subject: Choosing the right travel insurance policy for your holiday [print this page] Choosing the right travel insurance policy for your holiday
Purchasing the right travel insurance might not be as difficult as ensuring that you have the correct level of cover for your home or car. But as the travel chaos caused by 2010's extreme weather events showed, it can be just as essential. However, the wide choice of travel insurance policies can mean that people are confused about what constitutes the most appropriate coverage for them. Here's a rundown of the options that are usually available for UK residents.
Perhaps the most basic type of holiday cover is single trip travel insurance. This kind of policy lets you book cover for a specified trip between two dates that are recorded at the time of purchase. It's particularly convenient if you're going on a short-break to Europe or if you rarely go on holiday. Most single trip travel insurance policies will offer variable cover, with the cheapest premiums offering basic benefits like medical emergency cover, personal possessions and personal baggage cover. However, pricier premiums will also include cancellation cover, a higher level of medical emergency cover, protection against passport loss or theft and sometimes even cover for scheduled airline failure - for instance, if the airline that you've booked goes into administration.
Annual travel insurance usually offers the same benefits and tiered cover options as single trip travel insurance. However, it provides cover for 12 months and is particularly well-suited to travellers who take several trips in an average year. If you choose to opt for annual travel insurance, be sure to look at the fine print. For instance, some policies may insure you only for a certain number of trips made within the year while others will offer cover for unlimited trips, and there may also be a limit on the number of days each trip can last.
If you're planning a winter sports trip, you may have to seek out a different travel insurance policy altogether. Most standard single trip and annual policies will not cover winter sports or extreme sports due to the significantly higher risk of injury or accident they pose. Instead, travellers will have to purchase winter sports cover as an add-on or as a specialist ski and snowboard insurance policy. Similarly, backpackers insurance or gap year cover is likely to be more expensive. This is because such trips usually involve extended periods of being abroad and may also involve riskier exotic activities or sports - for example, camel riding, bungee jumping or jet skiing.
If you're not sure what option is quite right for your trip, it's a good idea to get in touch with your insurer directly. They should be able to answer your travel insurance questions and ease any fears you might have about not having sufficient cover.
The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands like Bupa Insurance. The content contained in this article is for information purposes only and should not be used to make any financial decisions.
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