Travel insurance is one of life's little annoyances. You know you need it, but having to sit down and sort it out is a bit of a chore. And unfortunately the older you get, the harder it can become to find a policy to suit you without paying extortionate premiums.

It's fair enough that insurance companies charge more to insure older travellers - you are more susceptible to many medical conditions, a lot of which make you a higher risk when travelling abroad, and particularly when you fly.

That said, as people live longer, and older generations stay more active, more over 50s are embarking on foreign adventures all the time. This means that insurance companies are starting to tailor-make policies more suited to the older age bracket. These policies aren't exactly common, but they do exist so it's just a question of knowing where to find them.

The first thing I should say is that even if you're only going to France for a week and you're travelling by train for instance, don't even entertain the idea of not bothering with travel insurance. I know it's irritating and time consuming to choose, but - and this especially applies if you're over 50 - it literally could save your life.

Secondly, plenty of people are tempted to just not mention any pre-existing medical conditions. Oh yes, it'll make your premiums cheaper, but it also constitutes fraud, so essentially your policy will be void and you won't be able to make a claim.

It's also important to remember that as with all types of insurance, cheapest is not always best. Yes, you're looking for a competitively priced policy, but you also want one which offers you a good level of protection. Bear in mind that any sort of 'adventure' holiday like skiing for instance will automatically up your premiums, as will travel to the US. This is because medical treatment in the States is so much more expensive than anywhere else in the world.

So, where to look for a decent, competitively priced policy?

It's fairly safe to say that you'll find the cheapest policies online, but make sure you check out a few different comparison sites - as not all of them cover all the insurers out there.

You'll be pleased to know that there are insurers out there who won't increase their premiums when you declare certain pre-existing medical conditions. Golfguard for instance, whilst probably not the cheapest insurer for the over 50s/60s, doesn't up the premiums or excess of any of their policies for those with high blood pressure, diabetes or a slipped disc. They also offer (subject to medical acceptance) winter sports cover for those up to 65.

There are a few other over 50s specialist insurers worth looking at too. InsureforTravel is currently offering five days single trip to cover to European destinations from just £3.25. They also offer 17 days in Europe for anyone up to 74 from £4.57 and 24 days worldwide (excluding US) for anyone up to 74 from £11.38. Their annual policies are pretty competitive too - there's European cover for anyone up to 74 from £24.56 and worldwide cover for anyone up to 74 from £31.68.

InsurewithEase offer seven day single trip cover to Europe for anyone up to 75 from just £7 and InsureforAll is definitely worth a look too - their single trip senior citizen travel insurance has no upper age limit!