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Inside this Article
Travel Insurance
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Not Just an Optional Extra
No-one wants the unexpected to happen when they go abroad, but
unfortunately there is no such thing as a totally risk-free holiday. Last year there were more than 400,000 insurance claims by UK
holiday-makers and business travelers, according to the Association of
British Insurers.
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Travel insurance is not so much an optional extra as an
integral part of any break. Policies need to cover the obvious problems,
such as a stolen wallet or purse, an accident or an illness. But good
policies will also provide compensation for delays and cancellation, for
damaged or lost luggage, and even a telephone help line for emergencies.
What Type of
Cover?
The simplest way to buy travel insurance might seem to
be through a travel agent or tour operator. Sometimes, these
policies are free, but where they are not free they can be
expensive. Travel agents are no longer allowed to insist that
holiday makers book insurance through them, and it's almost always
possible to find a better deal by shopping around.
The traditional way to buy travel insurance is to take
out cover for each trip, and this is usually how tour operators
sell their cover. If you only make one or possibly two trips
abroad a year, this might be the best option. A growing number of
travellers, however, are opting for annual travel insurance.
Annual Multi Trip Travel Insurance
The advantage of an annual policy is that there is no need to worry
about arranging cover for each journey, and it is usually better value
than buying individual policies for two or three trips a year.
Most annual policies will cover trips of a month or more, and they
can be bought to cover Europe or world-wide travel. It's usually
possible to add business cover or insurance for sports such as ski-ing
for an additional charge.
Annual travel insurance is an even better deal for families.
Insurance for a couple will be cheaper than for two single adults, and
cover for a family with children under 18 is not usually much more
expensive than cover for a couple. Do watch, though, for restrictions on
how the cover works. Some family travel policies only cover the family
if everyone travels together. The best policies will cover each adult
travelling on his or her own, and even unaccompanied trips by the
children.
Important!
Unlike a standard single trip policy, in order to obtain cover for
cancellation, with annual travel insurance the policy start date
needs to be the date on which you book your first trip or decide to
purchase the policy rather than the date that you intend to travel.
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