Travel Insurance
Finding Time to Buy Travel Insurance
It’s often the very last thing we think about when we’re planning a holiday: insurance. And for those planning long term travel, there are so many other important things that can take precedence. Finding good value flights, planning trips within the destination country, getting vaccinations (for continents such as Asia and Africa) – can all take up a great deal of time.
For many countries (including America, India and many African countries) you will also need a visa. The requirements for each visa can change a great deal depending on the efficiency of the office dealing with the application, how long you want to stay for and whether the your trip is for business or pleasure. Add to this organising your currency, obtaining back-up credit cards, and buying all those little extras such as airline size sun block and contact lens solution, and you have a lot on your plate.
But taking out insurance – even if it’s cheap travel insurance – is likely to be something you’ll be glad of when you arrive in your destination country. You may not think it is important while you are in the UK, since danger is seldom very near, and where we embark on less physical activity whilst in our daily routine. Whilst on holiday, however, the risks can go up a great deal.
Suddenly a whole world of water-skiing, hiking, bungee-jumping, tuk-tuk-riding and general adventure opens up to you. Add to this the threat of more diseases (especially in hotter climates) and the increased possibility of having your belongings stolen – and it becomes apparent just how much peace of mind insurance can give you. Rather than being an annoying expense, it really just allows you to enjoy your break to a fuller extent.
So don’t let travel insurance be the last thing you buy before you go – get it over and done with early so you can concentrate on your holiday plans. Plus it can also provide cover for any unforeseen and potentially expensive holiday cancellations.
For all your travel insurance enquiries visit www.click4quote.com
One in five travelers uninsured
The Association of British Travel Agents has revealed that 25% of British travelers go abroad without taking out travel insurance. They have just published the results of their 2010 Consumer Trends Survey- based on a sample of 2028 people in September.
Recent events such as strikes and volcanic eruptions have highlighted the need for insurance but many people seem prepared to save a little money and risk the consequences. Without travel insurance you may end up paying thousands in medical costs, to say nothing of the cost of arranging to bring a sick person home. The EHIC card will not necessarily provide all the medical cover you need; and it only works in Europe. You also risk losing out if your camera or other valuable possessions are stolen.
Cuba and the Channel Islands now insist on travel insurance to cover medical costs so you may be turned back without it. Whether or not it is compulsory it makes sense to take out cover – and annual travel insurance could be much cheaper than a single trip policy if you make a few overseas journeys a year.
Millions have property stolen abroad whilst travelling
A major supermarket chain has released research for travel insurance showing that in the last five years five million British travelers have had personal property stolen while abroad on business or holiday trips. On average they reckon that £326 each was lost. Cash is the most likely item to be stolen – amounting to 35% of all cases.
It makes sense to look after your possessions. Not only are you less likely to have them stolen but your insurance policy will probably only pay out if you have taken reasonable care. Also check that your travel policy actually covers the items you are taking; a standard policy might not give you sufficient cover for skis, scuba gear, cameras and so on. Consider a specialist policy if you are off on a skiing (skiing travel insurance), sailing (sailing travel insurance) or golfing holiday (golf travel insurance).
If you are unlucky enough to have had something stolen and you need to make a claim under your travel insurance policy it is always best to report the crime to the local police and obtain a reference number. If the loss occurred on a flight you should complete the appropriate form for the airline.
Travel vaccinations – Britons taking risks
A major travel insurer recently sponsored some research into travelers attitudes to vaccinations and found that a surprisingly high percentage fail to protect themselves.
This really is surprising if we consider that many of us will spend hours researching and looking for the best cheap holiday insurance to exotic destinations yet fail to protect ourselves, with just a little extra effort, in this way.
According to the research as many as 26% of travelers failed to have the recommended immunisation against Diptheria and Thyphoid. Most of these people did not even bother to take advice about what jabs they needed. Some knew that they needed vaccinations but thought they were too expensive. If you are traveling to countries where you will be at risk from a wide range of diseases you could face a bill of more than £90 for the treatment, but if this is compared to the horror of contracting a serious disease abroad it looks insignificant.
It is easy to find out the protection you need- just check with your GP or use the web.
It makes sense to look after yourself when you are traveling and taking medical advice before you go is just one aspect of this. Good travel insurance is also essential- make sure your chosen travel insurance covers all the places you will be visiting and all the activities you have planned.
Know before you go – travel advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website is full of useful information for people planning foreign trips. The site is promoting the “Know Before You Go” campaign; a partnership of travel industry organisations. The main points the campaign is getting across are:
- Do not travel without travel insurance
- Check the FCO website “Country Travel Advice” section
- Research your destination- know the local laws and customs
- Visit your GP as soon as possible about immunisations
- Check your passport is in good condition and valid- different countries have different requirements for the number of unexpired months you need.
- Make copies of important travel documents
- Tell someone where you are going and leave an emergency contact number
- Take enough cash and have access to emergency funds
Thousand of British travelers could have avoided a great deal of trouble if they had followed this advice. Also remember that you need to make sure your annual travel insurance or single trip travel insurance covers all the activities you are planning and all the countries you will be visiting.
If you are off on winter holiday make sure you purchase specialist winter sports travel insurance or ski travel insurance.
