Make Certain You are Covered

Everybody eagerly looks forward to their annual vacations. As the break draws ever closer we’ll start ticking off the days from our calendars, counting down the days until we fly off for a week or two of fun in the sun.

There are unfortunately many people who take their families away on holiday without thinking about the need for holiday insurance. This is particularly true for independent travelers who don’t arrange their holidays through a travel agent. Travel agencies will generally remind people of the need for holiday insurance but even when they do many people take out the cheapest policy possible which can often be inadequate for many circumstances.

Many people don’t take out adequate insurance cover because they don’t expect they will need. Nobody expects to have an accident, to need medical attention or that they will be the victim of crime. Unfortunately accidents and emergencies do arise and when they happen abroad they can be very expensive. Many don’t reallise that, if the worst was to happen, then the cost of being flown home in an air ambulance could run into thousands of pounds. For example the cost of returning home from the United States in an air ambulance would be between £35K and £45K and from the Canary Islands the cost could be between £12K and £16K.

Nobody plans to be brought home by air ambulance but imagine if the worst did happen and you had to pay these costs yourself?

I’ve been very lucky while away on holiday, never having had need for medical attention, but I have, on two occasions, needed to claim for lost or stolen items. On one occasion, while travelling in India, I had my camera stolen from my bag on a train. On another occasion my suitcase was lost on a flight to Italy.

These experiences serve to highlight another important reason to ensure that you have holiday insurance. It’s bad enough to have valuable items stolen or lost but this situation is made a lot worse by having inadequate insurance cover.

When choosing a good holiday insurance policy it is really worthwhile making certain that you are familiar with the limitations of the policy. Lots of people are blissfully unaware of these exclusions, for example most policies will not cover drink or drug related incidents?

When shopping for holiday insurance remember that cheaper policies will tend to have less cover. Before you sign up for the cheapest policy that comes your way always be sure to check that it provides adequate cover for all those potentially crippling expenses that can occur, particularly if medical help is needed.

There may be ways to save some money, perhaps by considering an annual, multi-trip policy or by using a group insurance policy. Nobody should ever leave the UK without ensuring that they have enough insurance cover.

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