Travel Insurance, is it a priority?

When planning a trip or holiday, usually the most pressing matters are deciding where you are going to go, when you will be travelling, where you are going to stay and how are you going to get there. However, arguably, purchasing a Travel Insurance policy should be relatively high on your list. But you may be wondering, ‘Why do I need Travel Insurance?’

If you spend your time and money organising and booking your dream holiday, the last thing you would want is for something to happen which meant you could no longer go on your trip. Travel Insurance is there to protect you should the unexpected happen and to make sure you are not left financially worse off because of it.

If you have never bought Travel Insurance before or are just unsure as to how it all works, then keep reading this article as we aim to explain what Travel insurance is and why it is important to take out a policy before travelling.

What is Travel Insurance?

Travel Insurance is just like any other insurance as it is there to protect you should the unexpected happen. When it comes to purchasing a Travel Insurance policy, there are generally 2 types on offer, one is a Single Trip policy which will protect you for the duration of one trip, and the other is an Annual Multi-Trip policy which will protect you for an unlimited number of eligible trips within 12 months of taking out your policy.

Travel Insurance will protect you as soon as your trip starts which means as soon as you leave your place of residence. Many people assume it will only protect you whilst actually on holiday, however, some policies will offer several benefits that start even before you have left your home such as COVID-19 cover on Voyager Plus which will cover you if you catch COVID-19 within 14 days of your planned departure date.

Why is it important to get Travel Insurance?

In essence, it’s important because travel Insurance will protect you should the unexpected happen. By taking out a Travel Insurance policy you are ensuring that for an insured event you will not be left financially worse off due to circumstances that are outside of your control. Furthermore, a typical Travel Insurance policy will include cover for the following:

• Emergency Medical Expenses – should you unexpectedly require treatment whilst you are abroad
• Cancellation Cover – should your trip be cancelled due to unavoidable insured circumstances
• Baggage Cover – in case your baggage is lost or stolen whilst you are on your trip

What is important to remember is that what is covered on one policy may not be covered on another, similarly the amount that one policy will cover for cancellation for instance will not necessarily be the same on another policy so to make sure you know what is and is not covered, please make sure you read your policy wording and double check that the sums insured on your policy are sufficient to cover the entire cost of your holiday.

An equally important by product of taking out a Travel Insurance policy is that it will give you peace of mind whilst on your trip, allowing you to relax and enjoy your trip.

What do you need to be aware of?

Some areas will not be covered on your Travel Insurance policy. This will depend on who your insurer is and the policy you take out but more often than not, the following areas will either require an extra premium to be paid in order for you to receive cover for them or will not be covered under any circumstances:

• Gadget Cover – You will find that on some Travel Insurance products, gadgets are not automatically covered as standard under the baggage section. If you are planning to take mobiles phones, tablets or laptops away with you then you may need to check whether your policy includes Gadget Cover or whether you need to add it on.
• Adventure Sports – Again, these are unlikely to be covered as standard as insurers see these as risky and are likely to request an extra premium to cover them. Each policy wording should include a list of sports and activities that are covered as standard, anything else is likely to require an extra premium or just won’t be covered under any circumstances.
• Travelling with the purpose of seeking medical treatment is not covered
• Travel Disruptions due to Civil Unrest, War, Terrorism, or a Pandemic is unlikely to be covered as standard. This will sometimes extend to natural catastrophes too such as Earthquakes or Volcanic Ash Clouds.
• Medical Conditions – Severe medical conditions are unlikely to be covered as standard on most policies unless you go to a Travel Insurance company that specialises in this area. What is important to bear in mind though is that you must declare any and all pre-existing medical conditions to your insurer when prompted to do so as if you require treatment for one of those conditions whilst on your trip, your insurance will not cover you unless you have declared it and they have agreed cover when issuing the policy.
• Drug and Alcohol Exclusions – there is likely to be a general exclusion that means insurers will refuse any claims arising from your excessive consumption of alcohol or use of drugs.

Often, you will find that insurers will provide you with a list of optional extras that you can add on to your standard policy which may provide cover for areas such as cruises or winter sports for instance.

Things to consider when buying Travel Insurance

• Do the sums insured meet your requirements – you will need to make sure that on which ever policy you purchase, the sums insured are enough to cover the total cost of your holiday.
• Are you prepared to pay the amount of excess that is stated on your policy – the excess is the pre-agreed amount that you are prepared to pay in the event of you making a claim and as such you need to ensure you are comfortable having that amount deducted from any claims pay out you receive.
• Does your policy include any COVID related cover? – although we are seemingly emerging from the pandemic, it would still be wise to see if your policy includes COVID cover should you be unfortunate enough to contract the virus and be unable to travel.
• Declare ALL your pre-existing medical condition when prompted – if you do not and require treatment for a pre-existing condition that you failed to declare when asked to do so whilst you are away, then your insurer is likely to dismiss your claim.

Cheaper insurance does not always mean better – when it comes to insurance, make sure that the level of cover meets your requirements rather than trying to find the cheapest policy. That way should you need to make a claim you know you are covered for the correct amounts.

If you are looking for Travel Insurance then why not see if Voyager Plus Travel Insurance can offer a policy that is right for you.

Our Voyager Plus Travel Insurance policies include cover for cancellation, missed departure, lost or damaged baggage, emergency medical expenses and more. 

To get a quote click here

*This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute advice in any way. The information provided here is correct at the time of writing however please check the latest policy wording for the latest terms, conditions, and exclusions.