Purchasing travel insurance for people with pre existing medical conditions can be a difficult task, especially when it comes to trip cancellations, so travel insurers have advised customers to read and research the fine print.

Insurance expert Ed Perkins said that most medical holiday insurance policies provide trip-cancellation in the event that someone in your travelling party or close relative who is not travelling becomes ill.

Perkins stated: “That's a valuable protection, because even through you might have no pre-existing medical problems, you might well have to cancel your trip because someone close to you falls ill or suffers an accident due to a pre-existing condition.”

Perkins added that it was essential to buy travel cover long in advance before taking a trip to ensure that the provider waives exemptions for pre-existing conditions.

In the event of a cancellation, Perkins suggested that holidaymakers buy enough insurance to cover their “full financial exposure” in case of a forced annulment.