Airlines ignoring travel insurance rules
A report from Which? says that more and more airlines are ignoring EU rules on selling travel insurance. Airlines should not add mandatory extras such as travel insurance when selling a ticket. Which? Holiday claims that four major carriers are in breach; which could mean that thousands of customers are paying for travel insurance they do not need or could find cheaper elsewhere.
Sometimes a single trip travel policy is shown on the internet quotation for the ticket and the customer has to untick a box to delete it. Make sure you do this if you already have cover - under annual travel insurance for example. Even if you do not already have your travel insurance in place you might be able to find a single trip policy more cheaply if you shop around.
The other problem with travel insurance that is automatically bundled in to other purchases is that you do not have the chance to talk to the insurer about your individual circumstances. A business trip may involve taking very different personal property with you than if you were off on a sailing holiday or skiing trip. Equally you need to be sure that the policy covers you for any hazardous activities you might be involved in.
If you are looking for specialist travel insurance cover such as sailing travel insurance or winter sports travel insurance contact click4quote.com
Channel Islands insist on travel insurance
The Channel Islands is now one of those destinations requiring visitors to take out travel insurance. Holidaymakers and business travelers need to take out cover before arriving in the islands.
Many people think that their European Health Insurance Card will cover them but this is not the case because the Channel Islands are not part of the European Economic Area. Until recently there was an agreement whereby UK visitors could receive free emergency treatment but this has been withdrawn. The best advice is to make sure you have an annual or single trip policy and to check that it covers the Channel Islands as an approved destination.
Visitors to the islands may be tempted by some of the watersports activities on offer such as sailing, water skiing and scuba diving. Make sure that your policy covers all the activities you may be involved in. Insurers have different rules about hazardous activities so the best advice is to have a policy tailored to your specific needs.
If you are travelling to the Channel Islands and need single trip travel insurance or annual travel insurance contact Click4quote.com. Click4quote also offer other specialist travel products such as sailing travel insurance, so call 08450 89 90 91 / 01206 771 755 or go online to quote and buy.
Insurance fees under the spotlight
Which? recently conducted a survey 151 motor insurers and 180 home insurers on insurance fees and have reported that 70% of car insurers and 33% of home insurers now charge for simple changes such as updating an address or marital status. It was also reported that the average cancellation fee for home insurance is £31 and £40 for car insurance.
Which? believe that many of the fees were hidden in the small print and are excessive so they have issued a warning to consumers to take notice of the fees when purchasing policies.
For motor policies the average fee for updating your details was £21, the highest being £55. Home insurance policies were slightly cheaper, with an average of £18 and the highest being £35. It was even discovered that just to obtain a copy of your certificate if you happen to accidentally lose it could cost you up to £30.
So how does click4quote compare to the information released by Which? Well for all of our products such as homeowner insurance, landlord insurance, unoccupied property insurance and travel insurance we make NO FEE for making simple changes to your policy such updating your address or married name. We do not even charge for copy documents if you happen to lose them – we feel that is fair to our customers.
Yes, like most other companies we do currently make cancellation charges but our fee is just £15, half the average cost other home policies in the survey – so again we feel our charge is reasonable and fair.
For high quality customer service from UK based staff call click4quote.com on 08450 89 90 91. If you would like to call from your mobile, we understand that 0845 numbers are not usually included within your ‘package’ if you have a monthly contract, which is why we also give you the option to call our local number 01206 771 755.
Thousands of Brits have invalid travel insurance policies
A major supermarket has just released research to show that hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers travel abroad each year with invalid travel insurance policies. The reason is people’s reluctance to advise their insurers about pre-existing medical conditions.
The research claims that as many as 245,000 people traveled last year without telling their insurance providers about chronic back pain and 110,000 people failed to notify respiratory problems. If you have a recurrence of an existing medical problem on holiday you will probably not be covered unless your insurers were notified in advance and agreed.
Many people were apparently too embarrassed to talk about their medical conditions to a travel insurance company and others did not realize that their problem was relevant to their insurance.
It is always worth being open and honest when obtaining holiday insurance quotations. You may find that a pre-existing problem can be covered much more easily than you thought.
Travel Insurance – ten points to watch
The Saturday Telegraph has published a list of the top fifteen reasons why you may not be covered by your travel insurance. We have boiled it down to the top ten tips for travel insurance buyers:
1. Dangerous activities: have you told your insurers what you will be doing such as winter sports?
2. Do not drink excessively- there may be an alcohol exclusion
3. Make sure you get police reports and airline property irregularity reports if your property goes missing.
4. If your children are travelling alone they may not be covered under a family insurance policy.
5. Keep your expenses to a reasonable minimum- travel insurance will not pay for luxuries.
6. Disclose any pre-existing medical condition- travel insurers need to decide whether they can cover you and if so on what terms.
7. Cancellation and delay cover only applies to specified events- make sure you understand your policy cover before you cancel a trip.
8. Do your best to keep you and your property safe. Travel policies normally contain rules about keeping possessions locked up and using safety equipment when participating in sports.
9. Check the FCO website if you are planning a trip to a troubled part of the World. Travel policies will not normally cover countries on the FCO danger list.
10. Excesses may be deducted from your claim- check the level in your policy. They normally apply to each person claiming and each section you are claiming under.