Travel insurance

Key pros and cons of travel insurance

Pros

• Taking out travel insurance is really an essential - especially if you are going abroad

Cons

• It can be difficult to compare like with like when looking at different policies
• Travel agents may try and push you to take out their travel insurance, but shop around first, get lots of quotes, and then decide

Things to consider when taking out travel insurance:

• What's the level of cover for different types of claim?
• What's the policy excess for different types of claim?
• What are the policy exclusions?
• Are you covered for hazardous pursuits, like skiing or diving?
• Are you covered if you cancel your holiday, and in what specific circumstances?
• Does the medical cover include the costs of transporting you back to your home country?
• If you are going to the USA, where medical bills are higher, is the level of medical cover sufficient?
• How long do you have to be delayed before the policy starts paying out, and what are the specific levels of cover it offers?
• What's your personal possessions and cash covered up to?
• Do you need to cover expensive items, like video cameras, separately?
• Do you have access to a 24 hour Helpline if you need it?

Making a claim
For information on making a claim visit our making a claim section.