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In the excitement of planning a family holiday, it’s easy to overlook travel insurance. It may seem like no big deal to go with whatever your booking agent suggests and the sum they quote for travel cover next to the amount you’re spending for your holiday may seem insignificant, but don’t be fooled.
When your booking agent is adding insurance at the point of sale, it’s unlikely you’ll be getting the best deal. More often, you’ll pay more than you need to for a policy that doesn’t truly protect you against things going wrong.
- Don’t delay
Don’t leave getting cover until the last minute. Most policies will cover you in the event of cancellation or anything else that may prevent you from travelling. To help motivate you into action, a whopping 174,000 travellers made a claim due to cancellation in 2017.
- Get the cover you need
You can buy travel insurance to protect your family against things like:
- Medical treatment
- Holiday disruptions
- Cancellation
- Personal possessions
- Lost or stolen baggage
- Delayed baggage
- Delayed travel
If you’re affected by any of the above, before or during your holiday, travel insurance can help protect you financially.
Travel insurance policies vary greatly on what is included or excluded, so before you start shopping for cover, know what you need.
It’s not unusual for insurance advisors to use scare-tactics to convince customers into increasing the cover they buy, so know what you want and only buy what you need.
- Shop Around
Shop around for the best price and check the terms of what is covered in detail before you commit to buying a policy which doesn’t meet all of your needs. Using an independent insurance broker will give you the best chance of getting all the cover you need with no hidden costs.
Companies like Online Money Advisor can put you in touch with independent financial advisors who’ll happily find you the best deal on family travel insurance.
- Watch the Excess
Don’t fall for a price that sounds too good to be true, always check the excess charges in the policy.
The excess is the formally agreed amount you will pay towards a claim you make. Only when the excess has been settled will your insurer pay the expenses due. For instance, if you claim £600 for lost luggage and your excess is £100, then you’ll get £500 from your insurance.
The excess is likely to affect the premium you’re quoted, so don’t let yourself be conned into buying what appears to be a great deal, only to find that you’ve signed up to steep excesses.
- Pack Your EHIC Card
Holidaying in Europe? Carrying a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in addition to your travel insurance entitles you to state-provided medical care from the country you’re visiting. It’s possible that you may not be able to get the same level of care as you would in this country and it won’t cover repatriation costs.
The card is accepted in EU countries, including Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
- Consider Annual Travel Insurance
If you or your family travel regularly, an annual travel policy could work out cheaper.
Annual policies will generally insure you for an unlimited number of trips in any 12-month period. Always check to make sure you’re covered for all the extras you need, without excluding any of the countries you intend to visit. Use a company such as One Sure Insurance for your needs.
- Check If You Have Travel Insurance Already
If you pay for your banking, travel insurance may be one of the benefits that you get automatically.
The same does not apply to credit cards. Most credit cards offer travel accident insurance, which only protects you if there’s an accident in a train, plane or rental car which you paid for with the card.
I have always shopped around, but my advice as well to read the small print, think so many people are getting caught out, with things they are not covered for, that they thought they were, very handy help here, thank you
I always shop around. Thank you for this article
Something that you haven’t considered here is travel insurance that covers for repatriation if it is needed. If the absolute worse was to happen whilst on holiday and someone was to pass away then most travel insurances won’t cover the cost of the repatriation of the body. Depending on the location the cost of this can run into tens of thousands of pounds. If you can’t find the money to pay for it it can leave you in a situation of either having to fund-raise the money yourself or holding a cremation in the country so that you can travel home with the ashes. Its so often overseen, but as a previous funeral arranger its awful seeing a family in distress because they cant get their family member home.
All good points. We are concerned that the EHIC will still be valid after Brexit. They have not made that clear.
We always shop around and thankfully we have never had to use the holiday insurance. But we would rather have than get caught out without having holiday insurance.
Angela.
I have to admit I can’t remember the last time I got travel insurance, so this is a really useful guide. You definitely need to make sure you have good cover these days.
This is something I always leave to my husband as he deals with all our household bills and insurance!
I always shop around for my travel insurance – it’s surprising how much I’ve probably saved by doing this over the years.
This post got me thinking. I have annual health insurance but I don’t remember the last time I checked out the details. I think I need to check it out a little more closely.
This is a real eye opener and has really got me thinking for our next family adventure away
A very useful blog. Thank you for such good advice
I always use comparison sites for insurance and things like this as it means I can try and find a better deal. I tend to go for annual cover as it works out more cost-effective x
Great article and information. I would love to take my family on a holiday abroad so some great information
I can’t stress how important travel insurance is for anyone traveling. I’m lucky that I have travel insurance through my employer. These are great tips to help people save on something that is so crucial.
It’s definitely worth shopping around for the best deals. We have annual travel insurance which works out well for us.
Thanks for this blog post, it is really useful
Thanks for this article it is really useful
Good points for insurance, but try and find one that also does death to get back home. A family member had to pay £1,000’s to get her hubby back home