With winter well and truly here many people will take the opportunity to rid themselves of the winter blues by getting away for a few days on a short break abroad. And there is one thing that is as essential as taking your passport - travel insurance.

Perry Wilson, from travel insurance specialist InsureandGo, says: "Many short breaks are taken in Europe because you can be at your chosen destination in a matter of a few hours. However, statistics from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office show that 20 per cent of people travelling to European destinations don't take out insurance.

"It doesn't matter how long your trip is for, an accident or incident can occur at anytime which will see that cheap short break turn into a very expensive trip. Breaking a leg or an arm can see costs spiral into tens of thousands of pounds because of the medical costs involved and without insurance you could be paying off the resulting bill for many years."

All InsureandGo's policies include over 40 adventure activities automatically and it insures kids under 18 for free. And if travellers want real convenience at the lowest prices InsureandGo's annual policies include winter sports cover at no extra cost.

Cover / Europe / Worldwide
Single Trip, 4 Days, couple/family / £17.60 / £44.24
Single Trip, 2 Weeks, couple/family / £29.18 / £64.12
Annual Cover, couple/family, inc winter sports / £65.00 / £84.99

Ends

InsureandGo offers travellers the convenience of either setting up their policy in minutes via its website www.insureandgo.com , speaking direct to one of its representatives by calling 0870 901 3674; or for those that haven't arranged cover and want to before they board their plane InsureandGo offer its innovative Scratch & Go cards available from WH Smith and International Currency Exchange airport outlets.

For further information, or to interview Perry Wilson, please contact Stephanie on 01376 556 390.

Notes to editors:

Scratch and Go
To get covered instantly, all travellers have to do after purchasing the appropriate card is to scratch off the panel to reveal a validation code and then contact InsureandGo via phone or on the web. Prices range from as little as £15, to cover one adult and three kids under 18 for 10 days, to £100 for an annual worldwide family policy including winter sports.