Travel Insurance

When planning a holiday travel insurance should be high on the list of essential items to purchase before you go. Unfortunately, many still regard travel insurance as an after thought, or worse still consider it as totally unnecessary. But, even for the ones who do understand the importance of travel insurance they will still often leave it to the very last minute and not put much thought into choosing one.

Many people already have some form of health insurance and often consider this satisfactory cover for their travels, but the chances are this will not be enough insurance to cover all eventualities abroad. Therefore, in the event of an accident or falling sick it could leave you paying out some hefty medical bills. For example, corrective surgery to a torn ligament (the most common injury on ski holiday) could cost anything in the region of £8,000, depending on which country you are in and the amount of hospitalisation you require.

So, at the very minimum, the travel insurance you ought to be looking for will insure you for all the typical risks abroad plus as many extra scenarios as the insurance will allow. Typical risks covered in travel insurance usually fall into the categories of: medical expenses, theft or loss of personal luggage and belongings, legal expenses, and cancellations or curtailments imposed on you by the travel company. Although, as with all insurance, reading the small print is highly advisable to understand exactly what your particular travel insurance does and does not cover you for.

Driving Abroad

If you prefer to travel by road and take your car abroad then your current car insurance should normally cover you up to the level of Third Party (in EU countries only). But, if you take into account the added risks of driving abroad you could actually find yourself feeling a little under-insured and vulnerable. If this is the case, and you do think you will need more insurance for your travels, then ask your existing car insurance provider as they will probably be able to extend your existing insurance for the holiday.

Remember to pack your car insurance certificate, or better still a green card, so in the event of a problem that requires you to produce insurance documents this will verify that you have the minimum insurance for the country you are in.

However, if you travel without a car then standard travel insurance is probably all you will ever need. These days a good travel insurance policy will give you extensive cover for almost every conceivable situation, and if it doesn't there are always insurers that offer specialist travel insurance. These include: student travel insurance, backpackers insurance and wintersports insurance. These Policies are specially designed to give comprehensive cover for the niches they are aimed at, yet still offer the buyer a relatively cheap travel insurance policy.

Buying Travel Insurance

When searching for travel insurance, or comparing quotes online, you might be surprised as to how cheap it really is, and for the sake of a few pounds you will be taking all the worry out of traveling. Being able to buy travel insurance online has also made the task a lot quicker, and gone are the days when you're only choice was buying it from the travel agents. But, always bear in mind that when looking for any type of insurance it's best to shop around as much as your schedule will allow. We do recommend getting at least three travel insurance quotes and then comparing prices and what each policy offers in the way of cover.

If your travels are going to take you to the USA then you will normally find travel insurance for America is more expensive than European insurance. This is due mainly to the higher liability scales in America, and the country not having a free health service like the UK has.

E111 Form

(Please note as of January 2006 this has been replaced by the European Health Insurance card EHIC)

EU countries, however, have a scheme known as the Reciprocal Health Service Arrangement. This means you are able to get free treatment for injury or sickness while you're in one of these countries. Under this agreement the UK provides a free service to Europeans visiting our country. To benefit from this, though, you need to obtain an E111 form from your local Post Office as this will prove entitlement to this arrangement. But, a word of warning, the cover you actually get with the E111 is only very basic, so do not depend on this as a complete travel insurance. It's best to view the E111 as a way to bolster any further travel insurance you might also take out.

Insuring Valuable Items

Who can resist taking their camera on holiday? If you're planning on traveling with valuable equipment then check that your home contents insurance doesn't already cover you for this. You could find your existing contents insurance covers cameras and valuables that are temporarily removed from your home. If it doesn't then your contents insurance might easily be extended to include them, so do check with your insurance company on this. On the other hand, if you have them covered in a travel insurance policy there are often limits on the amount you can claim for in the event of a loss. This could potentially leave you out of pocket if you were to lose very expensive camera equipment, for example.

Multi Trip Travel Insurance

If you're planning frequent trips it might be more economical to purchase an annual travel insurance. This type of insurance generally covers all trips taken throughout the year, often up to a maximum of 31 days at a time. For those taking more than two holidays per year then multi-trip insurance is often cheaper than buying travel insurance for each separate occasion, and can save a lot of time as well. But do bear in mind, if one of the holidays happens to be skiing it could well make the entire policy a lot more expensive.

If you happen to be a wintersports enthusiast, or thrive on extreme sports, then it's quite conceivable you will be paying double the amount for your travel insurance. In these cases it's probably best to look for a specialist travel insurance company that covers your intended sport. These insurers will more than likely offer cheaper insurance because they are geared to their particular niche market. However, if you remain with standard travel insurance always check the small print as there are often exclusions for sports. You may find the cover doesn't extend to jet-skis, white water rafting, bungee jumping or motorbikes, in which case it can take a lot of fun out of the more adventurous holiday.

Finally, check the travel insurance small print if you're going to ski off-piste, some will only allow it if you're suitably supervised by a trained and experienced mountain guide.