Sun, Sea, Sand and Repatriation! Yes I know it’s highly unlikely that you will need to be repatriated, but you never know. I do believe that people forget the significance of travel insurance and what benefits it does have. The main reason that people take out travel insurance is for it’s cancellation cover and medical cover; are you really covered though?
When you take out a travel policy, your paperwork may state “Cancellation Cover up to X amount” and you believe you are covered for so much. Unfortunately this is not true always true, because with some companies the cancellation cover only means that you are covered if you cancel the holiday yourself. So, for example, if the airline you have booked with goes bust and as a result you could not go on your holiday, some companies will state that you should have taken out “Airline Dispute Cover”. So after you have paid so much for your holiday and your travel insurance, through no fault of your own you cannot even claim back the money you have lost!
The other main factor of travel insurance is your medical cover and when looking for travel insurance you should always make sure that you a covered correctly, so always check your documentation! If you do not answer your medical questions 100% correctly, it can result in your policy being voided in the event a claim occurs. For instance, if you suffer from “high blood pressure” and consider it a minor aliment so decide not to declare it to save a few quid, then on holiday you suffer from a heart attack… you may find that you are liable to pay for the treatment yourself, as the insurer classes this as a non disclosure. It may be worth noting that one person suffered a broken ankle during a holiday in Menorca which resulted in an 11-day stay in hospital and a claim of £28,000 to a UK insurer. It is extremely important that you declare everything, because if something happened to yourself whilst abroad and you needed to be flown home, could you afford to cover the costs? Remember, a broken ankle cost £28,000 – imagine the cost for something more traumatic.
It is also a common misconception that when travelling within the EU, holding a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will cover any medical emergencies that arise. Guess again. The EHIC is useful, but it is not as ideal as some travellers believe; the standard of medical treatment provided by holding an EHIC is equivalent to the same level of healthcare available to residents of the country, and some of the countries do not offer free health care. Can you really afford not to declare your medical conditions or not to have travel insurance in place?
Ensure that you declare all of your medical conditions and always read through your paperwork and check that you are covered correctly. Here at Connect Insurance we always make sure that you have the correct cover in place, and since you are talking to a person rather than simply filling out an online form, you can question anything you do not understand. Another advantage to choosing Connect Insurance as the broker for your travel insurance is that in the event a problem arises with your insurance or you need to add additional cover, you can call or pop into our office and speak to the same member of staff who dealt with your quote originally. If you arrange your travel insurance online, it is notoriously difficult to actually speak to someone, and even less likely to ever speak with the same person twice. This makes discussing any issues, amendments or claims very frustrating and time consuming.
These are just a few points to consider when arranging your travel insurance. You may pay a slightly higher premium by using a broker but at least you have peace of mind knowing that the cover is correct and that you any issues you have can be handled efficiently.