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If you are unlucky enough to have to make a claim on your travel insurance, the last thing you want is to be turned down by your insurer.聽 Here are some of the most common reasons why travel insurance claims are rejected and what you should consider before purchasing your travel insurance.

1)听Non-disclosure of a pre-existing medical condition聽- One of the main reasons people take out holiday insurance is to ensure they won鈥檛 be faced with huge medical bills should they fall ill abroad.聽 If you鈥檙e not completely honest about the state of your health when you take out your policy it could put any claim for medical expenses in jeopardy.聽 If you have an annual policy and your medical situation changes you must keep your insurer informed.

2)听Theft or loss of personal belongings聽聽- 聽Most policies will offer some cover for any lost baggage and personal belongings whilst on holiday.聽 However, insurers often ask for proof that you did actually own the lost object in the first place, especially in the case of high-value items. 聽Insurers may require you to provide proof of purchase or a manual or photographic evidence of ownership. 聽If you are taking expensive gadgets with you, make sure you have sufficient cover.聽 Things like phones and tablets are often not covered in the basic policy and you may need to buy extra cover.

3)听Take Care of your property聽- Insurers expect you to take reasonable care of your belongings. If your things are stolen while you have left them unattended you might not be covered. Use the safe in your hotel room where possible.

4)听Alcohol -聽Most travel policies contain a clause about alcohol consumption. If you are injured or you have your things stolen after you have been drinking you might not be covered. Check the small print on your policy to see how much you can drink before your policy becomes invalid.

5)听Adventurous Sports聽-聽Policies will have varying degrees of cover for adventurous sporting activities. You need to buy cover appropriate to the activities you intend to do on your holiday. So check what sports your policy covers 鈥� for example for skiing and snowboarding you must have a policy which includes winter sports cover.聽 Many policies don鈥檛 cover quad biking, scuba diving or hiking at altitude.聽 If you want insurance for specific activities, you might need to pay an extra premium.

6)听Cruises聽- If you鈥檙e going on a cruise, you鈥檒l need specific cover for things like missed departure, changes to itineraries or excursions, and illnesses which could affect you on board.

If you feel that you have had a genuine claim wrongfully rejected there is usually an appeals procedure. 聽If you can鈥檛 resolve it with the insurers or the underwriters, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman.

Tony and Bee Bennett moved to Porthcawl five years ago. They hoped to enjoy a relaxing retirement by the sea, but their plans have been fraught with difficulty after dealing with one builder.

Bee has a rare auto immune condition which seriously affects her mobility, so she and Tony decided to use some inheritance money to make much needed improvements to their home. The plan was to convert the attic so they could rent it out and raise more money to improve the downstairs as Bee鈥檚 condition worsens.

They found Willex Construction online and had their first meeting with Liam Morris, who runs the company, in March 2017. Mr Morris quoted 拢28,000 for the attic conversion and said the work would take 6 weeks. The couple paid the first installment of 拢10,000 in May and the scaffolding went up. But Mr Morris failed to come back to start the work.

Mr Morris didn鈥檛 begin work until six months later, in November, when he asked for another 拢10,000. Then, after fitting the dormers, he asked for another 拢5,000 if they wanted him to finish by Christmas.

Bee said: 鈥淲e argued because we felt that it didn鈥檛 look like 拢10,000 worth had been done.鈥�

Reluctantly, the couple paid up. They had now handed Mr Morris 拢25,000, but by the New Year he had stopped turning up for work. With the work unfinished the roof began to leak, and large cracks began to show in the bedroom and living room, along with patches of damp.

X-Ray contacted Chartered Surveyor Kevin Thomas for his professional opinion on the work. He looked at every part of the build and found a number of serious problems, including missing floor steels, which should have been installed before the other work began.

He told us: 鈥淚 cannot see that there鈥檚 any value of 拢25,000 worth of work here. It鈥檚 more like six to eight thousand pounds maximum. Some of it sadly is going to have to be taken apart to introduce the proper structural support before they go forward again.鈥�

It鈥檚 a devastating blow to Bee and Tony, who feel they have had no option but to set up a crowdfunding page, asking members of the public to donate money, to help with the costs to make their home structurally sound.

Trading Standards have confirmed that they are investigating Bee and Tony鈥檚 complaint. Whilst those enquiries are ongoing, Liam Morris from Willex told us that he does not want to make any comment to X-Ray about this case.

Whether you are travelling to work or for pleasure, traffic jams, delayed trains and packed carriages can really put a downer on your travel plans.

But would you be surprised to learn that you could charter a private flight for less than the price of a standard train ticket?

Omar investigates flight sharing platforms. One of the main ones in Wales is Wingly. It allows fully licenced and insured 鈥榟obby鈥� pilots to advertise their flight routes on their website. Passengers can then book onto a flight, sharing the cost of fuel and airport fees with the pilot. The more passengers on the plane, the cheaper your seat will be.

Omar flew with pilot Mike Birchall from Cardiff Airport to Caernarfon, taking a scenic route over the beautiful coasts and castles of Wales. Omar did not have to go through passport control, baggage check or endure long waits in the departure lounge. On the down side, there were no refreshments on board and instead of a toilet there was a 鈥榩orta potty鈥�!

Omar described seeing 鈥渟ome of the most incredible views I鈥檝e ever seen, because we were flying lower than commercial aircraft.鈥澛� He said it was 鈥渏ust a great way to spend an hour.鈥�

Wingly is just one of a number of flight sharing platforms. Pilots do not make a profit, they are simply sharing the cost 鈥� and their love of flying - with their passengers. It is worth remembering however that they are leisure flights, which could be cancelled due to weather conditions. So if it鈥檚 crucial that you reach your destination on time this may not be the best way to travel!