As we head into the summer travel season, stories are beginning to emerge of those who failed to get travel insurance, and have had major medical bills because of this (according to ABTA)
Are the contents of your bag insured correctly? And for that matter – have you got enough medical travel insurance?
Now, I’ll be honest – I’ve been on the rough end of travel insurance (when I’ve needed to claim when something has happened – namely loss of a passport…). Thankfully, I’ve never had to claim for a medical emergency when aboard.
So my advice is simple
- Get appropriate Travel Insurance
- Ensure it covers what you are taking with you
- Ensure it meets your needs in terms of cover
You can buy your single trip insurance from an airline, travel agent – but you’ll normally get better value by looking elsewhere.
If you’re making more than two trips abroad a year, I would consider buying a multi-trip product. For some of you, if it’s bundled with your bank account – ensure it covers your needs (e.g., does it have business travel cover, will if cover you if you’re travelling on frequent flyer point redemptions?)
For those who live in Europe and travel in Europe, you might want to check if your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is valid (what some of us remember as the E111). Whilst it does cover state hospital treatment, it does not include repatriation costs.
The UK application for it can be found at http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx. Other European countries should check with their state health provider in regards to obtaining a card.
If you’re in the UK, you might want to check Money Saving Expert to understand the issue more, and to help find insurance.
But please – ensure you do have some sort of travel insurance – it’s there for when you least expect things in life.
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For all the LH 1st travel reviews, I’d love to see a blogger actually do some research about travel insurance. .ie best insurance for medical, best for delay, etc. This is a subtle hint to add some value
I’d love to Shaun, but I’m also hamstrung by UK Legislation which dictates what financial advice I can offer (if any at all) by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Under their rules, I cannot offer advice, rather someone/an organisation has to be an FCA authorised to offer such advice
Bottom line: I’d love to, but for a UK blogger, it’s tough. My US Friends should be able to make appropriate recommendations for US Products though.