When is the best time to buy travel insurance before you head abroad? 

Many people leave it right until the last minute, sometimes even only taking out a policy just before they head to the airport. 

On The Pat Kenny Show, travel expert Pól Ó Conghaile explained why that is a mistake. 

“The time to buy travel insurance is when you buy your holiday because a lot of cancellations happen before you ever even take off,” he said. 

“Due to an illness, a change of plan you need to make, if you need to cancel - that’s when you need to draw on it. 

“So, that’s just one tip I have.” 

A family on holiday. Picture by: Alamy.com

Mr Ó Conghaile urged people to check exactly which countries are included, noting that cheaper packages will often exclude popular long haul destinations in North America. 

“For travel in Europe, you can buy for worldwide including - or excluding - Canada and the USA,” he said. 

“You need to know where you’re going to be travelling; you can change through the year, by the way. 

“If you only have a European trip planned and the opportunity comes to go to the USA, you can change.” 

The Statue of Liberty in New York City. Picture by: Alamy.com.

How many times away you plan on going away during the year is another thing to consider when purchasing a policy.

“You need to decide if you’re looking at a single trip policy or a multi trip annual policy,” he said. 

“As a rule of thumb, if you’re going more than once, I will say multi trip will be the better value.” 

The London skyline. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Finally, some policies will not cover you if you are planning on doing certain activities. 

Last year, Mr Ó Conghaile went on safari, noticed he would not be covered and so “had to bump it up an extra premium”. 

“Are you getting married overseas? There’s specialised cover,” he said. 

“Are you going skiing? You may need to add on winter sports, there’s different sections for golf or cruises even. 

“Some policies cover cruises as standard, some don’t.” 

According to Insurance Ireland, the insurance sector employs 35,000 people and is worth around €2.7 billion.

Main image: A split image of a plane and a family on holiday.