Make sure you have an inventory of your personal items when you go on holiday, it may help making a claim less painful. And don’t forget to take out travel insurance before you go.

Being the victim of a crime when you are on holiday is always unpleasant. There are some common sense rules that you can follow to try to minimise the risks – such as not carrying unnecessary valuables, keeping your belongings close to you, using a hotel safe where available, not ‘advertising’ expensive electronic equipment and avoiding dodgy areas. However, it’s not always possible to rule out that some of your belongings may be stolen from your person as a result of being attacked or mugged or even from your hotel room.

It always makes good sense to keep a copy of information for certain items. Take a photocopy of your passport and keep it separate from the original, or leave a copy with someone back home. Write down credit and debit card numbers, along with the numbers to call should you lose them.

As well as this, it pays to make an inventory of all your personal belongings, including any items of specific value. For instance, make a list of all the clothes and shoes you are taking, and whatever electronic items you have – such as cameras and iPods – make a note of their registration numbers. Also note items of jewellery – you may even want to take photographs of these. Should you then lose anything or have them stolen, it will be easier to report.

Get the right travel insurance

Of course, you have to make sure you take out travel insurance to cover you in case this should happen. You do need to be certain what is and isn’t covered by your travel insurance policy and make sure that the cover offered by your travel insurance is sufficient to cover the items you are planning to take away, so make sure you read the terms and conditions thoroughly before buying. For instance, some policies specify that you must report the incident within a certain time-frame, while others may place specific conditions and exclusions on items. As a general rule, travel insurance is not designed to cover expensive items of jewellery for their full value, so anyone wanting to travel with expensive items of jewellery or photographic equipment should consider insuring them under the ‘all risks’ extension of their home insurance policy. There is more information about jewellery cover under Direct Line home insurance on this site.

Direct Line offers a range of travel insurance options, all of which provide cover for the loss or theft of personal items. You can find out exactly what is and isn’t covered, and get a travel insurance quote online. And, if you buy online, you will get an automatic discount.