Can people advise me on what is the most imporant things to look for when buying travel insurance.

That it covers the things that you are most likely to claim for. At least a couple of million for medical cover is the norm (Post Office's cover is £10 million). Sounds excessive but if you had a major accident or broke your neck diving into a pool and couldn't be flown home for 6 months then... Cancellation (by you or the holiday company) or missed departure- it happens. Also lost baggage, replacement of money, passports etc. if your hotel room is broken into or you are mugged. It all sounds doom and gloom but this is why you get insured!
Make sure that you read the small print once you take the insurance out- you have a 14 day cooling off period if you decide it's not the policy for you. You will probably not be covered for hazardous activities like bungee jumping or parasailing, oh- and anything that is done under the influence of alcohol!

All depends on your circumstances - the following are general.

If you have medical conditions check that the policy covers them or that you can get clearance from the medical screening line.

What excess are you prepared to have? Many cheap policies have very high excesses.

Surprisingly I would not regard the medical sum insured as very important. There has never to my knowledge been a medical expenses claim exceeding £2,000,000 and all policies give that cover. MAke sure your policy has a 24-hour contact number.

Check that any activities that you are intending to do are covered. Typical ones to watch out for are Jet-Skiing and Scuba diving. If you are the more outgoing type then you may need a specialist activity policy.

Remember you won't be covered if you are injured if drunk!

Read the policy conditions about keeping valuables safe and reporting them to the police.

Watch out for inner policy limits - especially on baggage single article/ valuables limits. If you do take something valuable abroad try and cover it on your house insurance all-risks policy.

Make sure that the policy covers the area that you are going to! In particular some companies count Morocco/ Algeria/ Tunisia/ Libya and Egypt as 'Europe' whereas some won't cover Libya at all! This particulalry applies to Middle East Countries. There may be wodring excluding travel to countries against FCO advice - if there is: check what the FCO are saying about that country.

Finally - get a broker to find you the best policy - explain your requirements and they'll find you the suitable policy.

Don't just look at the price of the insurance also examine the levels of cover for various incidents; eg., what is the excess deducted from claims? Will the sports or activities you do on holiday be covered or be considered hazardous and excluded from the cover? If you take at least 2 one week holidays in Europe per year, it is usually worth taking out annual insurance cover. It's always a good idea to get at least 2 quotes for insurance, in order to compare prices and levels of cover. It's also a good idea to leave a photocopy of your policy with a relative or friend in the UK and remember to carry the 24-hour emergency contact phone number for the insurance company with you at all times. EU residents are eligible for health care in member states but this does not cover you for every situation, eg., an air ambulance home. If you buy online, you're able to read the small print at your leisure, besides which it's usually cheaper. If you intend hiring a car whilst on holiday beware the 'all inclusive' charge the hirers make, because it isn't really all-inclusive. If you have an accident or it's stolen whilst on hire to you, you could be asked to pay an excess of several hundred pounds. So do arrange motor cover before you leave the UK. Check-out the excellent site below, which I'm sure will be a great help to you. (Click on the speech bubble relevant to your enquiry). Have a great, trouble-free holiday.