Are You Insured For Your Travels?

Planning a trip abroad?

Things can go wrong when you go on holiday. You could have an accident or get sick. Your luggage and money could be lost or stolen. Your trip could be cut short by injury or illness or it may even be necessary for your family to fly out to be with you in the event of a serious illness or accident. Get insurance!

It is surprising how many people don’t take out adequate travel insurance or any at all when they go away, most believe that other insurance policies they hold will cover them but this is simply not be sufficient. For example having credit card accident cover, private health care, or home insurance is not adequate enough travel insurance cover for your trip.

Travel insurance is vital. Be sure you are covered in your travel insurance policy for any hazardous activities you could possibly take part in. Some travel insurance policies do not cover some of the riskier activities such as bungee jumping, scuba diving, skiing, horse riding, jet skiing and more (these can vary from insurance policy to policy). Check your travel insurance policy details for anything you are not covered for. Go online and do your research to find the best travel insurance deal. With policies that do Baja Traveler cover for these activities, it may be that they do not cover you for liability and personal accident. This should be provided by the company hosting the activity.

When taking part in activities such as golf, it is wise to have travel insurance that will cover you if there should be an accident which involves you causing an injury to another player. Most standard travel insurance policies may not provide cover in these situations.

Health cover should be included in your travel insurance, always check it is adequate for your destination. Medical insurance and health insurance is your responsibility. Most people are aware that medical care in USA is expensive, but many other countries also have expensive medical services. You may have to pay thousands of pounds in medical costs if you fall ill or have an accident if you do not have adequate travel insurance. The level of medical cover should be at least £1million for Europe and £2million for the rest of the world. Be honest when declaring your medical health to your travel insurance provider or you may not be covered by your policy.

Other exclusions that might apply in a travel insurance policy include injury or death through acts of terrorism or nature and accidents caused through drinking alcohol. So it is wise to do some research on your destination before you travel to avoid common travelling traumas, risks and dangers. After the World Trade Center and the Bali bombing insurers are careful about the level of travel insurance cover they offer and what they will pay out for. Also check with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that they have not advised against travelling to the country you are planning to travel to. Some Insurers will not provide cover for these countries.

Drink – related incidents will usually not be covered in a travel insurance policy so be aware in the event of an incident you will have to pay your own medical costs and also for any injury or damage caused to others.