What Is Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance can financially protect a person or a family should you suffer injury, illness, loss or damage to your belongings whilst you are abroad. Travel insurance is not a legal requirement; however, having travel insurance is recommended due to the costs that a person could incur should the unexpected happen whilst away. Travel insurance policies can vary significantly in what they cover, so you must choose cover carefully.
How To Find Cheap Travel Insurance
Are you going on holiday? Compare travel insurance quotes from multiple providers to find a great deal. Click the quote button above to see live prices and purchase your cover online or by phone.
Travel Insurance Tips
When it comes to travel insurance, it is crucial to look at the small print when comparing policies.
Travel insurance covers illnesses and accidents and can also cover other areas depending on your policy, including flight delays, cancellations, lost/stolen property, e.g. phones, wallets etc., and lost luggage. We would recommend not to go for the cheapest policy without checking the cover you are purchasing as you may find it doesn’t protect you for your particular circumstances.
A few things to keep in mind:
- What is the excess amount on the policy? If it is too high, you won’t be able to make minor claims.
- Does the policy cover you for treatment when you return to the UK? If you need ongoing support, for example, physiotherapy, is that covered?
- Should you bring expensive items on holiday, and does your policy cover you for theft/damage of those items?
There will undoubtedly be a whole variety of considerations that you will need to make, so please do not consider the few points above exhaustive!
Additional Travel Insurance Information
Types of Travel Insurance – Single or Annual?
If you plan to go away a few times this year, it could be worth looking into an annual insurance policy. Annual policies will cover you for the year, so you can forget about it once you book until next year. However, it will generally cover you for a maximum number of days, so make sure it is sufficient!
Claiming
If you are one of the many people that rely on their home insurance to cover them for lost/stolen property when away, bear in mind that home insurance claims will affect your renewal quote. Therefore, making a claim could push your premium up more than if you purchased a travel insurance policy.
Although travel insurance is not a legal requirement, we recommend you treat it as one; the small price to pay for cover will save you potentially catastrophic problems if something goes wrong whilst you are away.
Important Information
It may benefit you to consider travel insurance as essential as your plane tickets and your passport. Amazingly, so many people go away without it when it is likely the most important purchase you make for your next holiday.
If you need convincing of the benefit of buying travel insurance, consider these situations: What would you do if you fell ill whilst away? What happens if you lose your job before you leave and therefore need to stop your holiday before it has even started? If you are ill/injured abroad, the costs for help and medical attention can quickly run into thousands of pounds. Do you want to lose that money? It is a genuine risk, so please do not ignore it.
Different Types of Cover
Be sure to take the time to check the policy you are buying is the right one for your needs. A few things to consider are:
- Do you need European or Worldwide travel insurance
- Are you taking part in winter sports
- Are you a traveller, on a gap year or any other type of backpacker
- Do you need cover for the whole family or just one/two members
- Do you want to purchase travel insurance for one trip or for the year
- Medical conditions that you are aware of prior to travel will require a different type of policy