Travel forecast for Bank holiday weekend

The AA has said that road journey times could increase by 50 per cent on Friday with a third more traffic than normal expected on popular routes. Congestion is expected on the M5 from the West Midlands to Exeter; the M6 from Lancaster to the Lake District; the M4, A40 and A48 to Wales and the A1 from Wetherby to Scotch Corner in north east England. Engineering works will also make train travel arduous.

The worst day on the railways is likely to be Sunday when there are 38 separate engineering work projects taking place. Train routes and companies affected include the West Coast Main Line, South West Trains, Arriva Trains Wales, First Capital Connect, Northern Rail and the Southern train company.

For those opting to to take a short break this weekend, it's worth remembering that the same rules though apply to holidays in the UK as they do elsewhere. So do make sure you are properly covered in case of emergencies. Travel insurance, for example, is not always thought of as a necessity if you take a break in the UK, being so close to home and under the safety net of the NHS should you have an accident but travel insurance covers much more than medical emergencies. Most people buy travel insurance for trips and holidays abroad but these policies do generally provide cover for travel within the UK, though do check the small print rather than assuming that this is always the case.

So is travel insurance that covers holidays in the UK worth considering? It can be very useful to have insurance should you subsequently cancel a trip, say for illness, as your holiday costs will be reimbursed subject to any excesses to pay. Your personal effects will probably be covered too, which is an important point to consider as theft and loss is not just confined to holidays on the ‘Costas' - these things happen at home too. What you will almost certainly not be covered for will be for medical expenses as the NHS is available for such instances. One final word of advice though is do check the small print as many, if not most, insurers do require you to have proof of booked accommodation, or a campsite booking in the case of camping and caravanning, for a minimum stay of normally 2 nights away for the policy to be in force so the one night weekend trip away is definitely outside this definition.

South African born Keith has lived in the south of England for most of his life. After graduating from University with a degree in Business Information Systems Management he decided to start Strawberrysoup; a website design company based in West Sussex and Dorset.