With cheap travel insurance available more widely than ever before, the vast majority of travellers will buy some kind of insurance policy before they go away. But how many people actually know what they are buying? Very few people read through their policy thoroughly enough, leaving themselves vulnerable to massive costs and missed claims. Here are a few of the things you need to check for when looking through your travel insurance policy.

f you’ve been the victim of theft, make sure that you report it to the local authorities. They may do little more than give you a reference number, but without this reference a travel insurance company is not likely to process your claim. Keep the receipts for any valuables you take with you as well – if you can’t prove ownership of a valuable item in the first place, you’ll struggle to make a successful claim if it is taken.