The lowdown on travel insurance

Your policy should cover you for the following:

• The whole time that you are away


• Any activities and sports you might do. Some activities, such as skiing, jet skiing, are excluded from many policies. Many insurers will extend cover, if requested, otherwise shop around for a specialist policy.


• Medical and health cover. This is very important. It should be for a minimum of £1 million for Europe and £2 million world-wide. It must include cover for emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation.


• Personal liability - for injury or damage to others and their property.


• Cancellation - if you have to cancel or abandon your trip. Cancellation cover should start as soon as you book your trip.


• 24 hour emergency service and assistance if things go wrong. The assistance company will help you to sort everything out.


• Possessions cover, including money and documents to specified limits.

Your policy may also cover:

• Personal accident - money paid on death or permanent disability.


• Legal expenses - to help you pursue compensation for damages following personal injury.

Read your policy to check for conditions and exclusions. If you are in any doubt, contact your insurer to find out exactly what cover you have.

• Most policies will not cover drink-related incidents.


• Most policies do not cover drug-related incidents.


• You must take reasonable care of your possessions or your policy will not cover you.


• Declare anything that you think might affect the cover.


• Be honest - tell your insurer about current or past medical conditions. This should include the condition of those to be insured and others, such as close relatives, whose state of health may prevent you from travelling or may cause you to curtail your trip. If you don't declare you may invalidate your policy.


• If travelling to Europe - make sure you fill in Form E111 .

Do you need travel insurance and an E111 when you go to an EU country? Yes, because, an E111 will only cover you for state-provided emergency treatment. State-provided treatment may not cover all of the things that you would expect to receive free of charge from the NHS and the costs of a family member staying with you while you have medical treatment will not be covered either.

When you travel:

• Make sure you take your policy and the 24 hour emergency phone number with you.


• Make sure you know what to do in the event of a problem.


• Some insurance companies insist that you call their assistance company as soon as possible after a problem arises.


• If anything does happen make sure you keep as much paperwork as possible - tickets, receipts, medical bills, police reports etc - to help prove that what you're claiming for actually happened.


• Book through an agent that's with ABTA or ATOL.


• You should always buy holiday insurance, but it is worth remembering that if you book a holiday with an ABTA or ATOL bonded company you are already reducing risks. ABTA tour operators send in their own health and safety experts to check the standards of hotels, kitchens and swimming pools that are used. Reps will be able to give you the contact details of local authorities, such as police, doctors.


• If a natural disaster, or terrorist attack occurs while you are on holiday in a country, then ABTA operators will evacuate you if necessary. While if you have booked a holiday in a country, like Bali for example, where Foreign Office advice changes to advise against travel, then ABTA tour operators have to amend the holiday without charge or give a full refund.