While it’s possible to get travel insurance right up to the time you go on vacation, failing to plan in time could cause you to miss out on essential coverage elements, travel insurance experts have warned.

Travel insurance is essential to provide financial coverage for many eventualities and situations you may encounter while abroad.

This can range from lost or stolen items and trip cancellations to medical expenses and repatriation.

New data from GoCompare has highlighted that despite the risks, almost a third of all UK holidaymakers wait until the day they take off to take out a travel insurance policy.

Fortunately, the experts at Which? We’ve highlighted one of the most common mistakes to help tourists avoid pitfalls when it comes to choosing the ideal policy.

“If you forget to take out insurance before going on holiday, most insurance policies are likely to be void and prevent you from claiming in an emergency,” the Which? report says. revealed the experts.

According to Navigator travel insuranceMost UK travel insurance policies require your trip start date to match your departure to the UK, meaning you must have an insurance policy in place before you leave home.

However, there are some limited options that can be explored if you waited too late to make a deal.

“GoCompare says people can take out specialist post-departure insurance which offers the same level of cover as a standard travel insurance policy.”

“This is only available from some small companies, so you will end up with less choice and may pay more than for a standard policy,” they warned.

“You may also have to wait 24, 48 or 72 hours before cover begins, as part of an anti-fraud measure to prevent people from taking out a policy after a problem has already occurred.”