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People heading off on holiday must make sure their travel insurance policy covers all their belongings, it has been stressed.

Head of Post Office travel insurance Rachel Croft noted that women in particular tend to take expensive luggage away with them - and could be footing a large bill by not taking out the necessary cover.

"It's important to ensure that you have adequate travel insurance so that you can rest easy knowing that you're covered in the unfortunate event of your belongings being lost in transit, damaged or stolen," she stressed.

Men are not let off the hook either when it comes to taking out insurance, as Ms Croft revealed the average holidaymaker's luggage to be worth £1,113. She advised double checking any insurance policy to see what the maximum value of a single item can be if a claim needed to be made.

Earlier this year, Direct Line revealed that over a fifth of women have had their handbag stolen, which may be another consideration for those thinking about going on holiday without travel insurance.

The overall cost of all the handbags which have been stolen is £582 million, the insurer revealed, with women faced with an average bill of £109 to replace its contents. Furthermore, nine per cent of women carry around a handbag worth at least £250.

Last year, it was estimated that around 15,000 bags were left stranded at Heathrow's Terminal 5, which took over a week to clear. Furthermore, Air France was involved in a baggage loss fiasco earlier in 2009, emphasising that people just do not know what is going to happen to their belongings.

Ms Croft advised that anyone considering taking high value items away with them should extend their cover, just be certain it will be replaced in case of loss or damage.

It seems she is not alone in her calls for more people to take out travel insurance. A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers recently advised people not to consider it "an add-on or luxury". "It should be something that is regarded as a central, integral part of planning any trip overseas," he stressed.

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