Holiday insurance ? for some people buying it is almost instinctive as soon as they book a trip, whereas others will inevitably leave it until the last minute'if they choose to buy it at all! It is easy to say ?it'll never happen to me? but the risk simply isn't worth taking ? cheap holiday insurance is so easy to get (and the cost of an uninsured disaster so high) that there really is no acceptable excuse.

If you are the kind of person that is always finding reasons not to get covered, here are some statistics that will have you reaching for the phone and buying yourself some cheap holiday insurance!

Over 1000 bags a day are lost by UK travellers?

In total, 396,000 Britons lost their luggage on holiday or had it stolen in 2008, making it the second most common travel insurance claim. With accidental loss, theft and airport baggage mistakes all adding up, not matter how careful you are there is always the danger of losing your baggage.

?at a total value of over ?37 million in 2008, an increase of 8%

With an increasing number of travellers taking valuable items like digital cameras and lap tops on holiday with them, the cost of travel insurance claims keeps spiralling up and up. If you are going to take something valuable with you, make sure you get the holiday insurance to cover it ? it is worth it just for the peace of mind.

1 in 6 UK travellers have been a victim of theft in Europe?

You may think of Europe as being a much safer holiday destination and might be tempted to skip on buying travel insurance, but be warned ? one in six UK travellers have had money or possessions stolen whilst holidaying in Europe.

?and a third of these thefts took place in Spain

Spain is one of the most popular European holiday destinations, but petty theft is relatively common, especially in tourist heavy cities such as Barcelona. The silver lining? Only 6% of claims in 2008 were violent theft. Even so, a non-violent theft can leave you very much out of pocket ? much better to have some holiday insurance to fall back on and cover the costs!

The cost of medical travel insurance claims in 2008 went up by 57%

In some countries, such as America and Canada, the cost of medical cover can be truly phenomenal, often running into the tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds if you require a stay in hospital. Even if you go on holiday in a comparatively cheaper country, if you have an emergency that requires an airlift or repatriation, you could face a truly colossal bill unless you have holiday insurance.

?and it is the most common travel insurance claim

Not only is it the most expensive kind of travel insurance claim, it is also the most common, with over 565,500 claims in 2008. Even cheap holiday insurance usually includes hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of medical cover as standard. Spending a few pounds on travel insurance, before your holiday begins could save you thousands if something goes wrong!