With 'staycationing' increasingly popular while the economy recovers, plenty of UK residents are taking their holidays in the British Isles. It not only costs less, but has the added benefit of safety, with less chance of crime or natural disaster than most holiday destinations. It's easy to feel safe on a 'staycation', and tempting to go on holiday without UK travel insurance.

But those who are holidaying in the UK need to be wary – you may not have to worry about outrageous medical bills, earthquakes or tsunamis, but there are still plenty of unseen disasters that could scupper your holiday...

The Weather

Though the British love to complain about the weather, it isn't usually severe enough to sabotage a holiday completely. But as the sudden snowfall in February 2009 showed, the UK isn't immune to freak weather conditions. Not only did the snow bring the roads and trains grinding to a halt, they also led to a huge number of domestic flights being cancelled.

Flooding has also become increasingly problematic in recent years. Flooded roads and cancelled trains could lead to long delays or even force you to abandon your holiday all together. Even if you get to your destination without a hitch, you might arrive to find your cottage, campsite or hotel partially submerged!

Bad weather could lead to expensive delays or even more expensive cancellations of your holiday, and unless you have UK travel insurance to cover the cost of cancellation, you could end up heavily be out of pocket.

Airports

As the disaster of Terminal 5 showed, UK airports have a nasty tendency to go to pieces under pressure, even during the apparently normal running of things. When there was a terrorist scare in 2006, over 400 flights were cancelled; most of them domestic and short haul flights. So even if you are only booked in for a short flight to another part of the UK, chaos at the airports could lead to your flight being cancelled. The airport might put you on the next plane, but if you are insured you can rely on the cancellation protection no matter what happens.

Disease

You may not be running the risk of dengue fever or malaria if you choose to holiday in the UK without travel insurance, but as the recent panics over swine flu and bird flu have shown, the UK is not immune to its share of dangerous and debilitating diseases. It's a crying shame if you have to cancel your holiday if you or a family member falls ill – and even more so if there's no way of getting back the money you've already spent booking the holiday!

Disease can also cause problems in more unexpected ways. For instance, an infection like foot and mouth is no threat to humans, but it could play havoc with your holiday, leading to severely restricted access to the great British countryside. The only predictable thing about disease is its unpredictability, so make sure you are covered against it!

If you've booked a holiday in the UK, travel insurance is essential. After all, it's no good if your bargain holiday costs you a small fortune if a disaster strikes, and with insurance available for only a few pounds for a single trip in the UK, it's certainly worth the price for the peace of mind!