This is one reason why some travel insurers offer aseries of policies. Gold, Silver and Bronze for example is a popularmethod to differentiate policies as is Premier, Standard and Economy.Cancellation cover will be offered at various rates with £3,000 being acommon average figure. But do look at your personal circumstances andmake sure that the cancellation cover you take out is adequate for thetrip you plan to take. If you are going on a cruise, then it is quitepossible that you will require a higher level of cancellation coverthan, say, for a package holiday to the Mediterranean. If you arebooking a late minute deal, then perhaps you don’t need more than theminimum, if any, level of cancellation cover. The rule here is to buythe policy that covers your requirements and not just accept the‘standard’ policy on offer. What is surprising is that latest researchstill shows that nearly half of travellers (47%) wait until the lastweek to buy their travel insurance. What people, perhaps, don’t realiseis that cancellation cover only comes into force when you take outinsurance and, if this left until the last minute, then you will nothave the protection which you would have had if you had taken out travel insuranceat the same time that you booked your holiday, which could be severalmonths before the actual trip. That way, cover would be provided for arange of events, such as unexpected serious illness to the policyholder, travelling companion and quite often, illness or worse of aclose relative which results in you having to cancel your trip. Whilston the subject of cancellation, do check that the same level of coverextends to curtailing or cutting short your trip and also look out forholiday abandonment, which is closely linked to cancellation, for when,after a set period of delay at your departure airport or seaport, yourpolicy offers you the option of not continuing your trip and beingreimbursed for your costs up to a specified limit. So the best adviceis that travel insuranceshould not be relegated to a ‘necessary evil’ purchased just beforeyour travel but should be considered as a fundamental pre-requisite toprotect your holiday investment.