Don't forget to buy, if you DIY

Leading online travel insurance provider, essentialtravel.co.uk, has supported the Civil Aviation Authority's concerns on consumer protection in the case of DIY holidays, by stressing that travellers need to consider all their potential losses when heading abroad.

The CAA estimates that up to 18 million people travelled on DIY packages in 2007, booking their own flights and accommodation separately. Its concern is that DIY holidays are not ATOL-protected.

Whilst consumers may lose the money they paid for a holiday, or be stranded abroad, if a non ATOL tour operator when bust, Essential Travel stresses that the financial losses, in these cases, can pale into insignificance compared to those incurred by uninsured holidaymakers, or business travellers.

Whilst travel agents often deserve the criticism levelled at the price of their holiday cover and their lack of knowledge about insurance, their tactic of making it hard for a holidaymaker not to take out their policy, or accept their 'free' insurance, does result in sales of cover.

Where a holidaymaker books directly with a villa owner, or overseas tour operator, the compulsion to buy insurance can be diminished, and the chances of forgetting to buy insurance, increased.

It is also the case that travellers heading off to stay with family and friends abroad feel more secure and are less likely to buy insurance protection. This is despite the fact that staying with family will not prevent most medical conditions from occurring, or cocoon the traveller from theft, baggage loss, or mugging, whilst staying in the overseas country.

Essential Travel's Stuart Bensusan says: "January is a huge time for holiday sales, but this year we hope that the economic climate might just cause more holidaymakers to consider the financial risks they could incur, if they don't opt for necessary protection.

"It is not scare-mongering to say that five figure sums can easily result from a hospital stay in North America, or even in European countries where private hospitals are the norm and where only a travel insurance policy will pick up the tab once the hospital bills out its costs.

"If families are already facing a financial strain, but are pulling money together for a holiday, our advice is to build in the cost of travel insurance now, when you book. If you don't, you could rue the day that you didn't pay an extra ten or twenty pounds to prevent financial misery and heartache further down the line."

For those who think travel agents prices are the norm, Essential Travel has some pleasant surprises waiting at essentialtravel.co.uk for all types of trip, duration and destination.