Why You Need Travel Insurance And Things To Consider

*This is a collaborative post on why you should have travel insurance, but all words and thoughts are my own

There are so many different types of insurance that you may think you’re already paying enough for them all. But travel insurance is so important regardless of where you’re travelling to.

With travel opening up a bit more things are starting to look more positive for travel junkies, or those who just want some sunshine. 2020 for me was the first year I’ve not been abroad since I was a kid. And I hope it remains the only year I don’t get away. We’re heading to Portugal at the end of March and then on a Mediterranean cruise at the end of the year so I’m trying to make up for it.

Research from MoneySuperMarket revealed that more than a third of people go on holiday without any travel insurance which is a scary number. And those people risk thousands of pounds of costs if they need medical treatment, they have to cancel their trip or simply lose their luggage.

We have travel insurance from CoverForYou which I talk about a bit more below. But here’s a bit more about why you need travel insurance, and some things to consider.

If you become ill why you are away

Depending on where you go in the world if you fall ill or need medical treatment for any reason you may have to pay for this. Travel insurance will cover you for this and mean you’re unlikely to be out of pocket. Of course every policy is different; you may have a limit on how much will be paid out, you may have an excess to pay etc. But it could end up saving you thousands of pounds if something happens.

One thing that you need to consider is declaring any pre-existing health conditions. If you don’t declare them then it could invalidate your policy and leave you to foot the medical bill. Make sure you consider all of the questions in the screening carefully and answer them fully.

It isn’t just about medical treatment

Most people think about medical treatment being covered by travel insurance, but it’s so much more than that. A lot of companies offer COVID cover (or this can be added on), so if you test positive and can’t travel to your destination you won’t lose out on your holiday and you can claim it back.

But COVID aside you need to plan for the unexpected. You might fall ill in another way and not be able to fly. Missed or cancelled flights may impact your holiday or cause you to shell out more money. And these are usually things travel insurance will pay out for.

Your bag may go missing and you need to buy items until it’s returned, or it may go totally missing. Things could get stolen while you’re away, or you may lose your passport. There are so many things that could (but hopefully wouldn’t happen) that travel insurance can help you with.

There are so many policies that can cover everything from getting your bag stolen while you’re away to pet cover if your pets need looking after while you’re in the hospital.

Additional cover you can get with travel insurance

Yes you can go for the basic travel insurance and just get the bare essentials, but there’s so much more you can get with your insurance.

When we booked our insurance through Cover For You (more on that below) we added on gadget insurance which means if our gadgets are stolen, damaged, or lost while we’re away we are covered. Seeing as we both have reasonably new iPhones and Luke has an iPad he usually takes away with him this is well worth it as we’d have to spend a lot to replace anything stolen or damaged.

We also added on golf cover to our policy as Luke will be playing golf in Portugal. This gives cover for his clubs that he’ll be taking with him.

You can also include:

• Winter sports cover if you’ll be going on a ski/ snowboarding holiday
• Wedding cover for peace of mind for gifts, rings, photographs, outfits, etc
• Cruise cover to give additional cover on your baggage and covering any unused excursions you’ve paid for. This is another add on we got with our cover

Don’t always go for the cheapest cover

We all want to save money and not spend out more than we need to, but the cheapest option isn’t always the best. Compare prices and work out exactly what is covered on different policies. See how much excess varies, or where additional add ons might be cheaper. Read the small print so you know exactly what is included so you don’t have any unpleasant surprises.

Plus if you’re going away a few times within a year it might work out cheaper (and easier) to get annual cover as opposed to individual insurance per trip.

COVID cover might also means different things to different insurers. Look for one that will cover you if you test positive and can’t travel, or if you need treatment for the virus while you are overseas.

Our experience getting travel insurance

I used to get annual policies when I went away quite a lot. But with limited or no travel over the past two years neither me or Luke had insurance so it was time to get some. With both Portugal and a cruise we knew an annual policy would be easier because it saves us reapplying for more insurance later in the year. And Cover For You is who we ended up with.

The actual application took under a minute with a few details on the cover you need. You can get single, couple or family insurance which makes things a lot easier. After adding on our golf and cruise cover there were three different levels to choose from; silver, gold, and platinum. And the comparison table was great showing exactly what you were covered for and any excess on each tier. In general the higher the tier the more you’re covered or and/or the lower the excess it.

Within about 5 minutes of getting onto the site I’d gone through the application, chosen our policy and received our documents. It really was that simple!

If you’re looking for travel insurance you can get 15% off your policy with Cover For You using code ZKU3SZCHEE

Do you get travel insurance when you go away?

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