The UK Insurance Blog

In the article “Holiday nightmares” we are reminded of how ticking those boxes too quickly on a travel insurance form may come back to haunt us one of these days.

It turns out that some people (and we know who we are) who are generally sensible when it comes to booking a holiday online, noting down all the reference numbers and dates and printing out duplicates for her records always neglect the travel insurance forms. We tend to quickly stick a couple of ticks in what seem to be the appropriate places ensuring the most inexpensive cover is acquired. How easily this can go wrong. This type of attitude toward insurance forms could end up giving you nightmares.

First of all, when about to travel, research various types of travel insurance and consider with care the terms and conditions of the policy. No more should you have a quick look through to ensure you are covered for the usual things (luggage that goes missing and theft).

There’s more to it than that.

There are some particular things to look out for on a travel insurance form. It could turn out that you are not actually covered when you think you are.

If you are likely to be bungee jumping (for example) and many are, you need to make sure you are covered for it. About one in six British holidaymakers knowing they will be participating in adventure sports, in the event of injury, will not be covered by insurance, according to Esure. Many actually believe that a standard travel insurance policy automatically covers them for things like bungee jumping and white water rafting. Next time you look at a travel insurance form, you will see that many have exclusions which generally include those more extreme activities. In the event that your policy does cover adventure sports, check the fine print for terms and conditions. Don’t be too surprised to find provisos such as ‘hiking only covered when below a specific altitude’ or ‘scuba diving only to a certain depth will be covered’.

Next, always check the small print. If in any doubt contact your insurance company well in advance of your travel arrangements.

The article recommended the reading of “The Passport to Extreme Fun” prior to an extreme adventure holiday. Published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office it provides information that you really need to know before you go! For example, an accident under the effects of alcohol may not be covered. Many insurance companies don’t! It can go either way whether an insurance company will pay up for a fall under the influence of alcohol as the decision pretty much depends on what the insurance company defines as ‘under the influence’.

Another plus for travel insurance coming up! The biggie is, if your holiday gets cancelled, travel insurance will ensure you don’t lose all your money. In 2006, over the summer holidays, £6 billion was lost in cancelled holidays by British passengers. If only they were not leaving their travel insurance to the last minute, they would have been compensated. According to More Th>n, an average cancelled holiday pay out by the insurance company was £856 per person. You never can tell what’s around the corner so don’t keep leaving that travel insurance to the last minute.

Another red light here. What if you are travelling to one of the World’s more dangerous areas? If travelling to a trouble spot against advice from the Foreign Office, your insurance could become invalid. Then again, if you don’t go to a trouble spot without the Foreign Office telling you not to, your insurance company will not pay your expenses. Watch out for this, you may find that civil war zones are not the only landmines to worry about.

The last word is, save yourself loads of money and do your homework before you go away! To avoid holiday disasters becoming nightmares, stop leaving important things like travel insurance forms to the last minute!