Travel insurance policies

Travel insurance policies provide a comprehensive list of risks covered, however as with other insurances, they do have exclusions and it is important to ensure that the policy provides you with sufficient cover. There are certain instances where you really need to ensure the cover offered is sufficient.

Pre-existing Medical conditions

It is always a good idea to speak to the insurers you are thinking of using to check whether they will include your condition on the policy. If you don't do this, and you require medical treatment because of one of your conditions, you could end up facing a massive bill for your treatment. If you are staying in the EEA, get an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you’re in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland. Click here for more information on the EHIC form.

Cancelling your holiday

Consider whether your policy will pay out if you need to cancel your holiday because you fall ill as a result of a pre-existing condition. Again it is important to tell your insurer about any medical conditions you may have. If any of your dependants have any pre-existing medical conditions, you will need to declare as such, otherwise if you need to cancel or cut short your trip to return home to be with them you will not be covered.

Sports and Activities

Some sports and activities are excluded from standard schemes, so it is always a good idea to check whether something you want to do on your holiday is covered before you do it. If you are planning to go skiing/ snowboarding etc is important to ensure your policy offers winter sports cover.

Destination

Remember that Insurers will not provide insurance if you are travelling to a country where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have advised against travel. For advice on countries not to travel to and for global information prior to travel visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel.