Travel Insurance

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Accidents and mishaps can happen anywhere and at any time – even when you’re supposed to be relaxing on holiday. Whether it’s something as straightforward as lost luggage or as complicated as a serious accident, if something goes wrong while you’re away you could be left high and dry unless you have a suitable travel insurance policy in place.

That’s why approximately three quarters of British holidaymakers take out travel insurance before they take to the skies (or the seas) each year, according to ABTA.

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Travel insurance can cover you against a range risks while you’re on holiday, and help with the cost of remedying those unforeseen events.

For instance, the best travel insurance policies may cover the cost of finding your bags if you lose your luggage, or they might cover the cost of overseas medical expenses if you’re involved in an accident or contract a serious illness.

In some cases, your holiday insurance policy may also cover you if you have to cancel your holiday at the last minute (if you took ill shortly before you were due to fly, for instance).

Types of travel insurance policies

You can buy different types of holiday insurance depending on where you’re going, what you’ll be doing and how long you’re going for. Options you might want to consider include:

• Single Trip Travel Insurance – insures you for one holiday that lasts for a limited period of time.
• Annual Travel Insurance – also known as multi-trip cover, this insures you for 12 months from the policy start date. You can take several trips during this time but usually only for a limited number of days per holiday.

If you go away two or three times a year, an annual policy might be better value compared to taking out several single trip policies.

You can also opt for more specific types of holiday cover. For instance, individual travel insurance just for yourself, family travel insurance which usually covers two adults and at least one child living at the same address, or group travel insurance which can be obtained for larger groups travelling together.

Geographical limits on travel insurance policies

When selecting the right level of travel insurance cover, you will also need to make sure you select the correct locations and/or geographical limits that will apply to your policy. Generally speaking these are usually defined as:

• UK Only Travel Insurance – as the name suggests, this type of insurance is restricted to travel within the UK only (which may include the Scottish and Channel Islands).
• European Travel Insurance – which is extended to include specified European countries (which may vary by provider)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance (excluding the USA, Canada and Caribbean) – this usually covers any country in the World other than the USA, Canada and Caribbean which are generally excluded due to higher medical treatment costs.
• Worldwide Travel Insurance (including the USA, Canada and Caribbean) – this is the widest geographical cover available and includes any country in the World, which also makes it the most expensive option.

It is also essential to double check each policy’s specific Geographical Limits and Exclusions as not all insurers class countries the same way. For example, some travel insurance companies include North African countries as part of “European Cover” and others are excluded altogether due to e.g. war risks.

Travel Insurance Cover Extensions and Optional Extras

Policies vary from one holiday insurance company to another, but when you’re comparing travel insurance policies you should double check whether each policy includes the following features:

• Medical expenses insurance – this can provide cover for treatment that you need while you’re away as a result of an unforeseen accident or illness. Usually a minimum of £2 million worth of cover should suffice but bear in mind that some countries like the USA have very expensive healthcare systems so choose a policy that reflects this.
• Repatriation insurance – this can provide cover for the cost of getting you back to the UK if you have a medical emergency whilst you are travelling.
• Cancellation or curtailment insurance – this can provide cover for compensation if you need to cancel your holiday or cut it short through no fault of your own. For example, if you become ill and your doctor has told you not to travel.
• Missed or delayed departure insurance – this can provide cover for costs you face if your flight is delayed or if you miss it because of a situation that is out of your control (a car accident, for example).
• Lost or delayed luggage insurance – this can provide cover to compensate you if your luggage is lost, damaged, destroyed or stolen.
• Personal liability cover – this can provide cover to pay legal fees and compensation that you are legally liable to pay if you injure a third party or if you accidently cause damage to their property.
• Gadget travel insurance – this can provide cover to pay to repair or replace gadgets if they’re stolen or damaged while you’re on holiday.

Trip Specific Travel Insurance Policies and Extensions

Some travel insurance policies are designed specifically for certain types of trip or holiday including:

• Cruise insurance – which covers you for risks that might be specific to a cruise holiday, such as cabin confinement, missed port departures or changes to the cruise itinerary.
• Winter sports insurance – standard holiday insurance policies sometimes don’t cover you for winter sports like skiing or snowboarding. If you are heading to the mountains this can cover you for things like damaged skis and boards.
• Adventure holiday insurance – some holiday insurance policies can also be extended to cover you for anything considered risky such as bungee jumping, zip-lining or even pony trekking etc.
• Business travel insurance – as the name suggests, if you are travelling for business purposes then this may be excluded under standard “Holiday Travel Insurance” policies and so you should seek a specific Business Travel Insurance policy.

Pre-existing medical conditions

Some cheap Travel Insurance policies may exclude pre-existing medical conditions which include anything you have been diagnosed with and/or you’re having treatment or taking medication for – for example, diabetes or high blood pressure.

If you’ve got a pre-existing medical condition you might have to pay a higher premium or agree to a higher excess, or you may find that any costs relating to that condition are specifically excluded from coverage.

It is always best to declare any pre-existing medical condition as not disclosing any relevant information can potentially void your policy and/or your insurer could refuse to pay some or all of your claim, which can be very substantial when serious medical procedures and treatment are required.

Cover can vary between different van insurance policies and providers which is why you should always compare van insurance cover when you compare van insurance prices.

Travel insurance quote comparison service provided by Seopa Ltd, registered in Northern Ireland, Registered number: NI46322. Registered office: Seopa Ltd, 5th Floor Link Building, Adelaide Exchange, 24-26 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GD. Seopa Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).