Travel insurance is becoming an increasingly essential factor when organising travel. While it’s tempting to see travel insurance as just another outgoing which you don’t need, it’s important to understand what a travel insurance policy will cover you for.
If you go on holiday and are in an accident or emergency, a travel insurance policy will guarantee you treatment and transport home, or to a UK hospital. Travel insurance also covers your trip if the travel agent you bought from goes into administration, or if you need to cancel a trip for medical or personal reasons. Many travel insurance policies will also cover you for the loss or theft of your belongings whilst abroad. Some policies will also cover legal costs if you get into legal trouble while you are away.
These are all important, but issues of medical cover are particularly vital whilst you are abroad. The loss of an MP3 Player or phone may be very annoying, but it’s not a huge problem to replace. However, in the case of getting severely injured whilst abroad, you may run up huge medical bills whilst being treated – and the UK government will not pay to bring injured Briton’s home. If you’re travelling in Europe, an E111 card will ensure you receive the same level of medical cover as a resident of that country – but this may not be the same level of cover as received in the UK – and you will still have to make your own arrangements to get home.
Travel insurance will also cover the theft or loss of your belongings – but will usually ask for proof that you took ‘reasonable care’ of them – or that the loss or theft was not your fault. For example, they may pay out for an item which was lost whilst in transit by an airline, but they would not be likely to cover you if items were stolen from your room, if you’d left it unlocked. Best advice is to take good care of your belongings whilst you’re away, and if anything does go missing, inform the local police and your travel insurance company as soon as possible. Many insurers will also ask for proof that you owned an item you are trying to claim – for example, a picture or a receipt. It’s advisable to take a photo of all expensive belongings you plan on taking on holiday and leaving it in a safe place, to prove your ownership of these items.
If you need to cancel your holiday, or cut it short whilst you are away, your travel insurance may cover this, depending on your circumstances. Cancellation or curtailment due to family bereavement or illness is usually covered, as is cancellation due to personal illness or injury, so long as it was not a pre-existing medical condition. Many insurers will not provide travel insurance if you are 26 weeks pregnant (or further along), and others will not allow you to cancel a holiday due to pregnancy related complications, if you knew you were pregnant when you took out the policy.
Travel insurance may be voided if injuries are obtained whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol – which means you will be liable for any medical treatment you need. Also, some policies will not cover extreme sports – these can include skiing, water-skiing, abseiling and scuba diving – there are specialist policies for trips if you plan to take part in these activities.
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