Aito: Travel insurance is a must-have

Thursday, June 24th 2010

Putting together a DIY holiday with cheap flights and last-minute accommodation is a popular way of soaking up the sun in Spain, Greece or Italy.

But holidaymakers on a budget have been advised not to cut travel insurance out of their list of purchases for the sake of saving cash.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (Aito) said the risks far outweigh the reward of carrying out such a ploy.

A spokesman for the organisation noted the arrival of Ryanair at Malaga Airport, where it will run 360 flights to and from each week, could lead to many more cash-concerned Britons taking a cheap break.

"DIY holidays ... do not offer the protection, in case something goes wrong, given by a packaged holiday," the expert states.

Ryanair recently revealed its operations from Malaga will see it serve 44 locations and deal with more than two million passengers a year, creating 2,000 jobs in the process.