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Buying Travel Insurance

With the world in a spiraling economic downturn, its good to see that people are still booking holidays to get away from it all. A lot of people are really searching out and comparing bargains which is great but its been reported over 84% of people have considered not buying travel insurance to save money.

Making sure you have travel insurance while on holiday anywhere in the world is very important. Most countries including USA and most of Europe don’t provide free health care like the NHS do in the UK. If you became ill or had an accident you would be paying extortionate amounts to foreign doctors or hospitals.

Also what happens if the holiday you had save all year for was cancelled or delayed due to bad weather, this happened most recently at the start of February 2010, where airports through-out the UK were closed due to heavy snow, or even the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland in March and April of 2010.

Holiday insurance covers you in these events, and its easily bought from just £3 for a single trip. Travel insurance has evolved and by comparing a few companies you can get comprehensive cover for a great price.

Single or Annual cover?

If your looking for travel insurance, then there are 2 main choices, 3 if your planning to work abroad. Most people go for single trip insurance but if you are taking part in extreme sports like snowboarding, water sports etc or take more than 2 holidays a year then annual cover may be more cost effective. The third type of covers is backpackers cover, but that will be covered later.

Basically single trip insurance was introduced for those taking a short break from 7 to 14 days and tailored to your chosen destination. Prices on single trip insurance can vary but start at £3 and up.

Annual travel insurance is more suited to those taking more than 2 trips per year, or travelling to the USA. It doesn't matter how many times you travel abroad as you are covered for 1 year from the date it starts.

If your planning a gap year or extended stays abroad, including working abroad then you must pick up backpackers or gap year insurance. This type of insurance is specifically for this type of holiday/vacation.

Choose your benefits

When you have decided what type of cover your going for then you need to match up the benefits on offer, this is what decides the price and keeps you covered for your personal circumstances. If you know your doing winter or extreme sports then don’t skimp on this part, its what protects you on your holidays.

Cancellation cover - In the unlikely event of a cancellation you have to make sure your covered, make sure the cancellation cover is enough to adequately cover the actual price of your holiday.
Medical cover - The most essential part of travel insurance, covers medical expenses including hospitals and medical centres abroad. Usually your covered up to 2 million.
Excess waiver - You can pay slightly extra to make sure you don’t pay any excess when claiming, this is handy in recovering smaller costs like “patch up” treatment from a local medical centre in resort.
Personal liability - Very important to make sure this forms part of your policy, the last thing you need is someone suing you because of an error or accident you had abroad.
Lost luggage & cash cover - Make sure any high value items are covered under your contents insurance on a home insurance policy, but this cover is great if you have lost or delayed luggage. Always look at the terms and conditions to make sure you know what cover you actually get.
Pre existing medical conditions - You have to be honest with insurers, as in the event of a claim they will find out anyway and void your claim. Make sure you declare any medical conditions you have and pay the extra cost, its worth it in the long run.
Winter sports cover - You can get specially tailored packages from a lot of insurers, remembering you will obviously pay a higher premium as its more likely you will make an insurance claim.
Age limits - When you reach the ripe age of over 65 insurance becomes slightly more expensive as insurers deem you more likely to make an accident claim. There are of course specialist companies offering insurance for over 65’s including the likes of Saga insurance.
Discounts - If your shopping around and comparing the best deal, especially online you may get some discounts. But make sure you know what the discount gets you, there may be terms attached. Don’t always go for the cheapest quote on offer, go for the quote that protects you the best.

Buying Backpackers Insurance

If you are planning to work in any part of Greece, including Crete for a period over 2 weeks, then you need backpackers or gap year insurance. This covers you if you have any sort of accident or fall ill while away. Don’t be tempted to work or travel abroad for long periods of time, as if anything should happen you could be in for a hefty bill and trying to claim on normal holiday cover would void your claim if found out.

When buying backpackers or gap year cover make sure you take the excess waiver or the gold option, if your away on a budget the last thing you want to be doing is paying out your hard earned wages on a doctor or medical centre consultation. If you need information on working in Greece or getting cheap quotes on backpackers insurance then take a look at our Malia workers guide.

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