There are two different types of children's travel insurance - you can either include a child on a family policy or take out child only travel insurance.

However, before you start comparing quotes, the first point to work out is exactly who qualifies as a child.

You'll know from holiday brochures and buying flights that the age of a child varied between different firms.

For travel insurance, a child is generally someone aged less than 18 years old - but some policies will only offer travel insurance for children under 16.

If your child is celebrating a birthday while they're away, check with the companies offering holiday insurance for children how this might affect the cover before you buy.

Once you are past the age issue, arranging insurance should not pose too much of a problem.

If you are travelling as a family, add them to your family travel insurance policy and check the terms and conditions to make sure the insurer is offering the cover you need for the whole party.

Travel insurance for children travelling alone is widely available and aims to provide cover for youngsters on school trips or making their own way to see friends or relatives who will meet them at their destination.

When you buy a policy, go for one that provides adequate cover for your child, not just the cheapest option.

Like most travel insurance, the policy should be tailored to make sure all the activities your child is likely to take part while away are covered - for instance skiing and snowboarding for winter trips.

Often travel insurance bundled with a package holiday offers basic cover at an uncompetitive price, so shopping around for a policy that offers the features you want at an affordable price is better.

Don't forget that travel insurance for children under 18 is unlikely to cover college or university students - they are likely to need a standard single trip travel insurance, or annual travel insurance cover instead.

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