Sort out your travel insurance early. . .

She writes: "My son, aged 20, left Dublin last weekend for a travelling holiday in Thailand and Laos until August 14. He had not arranged travel insurance as I said I would arrange same for him.

"We got the insurance sorted and the next day on reading the policy document I discovered he would not be covered as he had left his country of residence before arranging the insurance."

She then tried various companies only to discover that they would not cover her son either.

"I would like to know if there is any company that allows insurance to be arranged at this point, even medical insurance?" asks Therese.

A Firstly, Therese should be commended for actually reading the insurance policy; it's a good practice to get into.

On Therese's specific issue, Smart Consumer contacted Paul Hudson of comparetravelinsurance ireland.com for the lowdown.

He says: "Most travel insurance providers will not offer cover to individuals who have already departed Ireland."

"But", he added, "there is a company called World Nomads (worldnomads.com) that will cover individuals if they have departed and forgotten to purchase insurance. The premiums will depend on duration, destination and age. Terms and conditions will apply."

Therese has since been in touch to say that she has successfully bought travel insurance through that company.