Travel Advice

Travel Insurance

Every year millions of people make trips or take holidays both within the UK and abroad. It is essential to purchase adequate travel insurance to cover you in the event of a medical emergency, delayed departures, cancellations or theft. When arranging travel insurance for yourself or family it is advisable to check that you will be covered for a wide range of eventualities, shopping around for an insurance quote will save you money however you also need to ensure you get the coverage you need.

A travel insurance policy will generally cover:

Trip cancellation
Missed travel connections or delayed departures - including delayed flights due to adverse weather conditions. You should be reimbursed for hotel accommodation, food and clothing expenses in the event of a travel delay.
Medical expenses - This should cover you for any medical treatment you require whilst travelling, the amount of coverage will depend on your policy.
Travel interruption - If your trip is cut short due to illness or other adverse conditions out of the control of the policy holder you should be reimbursed.
Legal assistance - This could include help so you can pursue compensation or damages following personal injury.
Stolen personal items including baggage and travel documents
Lost baggage - Generally coverage is restricted to items lost during the trip and will not include baggage lost or damaged by your travel provider.
Accidental death -This should include repatriation of the body along with funeral expenses.
Emergency evacuation - This should include emergency transportation to hospital.
Delayed baggage - You should be reimburse for items such as toiletries or clothing purchased while awaiting your delayed baggage.

It is important to note that not all travel insurance providers will cover all of these risks, it is advisable to check the fine print before you purchase your policy to ensure you are not left out of pocket. The cheapest travel insurance policy may not pay out when you need it so although you may make a saving initially you could end up regretting not purchasing a higher standard of travel cover.

There are a number of things that the average travel insurance policy will not cover and these include:

• Pre-existing medical conditions - this could include pregnancy related expenses, pre-existing heart conditions, physical disabilities, asthma or diabetes. In such cases additional insurance should be purchased to cover the pre-existing condition.
• Illness or injury caused by drug or alcohol abuse
• Acts of war or terrorism

Another thing to consider is multi-trip annual travel insurance if you are planning on making several trips a year.

To find out further information and advice on travelling outside the United Kingdom please go to the Foreign Travel and Transport on the Direct.gov website.