So, your
bags are packed, the dog’s in the kennels, the cat has been given the
neighbours, and you’re on your way to the airport to begin your long awaited
annual holiday. But, did you read the small print on your travel insurance?
Travel insurance is so cheap these days that most people have it, or they got
given travel insurance cover bundled in with a bank account, or a credit card,
but very few people ever check what they are actually covered for. If you have never taken the time to read the
small print on your travel insurance, here are ten things that you should be
looking for, before you board your flight.
1. Have you declared any medical
conditions?
If you do
make a claim on your travel insurance, your insurer had the right to check your
medical records, so have you declared everything that you should? It is
estimated that 60% of UK travellers have risked invalidating their travel
insurance by not declaring pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood
pressure and asthma. Just because a condition might not be causing you any
problems, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to declare it on your travel
insurance.
2. Make sure that you will be covered in
all your destination countries
Not all
policies will over all countries in the world, so make sure that your travel
insurance covers you for all the countries that are planning to visit. It’s not
just the out of the way countries and war torn regions either; some policies
won’t cover you for the USA and Canada.
3. Check that you are covered for financial
failure
Many people
travel independently now, so it’s important to make sure that you have
insurance that will cover you should your airline, or hotel go into liquidation
while you are away. If you book through a
package holiday company then you will be covered for this, but if you booked
independently, your travel insurance may not cover this.
4. Check how many consecutive days you are
covered for
If you are
having an extra-long holiday, it is important to check the number of
consecutive days your travel insurance will cover you for. The number of days
covered varies by policy and just one day over the limit could invalidate your
travel insurance.
5. Make sure that you can afford to pay the
excess
Do you know
what the excess is on your travel insurance? Make sure that you are comfortable
with the amount that you will have to fork out in excess. If you have a family policy,
check to see if that excess is for all the people in your party, or whether it is
per person.
6. Find out what you have to do to protect
your belongings
Your travel
insurance will so probably stipulate the precautions that you should take to protect
your property and, if you don’t follow their guidelines, they won’t pay out if you
lose something. Most policies won’t, for example, cover you for lost cash unless
it was locked away in a mini-safe in a hotel room, or if you had the cash on
your person.
7.
Check you are covered for any activities that you have planned for your holiday
Some travel
insurance policies specifically exclude what they call “hazardous activities”.
If you do think you might try a little scuba diving, horse riding, or anything
else that could cause you injury, then check your insurance first to make sure
that you are covered in the event of an accident.
8. Find out if you are covered for missed
flights
Getting a puncture,
or getting caught in traffic, on the way to the airport, is everyone’s
nightmare scenario and, most basic travel insurance policies do not cover you
for missing your flight. Even the policies that do provide you with cover for
this eventuality often have strict rules with regard to your proving why you missed
your flight.
9. Check your limits
Many travel
insurance policies will only cover you up to a prescribed limit for each thing
that you claim for. Make sure that you know what these limits are, for example,
baggage cover, and make sure that what you take with you does not exceed these limits,
or increase you cover to account for it.
10. Buy your cover when you book your
holiday, not just before you leave
A lot of
people don’t buy their travel insurance cover until just before they are due to
go away. Buy your travel insurance when you book your holiday and, subject to
the terms of the cover, you will be covered in the event that you have to cancel
your holiday and you will be able to claim for any loses
You may also be interested in:
Over 50’s Life
Insurance – 10 Facts You Need to Know
10 Things you need to know about car insurance
Ten things you need to know about PPI
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