Insurance is an important and often forgotten aspect of planning a trip abroad. Typically, insurance is available for an individual trip or to cover all trips over longer periods (eg. 6 months or 1 year). If you intend making more than a couple of trips in a year, it is nearly always worthwhile paying for the longer period, as the costs of insurance for individual trips can quickly add up.

It is also important to consider what you are insuring, what the excesses are, and check the small print. In travel insurance, you are typically insuring against loss of holiday (if there is a problem with your flight or hotel), loss of personal effects (if you are the victim of a crime whilst on holiday), and your health (in case you injure yourself or are taken ill). Despite the benefits of the E111, it is still important to take out medical insurance when travelling in Europe, as not all potential costs are covered by the scheme. For example, if you are sufficently badly injured that you cannot make your flight home, or even need special transport, this would not be covered.