Consumers have been paying more attention to travel insurance and what it covers since ash from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull caused massive disruption for travellers.

One positive outcome of the disruption, which saw many holidaymakers stranded abroad or unable to reach their destinations, is that air travellers are more aware of what their travel insurance covers, according to comparison website Gocompare.com.

Its research shows that the publicity surrounding the ash cloud fall-out has prompted Brits to pay closer attention to their travel insurance, with one in five saying they now take more care to check what cover is and is not included in their policy,

Nearly seven per cent of respondents to the Gocompare survey said that they are more likely to spend more money on their travel insurance in order to get a more comprehensive policy, rather than going with the cheapest option.

A cautious 90 per cent of British travellers will take out travel insurance before heading abroad this year, but a carefree one in 10 will risk the possibility of unexpected costs like lost luggage and medical bills ruining their holiday by not taking out any travel insurance.

Some travel insurance providers have adapted their products to reflect recent events, enabling their customers to extend their cover to include protection against natural catastrophes such as volcanoes.

Commenting, Mark Greening, head of partnership products at Gocompare.com, said: “Many travellers caught up in the ash cloud chaos earlier this year expected their travel insurance policy to pay out for the additional costs they had to meet, but lots of people had to foot these extra bills themselves.”

He added that travellers’ concern about cover rather than cost when they compare travel insurance deals “could be bad news for some budget insurers who sell purely on cost rather than cover but hopefully many more holidaymakers heading for the sun this year will be travelling with the right travel insurance rather than simply the cheapest.”

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