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- Holiday dangers: what to watch out for

With the Christmas break now just a distant memory many of us are looking at booking our summer holidays to brighten our spirits.

With travel agents vying for business, January could be the time to get a good deal on a sunny getaway. But beware! Lots of holidaymakers leave travel insurance as an afterthought, and often don’t purchase it until the last few days before going away, if at all. This could leave them in a very risky position.

Travel insurance is designed to provide you with financial protection if something should go wrong to disrupt your holiday plans. Primarily you need travel insurance to cover the cost of any medical treatment while on holiday but also for cancellations, which in these uncertain times could also mean redundancy as well as illness, injury or bereavement.

What a good travel insurance policy should cover you for

• The entire period of your holiday
• Any activities and sports you intend to partake in. Always check what sports/hazardous activities are excluded from the policy
• Medical and health cover should be for a minimum of £1 million for Europe and £2 million for the rest of the world. Take out a policy that has the benefit of a 24 hour emergency service and assistance
• Personal liability covers you in case you accidentally cause injury or damage to a third party or their property and they decide to sue you
• A payout if you have to cancel or cut short your holiday through illness or family bereavement
• Repatriation costs should you be injured or ill and require an air ambulance to take you home
• An appropriate limit to cover your possessions if they are lost, stolen or damaged
• Cancellation due to redundancy

Simple steps to save on travel insurance

Search the Market – Many travel agents will try and sell you travel insurance when you book your holiday. However by shopping around online you are likely to find a better deal.

Annual Policies – If you are planning on making two or more overseas trips in a year it is often worthwhile investing in an annual travel insurance policy rather than several single trip policies.

Avoid Double Cover - If you have home contents ‘all risk’ cover insurance your possessions should be covered while you are away and you could get a discount from your travel insurer. Many banks and credit card companies offer travel insurance as a customer benefit but make sure you are covered for all eventualities as often they only provide a basic standard policy.

What to watch out for

Read the small print – Read your policy documents to make sure that you understand what is included and excluded. If in doubt, ask your insurer.

Hazardous activities & winter sports – Not all travel insurance policies will cover you for taking part in extreme and hazardous activities, check that your insurer will cover you. You may have to pay a little more to have the hazardous activity included on your policy.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions - Inform your insurer of any pre-existing medical conditions. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy in the unfortunate circumstances of having to make a claim.

Terrorism - Some insurers will pay your medical bills if you are injured in an attack. However, it is sensible to check your travel insurance policy wording with respect to terrorism if you were to find yourself in any of the following situations:

1. Injured in a blast and unable to depart on your holiday
2. Unable to travel to the airport or port as a result of closure of transport
3. Coverage for belongings left on transport as a result of an evacuation
4. Unable to travel to holiday destination as a result of attack on the resort
5. Need to return to the UK after the area has been attacked
6. Injured as a result of a terrorist attack
7. Unable to travel home due to closure of transport system abroad

A disinclination to travel as a result of an unstable situation is not usually enough to trigger a claim on your travel insurance policy. The normal guide in the event of an emergency situation is to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk) for information.

Useful Travel Insurance Tips

• Forward your policy details and insurer contact instructions to your email address or mobile phone to keep them handy.
• Some insurers give you a credit card-size policy card containing important details such as emergency numbers.
• Keep your luggage and belongings in sight at all times. Failure to do so could result in the insurer refusing to payout on a claim.
• Insurers tend not to cover for travel to countries declared unsafe for travel by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel for more information.