We all look forward to our holidays for some hard-earned R&R, but have you considered your travel insurance cover?
It’s important that your travel insurance cover is correct and that making a claim is a simple process in what can be a stressful time.
Effective travel insurance should cover a broad range of risks, such as: cancellation, curtailment (reduction of duration), emergency medical expenses and associated costs, including domestic costs following hospitalisation abroad, overseas hospital benefit, personal possessions (including loss of passport), personal accident, personal liability, trip abandonment, missed departure/connection, and travel risks such as mugging and hijack.
If your holidays include winter sports or are on a cruise, you may also need this cover added, as not all policies include these automatically.
Two key cover areas needing special consideration are your cancellation limits and emergency medical expenses.
Travel insurance cancellation and curtailment cover protects you financially if unforeseen circumstances force you to cancel your trip.
Cancellation insurance usually covers unexpected events like illness, injury, bereavement, redundancy, or a court summons. It’s a key feature of any travel insurance, alongside medical and baggage coverage, although the amount of cover varies, so it’s crucial to ensure your policy provides sufficient cover for the cost of your trip.
Most high-net-worth home insurance products that we offer include travel insurance, or it can be incorporated at an additional cost. The cancellation limits tend to be higher on those products than are offered by banks and standard travel products. And whilst some standard travel insurance cancellation limits can be increased (or a separate top-up policy can be purchased), the most important thing is that you have the correct cancellation limit in place before completing the booking process of your holiday.
Medical cover is also included in your travel insurance, but only for emergency expenses such as repatriation, funeral, dental and hospital fees.
If your policy requires you to disclose all medical conditions, you must ensure that you fully comply, including any mediation you may take. Failure to do this may result in your claim being repudiated. Medical treatment abroad can be expensive, so it is imperative that you answer the questions carefully and correctly.
Some policies advise that all medical conditions are covered, provided that a Doctor deems you fit to travel and hasn’t advised against doing so. The quotation process would advise of this.
If you need to claim on your travel insurance, you will likely need to provide copies of booking confirmations, tickets, and any relevant documentation, e.g. hospital reports and receipts. If you are cancelling a trip due to a death in your family, the death certificate would be required.
If you’d like a tailored quote for your travel insurance, we’re here to help. Please visit the Travel Insurance page on our website, or if you would rather speak to somebody about your travel insurance, please contact our private clients team on 0161 406 4800.
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