Widely known as a travel essential but often overlooked, travel insurance is usually the last thing on your mind when booking and preparing your holidays. Therefore not everyone budgets for travel insurance and is often seen by some people as an unnecessary expense eating into your spending money. However travelling without travel insurance is a risk that could end up costing you thousands of pounds which can be easily avoided by taking out an insurance policy before departing.
Finding Travel Insurance
Insurance is offered by a number of companies and Asda’s Travel Insurance is one example of where to find decent cover for your next holiday. It is, nevertheless, smart to shop about and compare like-for-like coverage. If one policy covers you for driving abroad, make sure the policy you are comparing also covers you. Before shopping around, first have it clear what activities you will do and decide what you need to be covered for. You can then check each policy covers you for your intended activities. Please be aware that some policies will cover you but for a lower amount or for higher excess costs.
There are a large number of comparison sites that will help you find cheap travel insurance, but visit each supplier individually and check their terms and conditions carefully. You’ll know precisely what’s included this way.
Always Check the Cover – What are you covered for?
Choosing the right policy is fundamental of what you intend to do, opting for the cheapest cover will undoubtedly save you money, but will cover you only for basics such as lost luggage up to the value of about £500-£1,000. So if you value the goods you travel with you to be worth more, basic travel insurance isn’t going to cover you. In our digital era, we are used to traveling with pricey stuff and costs soon amount when you consider items such as phones, cameras, music players and laptops. Some companies will provide special cover for business travellers which will cover you for these expensive items.
Choosing the right policy
Risks of accidents are always amplified if you plan on driving abroad or participating in any sports or adventure activities. If you’re organizing a trip that includes hiking or other adventurous pursuits or a trip loaded with adventure activities or an adventure vacation, it is a wise idea to find a policy that covers you for all eventualities even if it means you pay a little extra for a comprehensive policy. Medical expenses quickly mount up and may cost tens of thousands of pounds for even minor injuries. Hospitals abroad are known to charge a lot for treatment of foreigners, so get covered.
If you are planning a beach vacation with minimal excitement, a simple insurance may be more suitable. But if you do take a basic policy you should definitely think twice before participating in any beach activity; that means however tempting the banana boat (pictured) might be, your basic cover is unlikely to cover you for any injury obtained during any type of water sport.
You will find various types of policies and add-ons to cover you for different activities such as:
- Business Travel
- Winter Sports
- Standard Holiday Sports
- Premium Holiday Sports
- Golfing
- Backpacking and more.
Overall travel insurance is very important, it might dip into your holiday budget but it could save you money and prevent you from breaking the bank in the long term. Choosing a policy that covers all eventualities is probably the best option if you are going to be adventurous and even if you aren’t, it will give you peace of mind if you do want to participate in an unforeseen activity. However when choosing an insurance policy, check each policy has the same terms and conditions before you buy and travel safely.
