Getting the right travel insurance is absolutely crucial these days. It can make or break that longed-for holiday.

ORGANISED your summer holidays yet? What about insurance? I know, I know, travel insurance is so-o-oboring. . .Until you have a car crash in Ibiza. . . . or a tooth infection in Florida. . . . or you break your ankle in Portugal. . . get your bag stolen in Paris. . . . or Granny is taken seriously ill in England when you still have another ten days in Thailand. . . or a suicide bomber gets on your bus. . .

That sharpens the mind a bit, doesn't it?

The unexpected happens. When Rolling Stone Keith Richards climbed up a tree to pick a coconut, he didn't expect to end up in hospital with a blood clot on the brain.

So travel insurance is boring, maybe.

Essential - absolutely.

WHERE TO BUY

TRADITIONALLY, most holidaymakers have just bought their insurance as an add-on when booking their holiday through a travel agent. Mistake. Last year that meant we overpaid £175m. Insurance bought from tour operators can cost twice as much as policies bought from supermarkets or online.

Also, while tour operators might be good at holidays, they are not insurance specialists. One size does not fit all.

Worth trying: Insurance comparison sites such as www. its4me. co. uk or www. moneysupermarket. com.We found an annual, multi-trip European policy for £22.23. If you don't fit a standard package (see below), then try going through a broker. The British Insurance Brokers' Association (www. biba. org. uk.

Tel: 0870 950 1790) will give you details or a local member.

Or pick up a policy with your shopping - Sainsbury's, Tesco, Boots, Marks & Spencer - all offer basic policies at rock bottom prices.

Sainsbury's was easy and friendly and offered special rates for single parents.

Tesco seemed a bit more rigid, aiming firmly at the middle, safe-bet market Boots offered a range from five-day city break through to Gap Year.

Marks & Spencer had a very easy site, a wide range of options and fewer exclusions.

But when you're buying cheap, check the small print. Make sure you're getting what you want.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL?

IFit's just for two weeks in the sun, then a single trip will do fine. But more of us are sneaking in a few extras - a city break, a trip to the Christmas markets, a five-day dash for the sun at Easter. If you're likely to to do that, then an annual policy is (a) much cheaper and (b) far less hassle.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

CHECK THE SMALL PRINT RECENT bombings in Egyptian resorts popular with British tourists, highlighted the fact that many of the cheaper policies - Sainsbury's for instance - won't cover you for the effects of war or terrorism. In these uncertain days, that's a major gap. Don't wait until the aftermath of a bomb before you know whether you're covered or not. Some insurers have paid out, despite the small print. But it's a risk. You might not even be covered for basic hospital care.

Less dramatically, also check your household policy - no point paying to insure your possessions on a travel policy if they're already covered.

WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?

SOME insurers include children only when they are travelling with you. If they go on holiday with Granny or the school or as independent teenagers, they have to get their own cover again.

Same goes for couples. With some policies, if you buy as a couple, you have to travel as a couple. Bit of a blow if you want to storm off without him. . .

Watch the age for children, too. Some policies have a cut-off age of 19, others such as Marks & Spencer, will include them up to the age of 22 if they're still in full-time education and when they are travelling separately.

WHAT ABOUT DANGEROUS SPORTS?

IT'S very easy to get cover for winter sports, such as ski-ing. Dangerous sports, such as bungee-jumping and paragliding are routinely excluded. But some policies also exclude football.

Well, look what it did to Rooney's foot.

For extreme sports cover, everything from canoeing, kayaking, elephant riding and paragliding, try a specialist such as www. activeinsure. co. uk

WHAT ABOUT OLDER TRAVELLERS?

ONE day you're 65 and the world's your oyster. Then you have a birthday and suddenly no one wants to know.

Pensioners are fitter and healthier than ever. There has been a huge upsurge in the number of over 60s travelling the world, yet many insurers are still reluctant to cover. Certainly if you're coming up to pension age and rely on travel insurance as a bonus from your credit card, then check it now. You might well not be covered.

Other insurers won't give over 70s annual multi-trip policies, making them pay up for the more expensive single trip. Others have a cut-off age of 79.

And it will cost you.

At 65, for instance, an annual policy for European travel with Marks & Spencer will cost you £48.49. At 66, the cost doubles to £96.98. Others have a sliding scale.

But there are specialist insurers. Age Concern (www. ace. org. uk), and Saga, (www. saga. co. uk) as you might expect.

Meanwhile, Bradford and Bingley will insure a 79-year-old for annual European travel for £122. Portwood (www. portwood. co. uk) will insure a 75year-old couple for £180 for annual in Europe and £285 for annual worldwide.

American Express www. americanexpress. co. uk, also offer policies to older travellers.

TELL THE TRUTH

TRY and fool the insurers and they get very nasty and don't pay up. This is especially true about existing medical conditions. If something subsequently happens, and you haven't told them, you won't be covered. Tell them first. They might charge you extra, but at least you'll be covered. Incidents arising from conditions such as diabetes and asthma aren't routinely covered. So check.

E111 ISa wonderful document, or the new European Health Insurance Card as it is now. But the cover it offers can be pretty meagre and is limited to state hospitals. In many holiday resorts there are no state hospitals and you will automatically be taken to a private clinic, where costs can start at hundreds of pounds per day. And if you were seriously ill, it wouldn't cover the cost of getting you home. An air ambulance from Spain, for instance, can cost around £10,000. Now that would make a dent in you holiday spends. . .

DON'T BE DAFT

IF you do yourself an injury while drunk or after taking drugs, then don't expect to be covered. If you leave your possessions unattended or in an unlocked car, then tough.

If you insist on going to dangerous places where the Foreign Office (www. fco. gov. uk) advises against travel, then you're on your own. No general insurer will cover you.

Enjoy your holiday. . .