Cairngorm National Park

Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie

location map

 

Making Sure You Get The Right Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is a holiday necessity that is a bit like sun-cream; never that exciting to purchase, but often notable by its absence – and sometimes painfully so!  Just like sun-cream, you need to make sure that the travel insurance you purchase is going to leave you adequately covered; if you do not, you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of being (financially) burned.

The competitive market for travel insurance contains some ostensibly cheap deals, and some of these are indeed good value for money, and will do the job.   Others, however, may be inadequate for your needs, and this is the crux of the matter – you need to ensure that the travel insurance policy is fit for the purpose to which you will potentially put it.  At the end of the day, a travel insurance policy is worse than useless if it will not pay out when you need it.

If you will be indulging in winter sports, for example, you will need to make sure that potential injuries sustained during the course of these activities are explicitly covered.  A standard annual insurance policy will not usually cover injuries sustained through taking part in winter or other extreme sports, but most annual policies can be easily upgraded.  However, if you are serious about your sport, and will be taking part in competitions, be aware that standard winter or extreme sports cover packages often exclude such activity – and in this case, you will usually have to look for specialist cover. 

If your adventurous spirit will be taking you to more far flung locations outside of Europe, it is important to have a good look at the detail of the medical insurance provisions.  Some countries in the developing world have poor or virtually non-existent medical  facilities, and if this is the case with your intended destination, you will need to ensure that repatriation to the U.K. is written into your travel insurance policy in the event of serious injury.  More advice on the countries where this kind of cover is necessary is available from the Foreign Office.

If you are planning a straightforward family holiday in Europe, it may be the simple things like making sure that an expensive camera does not exceed the single item  limit for cover that is the important issue when buying travel insurance.  Have a look online at what established providers like AA Travel offer to get an idea of what a basic travel insurance package should contain, and make sure that you spend as much time shopping around as you can spare.  It is a competitive market out there, and so there are genuine bargains to be had – as long as you take time to read the small print.