. The Green Card system makes it easier for vehicles to move freely over borders and to protect the interests of the victims of foreign registered vehicles. The Green Card is a document which shows that your motor insurance policy covers the minimum legal requirements in the country being visited.

• Credit or debit cards – contact your bank or card provider and give them details of your trip before you travel, including all the countries you intend to visit. Banks and credit-card providers monitor accounts for suspicious transactions. If they see overseas spending and don’t know that you’re abroad, you may find your cards are stopped to protect your account. Occasionally cards can be stopped in error or your card may become damaged, so if you plan to rely on cards to pay for things, it’s a good idea to take more than one card with you.
• Foreign currency – you can buy currency from lots of places, such as banks, bureaux de change, online or the Post Office. Shop around for the best rate and check how much commission you will pay. Beware of commission-free deals as they often offer a lower exchange rate. You’ll generally pay more if you buy currency at the airport unless you’ve ordered it online first. If you are travelling to a more unusual destination, you may need to pre-order your currency anyway. It is also worth remembering that if you pay for your foreign currency by credit card, this will usually be treated as a cash withdrawal and will carry higher costs.
• Prepaid cards – they can be loaded up with euros, US dollars or sterling and can be useful for budgeting because you can only spend the amount you put on the card. One of the main advantages is that they can be cancelled and replaced for a small fee if they are lost or stolen, which makes them safer than carrying cash. Some have application, transaction and top-up charges, and most of them charge a fee for withdrawing cash from a cash machine. So shop around for the best card for you. Have a look at the Which? website for reviews of some of the more widely held prepaid cards.

• Check your ‘bundles’ – don’t assume that the price of calls made abroad is included.
• You may be charged to receive and collect voicemail. Check before you travel, as you may want to switch this off before you go.
• Make a note of the contact details of your operator before you travel so if you lose your phone you get let them know immediately. Remember to keep the details separate to your phone!