Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is insurance that is designed to cover financial losses and other losses while travelling internationally. The insurance can be purchased to cover the exact duration of the trip, or for more extensive periods for people who travel frequently or on extended trips.

Travel insurance usually covers the following risks:

1. …Cancellation/Curtailment
2. …Delayed departure
3. …Loss, theft or damage to personal possessions (including travel documents)
4. …Delayed baggage
5. …Medical expenses
6. …Emergency evacuation/repatriation
7. …Overseas funeral expenses
8. …Accidental death/injury benefit
9. …Legal assistance
10. …Personal Liability

There is also usually the option to purchase add-ons to your policy, to cover the risks associated with pre-existing medical conditions, high risk sports, and travelling to high risk countries (due to war, natural disaster etc.)

Although travel insurance is not compulsory, the vast majority of people travelling abroad opt to buy cover in order to protect them against any eventuality. Although the occurrences against which you are insured are the last thing on your mind when travelling abroad, unfortunately they do occur. With travel insurance, the policy holder has peace of mind, safe in the knowledge that should the unexpected happen, they are financially covered.

Naturally, there are numerous reasons why people travel abroad and this is taken into account by the travel insurance market, with the provision of specialised, tailor-made travel insurance policies for various types of trip. For example, you can purchase backpacker travel insurance, adventure holiday travel insurance and business travel insurance. There are also policies available depending on your age, such as over 65s travel insurance and student travel insurance which base their cover on the anticipated risks in light if the activities the policy holder is expected to participate in.

The travel insurance market is currently very competitive, and there are always savings to be made. For more about this, please see our ‘Discounts’ section.