An estimated 19 million Brits will choose a staycation this year, and many won’t bother with travel insurance, unlike when holidaying abroad.

But, although medical costs will be covered by the NHS, don’t assume your home insurance will cover any personal possessions on a staycation, warned Simon Stanney, general insurance director at SunLife.

He said: “Personal possessions cover tends to be something you will need to either add on to a basic policy or something you would choose as part of a flexible or tailored policy, so don’t assume it will be in your terms as standard.

“And make sure you are aware of any limits in terms of overall value and the maximum level of cover for a single item.”

Big ticket items

If you are holidaying in the UK, it’s more likely you’ll take along some of your more valuable possessions, such as bikes and kayaks. So check with your insurer what is and isn’t covered and then amend the policy if needed.

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Stanney explains: “Most policies will have an overall limit for items away from the home as well as single item limit – usually around £1,000 as standard – so if you are going away as a family and taking four or five bikes, you may well exceed both limits.

“But there is no need to worry – you just need to contact your insurer and check the terms of your policy. If you do not have personal possessions you should be able to increase your cover to add it, and you should also be able to name separate items of value – bikes, jewellery etc – to ensure they are covered.”