THE TREND OF HEADING ABROAD FOR A SINGLE DAY IS GROWING 04:12, 01 Jun 2025 Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it’s increasingly being visited in one. Spontaneous travel and “extreme day trips”

are rising in popularity, but a warning is now being issued to anyone planning to give it a go. These same-day return holidays are becoming a go-to for time-poor travellers. Think: first

flight out, last flight home. But what many don’t realise is some insurance policies exclude trips under 24 hours or those without an overnight stay, an expert has said. Michelle Cooper,

director of travel insurance at Saga Travel Insurance, said: “We’re seeing more people embrace extreme day trips: short, high-intensity trips where you fly out and back in the same day. But

flights or excursions if your extreme day trip is impacted. Regardless, we always recommend checking your policy carefully before booking this kind of trip and being aware of the risk.” Saga

surveyed 902 British holidaymakers about their travel insurance habits in February 2025. With 40% of holidaymakers admitting to buying travel insurance at the last minute, or not at all,

Saga is sharing guidance on how to avoid being caught out by technicalities that could cost you. The survey found that 16% don’t take out travel insurance for their holidays abroad. Of the

Brits that do, as many as 40% purchase a last-minute policy, leaving themself at risk of being out of pocket and without a holiday if anything were to go wrong. Article continues below

Saga’s survey reveals 16% of British holidaymakers typically never take out travel insurance for holidays abroad. Of those who do, most typically take out single-trip cover (50%) and some

(34%) multi-trip cover. Michelle said: “You’ll never know how important travel insurance is unless you need to make a claim. This could be before you go, if your trip must be cancelled

because of an unexpected event, while you’re away, if you’re taken ill, or have an accident and need medical treatment, or even when you get back, if your baggage gets lost.” Saga said 40%

of British holidaymakers risked cancelled holidays without being compensated by their insurance by buying travel cover either shortly before their departure, the day of departure, or while

on the holiday - all outside of Michelle’s recommendation. Michelle said: “The best time to buy your travel insurance is right after you’ve booked a holiday.” Only a third (33%) of Brits who

buy single-trip travel insurance get it at the right time, according to Saga’s survey. Michelle added: "Protecting your plans in the run-up to your holiday is just as important as when

you're there. We recommend getting a policy that includes cancellation cover so you’re protected if you can’t go due to illness or there’s an unexpected turn of events, like your

accommodation cancels your booking. Though some holiday providers do include cancellation cover as part of the holiday booking, so check this first." For the 5% who book on the day of

departure, Michelle said: “You can still get travel insurance on the same day you travel. Most providers specify that your trip starts when you leave your home, so you need to buy your

last-minute policy before you leave. Some providers might not let you make a claim in the first 24 or 48 hours of taking it out, though. “If you’re at the airport, you may still be able to

buy cover. But do it before you go through customs, or you’ll have a harder job finding cover and it may come with exclusions.” For the 5% who book during their holiday, Michelle said: “It

still might not be too late once you’ve arrived at your destination. Some providers sell ‘post-departure insurance’, but this could come at a premium and with certain limitations. It won’t

cover you for anything that might have gone wrong already, but it may prove valuable later in your trip.” Don’t forget to declare pre-existing medical conditions when getting your

last-minute policy, cautioned Michelle: “If you want to be covered for a pre-existing medical condition or anything associated with it, always declare it when buying travel insurance,

otherwise it could lead to complications should you need to make a claim.” MULTI-TRIP BUYERS OFTEN FORWARD-PLAN THEIR COVER Saga said 75% of holidaymakers who typically purchased an annual

multi-trip policy tended to arrange insurance well in advance or within Michelle’s recommended timeframe. Most prefer to renew their cover on the day it expires (31%) so they’re always

insured. A quarter (25%) purchase a new policy just before their next holiday, and almost one in five (19%) on the same day they book their next trip. Article continues below MILLIONS OF

BRITS DON’T BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR A STAYCATION To myth-bust misconceptions around UK staycations, Saga also asked Brits whether they think they should purchase travel insurance for a UK

holiday, and if they do. Multi-trip buyers were most aware that travel insurance should be taken out for UK staycations too. Michelle said: “Travel insurance for UK staycations is just as

important as for holidays abroad. Take holiday cancellation cover for example, if you or someone in your party falls ill, you’ll be able to claim for any pre-paid expenses. Insurance does

much more than just cover the cost of any unexpected medical bills.”