10 tips to take out annual travel insurance

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Von: wom87

A comprehensive guide to take out annual travel insurance, including what to pay attention to, which pitfalls should be avoided and what questions should be asked

In January last year, the British adrenaline junkie Ben Cornick jumped out of an airplane from a 12,000 feet. The moment he jumped out of the plane, it was not yet foreseeable that his parachute would not work properly and that he would fall onto the earth and break his leg in three places and break the elbow.

It gets worse: Ben had no travel insurance and had to pay £ 20,000 in advance for the treatment to save his leg. His parents collected their savings and were ready to sell their house.

But then there was an unlikely turn: after the media reporting on Ben's predicament, completely strange money donated to pay for his doctor bills, which massively reduced the costs for his parents. Fortunately, this case has a happy ending, but I dare to say that we wouldn't all be so lucky.

The purpose of this story is not to scare; It should illustrate that accidents can happen, even if, like Ben and parachut, you have done a little thousand times without injury. The answer to "Should I take out travel insurance?" It's - twice the way you go on a long -term trip. You should pay attention to this when taking out annual travel insurance.

1. Start early with saving

The annual travel insurance for our travel year cost £ 400 for two people, a remarkable sum, considering that we saved and saved for a year to realize this trip. We took out our insurance very shortly before our departure date, which meant that the price was seriously stung.

To avoid this pain, calculate the costs as early as possible and start saving immediately. In this way you will not be tried to do without how it was Peter (until I naturally brought him to reason).

2. Do not automatically choose the cheapest package

It's tempting, I know. On my past trips I was secured by the cheapest annual policy of World Nomads, which only cost 70. With a whole year, however, I wanted to make sure that I was adequately secured. Unnecessary to say that the cheapest option did not quite make it.

I used Compare the Market and spent a long time to check individual websites that are aimed at independent travelers (e.g. Holiday Safe and StA Travel). Finally I chose World Nomads, which offers comprehensive reporting that is supported by excellent online reviews.

Every good policy should cover it for medical costs of £ 2 million for Europe and £ 5 million for worldwide. The cancellation should be approximately £ 3,000 or at least the costs of the vacation, and personal liability should be about £ 1 million or more.

3. Note date restrictions

Make sure that you understand all restrictions and conditions in relation to the data of your policy. Pay special attention to the following.

  • Most policies do not cover them if you have already started your trip, so buy before you start.
  • When your policy starts when you start your trip in May and you complete your policy in January, are you insured when your trip is canceled in February? Many companies do not make this clear, so make sure that they explicitly ask for it.
  • If you are traveling with the backpack in the long term, make sure that your policy covers a long uninterrupted journey, not several short trips.
  • If you take out an annual travel insurance for a big trip, make sure that it remains valid if you go home for a short time and then continue your trip. Some guidelines end when they come home, but this is not always made clear.

5. Do not buy from your travel company or cruise line

If you book via a travel agency or a tour operator, don't try to take out your own travel insurance. If the company gets into financial difficulties (e.g. bankruptcy), you can find that you are no longer insured. Buy instead from a reputable insurer.

alt = “If you buy directly from a travel agency or a cruise company, you could sit on the dry”> If you buy directly from a travel agency or a cruise company, you could sit on the dry

6. Make sure it covers the basics

The basic insurance should cover and abort, medical emergencies, luggage and flights -and of course apply to the country or the countries that you will visit. You may also have to take the following into account:

  • Notvacuation: This makes sense if you hike, mountaineering or stay in a remote place.
  • Medical return transport: Many policies offer medical treatment, but no return transport to your home.
  • Winter or extreme sports: Even if your policy winters covers, check your specific needs. Some policies do not cover skiing away from the slopes or limit the total number of skiing days. Others may state that they have to take a guide with them during their climbing expeditions.
  • planned flight loss: If your airline goes bankrupt, the insurance only covers costs if your policy covers the "planned flight loss", so check this.

7. Avoid the following pitfalls

  • Demanding: Does your deductible (the amount you have to pay for a claim) do you refer to any damage or a section of your policy? The former means that you only pay for it once per damage. The latter could mean that if your bag is stolen with jewelry, a wallet and a telephone in it, you may have to pay the deductible three times if these are listed in different sections of your policy.
  • Loss limits: Note that there are often loss of loss, especially in electronic articles. This means that if you lose a laptop worth £ 1,000, but the upper limit for electronics is £ 500, you will receive a maximum of £ 500. If necessary, contact a specialist cover for your electronics.
  • Special circumstances when traveling with children: If you travel with children, note that many policies do not cover them if they do not live with them (ie if they live divorced or separated and live somewhere else). Check this if necessary.

alt = “limited values ​​for your electronics can mean that you get a fraction of your value”> Atlas & Boots capped values ​​for your electronics could mean that you only receive £ 500 with a loss of £ 1,000

8. Pay attention to exceptions

As you may expect, there are several exceptions that can lead to rejection of your claim. Please note the following.

  • cruises: Many annual travel insurance policies do not include cruises, so check this if you believe that you could land on one (as we did!).
  • alcohol/drugs: The guidelines usually do not cover alcohol or drug-related incidents, so be careful.
  • Non -specified previous illnesses: If you have not spoken openly about some/all of your previous illnesses, you can cancel your entire policy. This includes minor symptoms such as asthma. If in doubt, ask the insurer.
  • Certain places: Of course you have to check whether your policy covers every country that you will visit. Make sure that you check each time you are insured if you decide to travel to an unplanned country, only in the event that your insurance protection becomes invalid.
  • ruthless behavior: If an incident occurred due to their ruthless behavior, they could find themselves out of their own pocket. There is no objective definition of "ruthless" behavior, but basically it is something in which a reasonable person would not participate. (I'm not sure if sitting on the edge of an active volcano or not ...)

9. Take a look at the claim process

Before you book your annual travel insurance, take a look at the damage process. Can it be submitted online? Is it relatively simple or does it include 13 long -distance conversations and a rain dance with an African monkey? You will not always have access to phones on the way, so remember.

keep all your evidence in relation to the damage. Peter threw his GoPro receipt away and had to send the business an email to get a copy when his beloved camera was ruined during a dive.

If you have become the victim of a crime, finally make sure that you take official legal steps (if you file an advertisement, you will receive a file number). Essentially the following applies: the more documents you need for your claim, the greater your chances of reimbursement.

10. Check the DEFAQTO ratings

DEFAQTO is "an independent researer for financial products" that examines various insurance products and assigns them a quality rating in which a star is low and five stars high.

There are some debates about the usefulness of a DEFAQTO rating-especially since there is at least a known case in which an ombudsman found it meaningless-but at a glance it provides a reference to the quality of different products. I would suggest that everything is worth an examination with an evaluation of 3 stars and higher.
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