With the holiday season well and true upon us many people will be relaxing for the first time in many months and looking forward to a fortnight by the sea in some foreign clime. They won’t be thinking too much about affordable home insurance quotes, personal possessions insurance or even travel insurance, but they should.

Most people feeling the pinch

It is without doubt that many homeowners and holiday makers have had a troubled financial year. The austerity measures brought in by the incumbent Government have affected almost everyone. Even those lucky enough to have held on to their livelihoods have still encountered hugely inflated energy bills, unbelievably expensive fuel charges and motor and home insurance quotations that frankly shock!

Wrong Decision?

It is against this backdrop that many families have squirrelled money away to pay for their holidays, and there is no doubt that some will have decided to forego insurance protection to ensure the family gets a holiday. It is a decision that some will sympathise with but it could be oh so costly.

EHIC not a solution

UK residents travelling to European countries such as Spain, France and Germany may well believe they are covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme, and to a certain extent they are. They will get cheap basic health care in any of the mainstream European countries; however, it is not travel insurance. It will not pay out if you miss your ferry, lose your luggage or break down in your car. It is handy but it is most certainly not travel insurance.

Personal possession a must

The same applies to personal possession insurance. For around £25 extra on a household insurance policy you can insure your valuables whilst you are away from home. Your laptop is another thing not covered by the EHIC, it may not even be covered by your travel insurance, but it will be covered by personal possession insurance, and so will be gold watches, mobile phones and anything else of value you take away with you.

Not worth the risk

A holiday is great tonic for hard working families; it is a time when they can relax and have fun together, unfortunately it is also a time when accidents happen. When we relax we are off our guard, this applies not only to our possessions but to our own personal safety it would be a shame to spoil a well earned break for the comparative cheapness of a good insurance policy.