subject: Five Items You Must Check on Your Policy by:Patrick Chong [print this page] So you've booked your holiday, filled in your EHIC card and paid for your travel insurance. You're all sorted right? Well you may want to check again. Here's our list of important things that you should remember to check for when buying holiday insurance.
How many children are covered in your holiday insurance policy?
If you've got more than one child then purchasing a family holiday insurance policy can seem like a great way to save money. However, you may want to double check that your whole family is included in your travel insurance policy. Most insurance policies only cover the standard family unit of 2 children, so if you're a family of five or more then be sure to read the small point as you may need to purchase an additional travel insurance policy for one or more of your brood.
Does your travel insurance include personal liability?
It may sound scary but what if someone is injured and it's your fault? In today's society of compensation claims and lawsuits it's easier to be sued then you may think. If you don't have a comprehensive travel insurance cover then you're liable to pay your own legal costs and these can quickly mount up.
Does your holiday insurance cover all the sports and activities that you want to do?
You may be a regular GI Joe that swims with sharks on a Saturday and sky-dives on a Sunday. Unfortunately, that doesn't make you the regular tourist and as a result many holiday insurance companies won't cover you. This doesn't mean that you should tone your holiday down if bungee jumping breaks are you're kind of thing. Instead make sure the company that offers your extreme sports have their own insurance policy and that you're covered on it. Of course if you really are GI Joe then you may want to look at getting a more comprehensive holiday insurance policy.
Does your travel insurance policy provide sufficient cover for any medical eventuality and repatriation?
So you're pleased as punch because you not only remembered to buy your travel insurance, but you actually got a really good deal in your local supermarket when you nipped in to buy some tuna last week. But take another look at it; is it really that good a deal? How much cover does it give you? Some cheap holiday insurance companies only cover up to 2,000 in medical expenses and to be honest this is pretty rubbish. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends that the level of cover should be 1 million for Europe and 2 million for the rest of the world.
Does the policy cover a full refund of your costs if the trip is cancelled or cut short for any reason?
It's a scenario that doesn't bear thinking about. But imagine that it's the day before you're dream holiday, you've packed the ubiquitous wardrobe of summer brights and your fake tan is booked in for the afternoon. Then all of a sudden you get the dreaded call, no it isn't your mother checking that you've packed enough clean underwear. It's the travel company and your holidays been cancelled. So what do you do? Well there's little you can do unless your travel insurance policy covers a full refund of the costs and if it does then excellent, book yourself a last minute deal straight away and use the extra cash to treat yourself to an upgrade.
About the author
Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey's Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore (http://insuremore.co.uk/) offers cheap holiday insurance and a quick and easy online claims feature.
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