Tavel insurance: Can you claim for heatstroke on holiday? Symptoms of heat exhaustion and how to make a claim

The health risks associated with heatstroke, heat exhaustion and even just sunburn are well-documented, and so Brits can be forgiven for worrying about them before jetting off to the likes of Italy, Greece and Turkey in the coming weeks.

Thirstiness, headaches, confusion and excessive sweating can all be symptoms of heat exhaustion, according to the NHS - and all of the above ailments could land you in a foreign hospital.

Extreme temperatures have also caused wildfires out in the Mediterranean, which in the worst cases could mean your hotel room or villa has turned from a four-star paradise to a pile of ash.

For anything that comes up, however, travel insurance will mean that not all is lost. A spokesperson from Aviva has spoken to National World to reassure holidaymakers that no matter what happens during the ongoing heatwave, they are protected.

"Travel insurance is designed to help customers in the case of an unforeseen emergency," they said. "This could either mean something that occurs on holiday or an incident that happens beforehand which disrupts travel plans.

“If, as a result of the heatwave, you were to fall ill abroad, your travel insurance would cover medical treatment, as well as the cost of getting you home if medically necessary. In this scenario, travel insurance would also cover any unrecoverable costs relating to your unused travel and accommodation.

“In some areas of Europe, we’re also seeing wildfires due to the extreme temperatures. If you have booked your accommodation independently and it is made uninhabitable by the fires, we would cover the costs to relocate to alternative accommodation. If you booked as part of a package however, you would need to contact your tour operator.

“If wildfires lead to your pre-booked accommodation becoming uninhabitable, you would be covered by your travel insurance if you decided to cancel your holiday or come home early, providing that you purchased the optional ‘travel disruption’ cover."

The only instance where travel insurance will not cover holidaymakers is if they decide not to travel, and instead cancel their holiday.

Aviva has recommended that people instead contact their airline and/or travel provider to explore rescheduling the trip.

This reporter, who prefers the icy glaciers of Norway to the searing heat of Ibiza, would consider rearranging travel to the winter - but you may simply wish to push it back a few weeks, when the heatwave is forecast to have passed.