Top travel insurance tips

Last Modified 16th of February 2021

When you go travelling it can be a particularly exciting time in your life, whether you’re going for a year, a month, a week or just a weekend! Exploring a new part of the world can leave you feeling a range of emotions from astonishment to awe and many are so in love with the area that they even think about moving out there on a permanent basis.

The one thing that many don’t think about is their travel insurance cover, a very important part of travelling but one that is easy to forget about in all the excitement. Having splashed the cash on the trip of a lifetime, many don’t want to be spending more money on insurance they may not need; but it’s inevitable that something will happen if you don’t take out the cover. The truth is that there are forms of budget insurance that mean you can protect yourself or your family, without compromising on your dream trip.

Travel insurance isn’t just another way of travel agents taking away your spending money, it’s actually a very important part of the overall package – right up there with the flights and accommodation. As such, you want to ensure that you have the best policy in place, so try and make sure that, where relevant, your policy includes the following parts:

Cancellation cover

Cancelled flights can be a disaster. You spend weeks, even months, waiting for your holiday to come around and you arrive at the airport only to discover that the flights have been cancelled and every moment you spend in the airport is less time you’ll be spending away and, worse still, you may even lose your accommodation. By ensuring that cancellation provisions are made in your policy you can receive a repayment if the flight is cancelled and you subsequently have your plans ruined.

Pre-existing medical conditions

It’s a common misconception that you can’t get covered if you have a pre-existing condition such as heart problems. However, you can still get travel insurance by speaking to the insurer and explaining your condition and giving them the latest news on the condition, declaring any issues you may have had and any medication being taken.

Possessions

Some of us just can’t leave our gadgets at home and with more and more electronic items that have become an ‘essential’ part of our lives, it’s important that we get them covered too. Items such as smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and music players are easy targets for thieves because of their value, so get them covered. What’s more, dropping them in the pool won’t do them much good!