Whether you’re cooking up a true Italian delight in Tuscany or relaxing your mind with sunset Pilates in Morocco, Flavours Holidays has got you covered. But, what about your travel insurance? Sometimes things can crop up and catch you off-guard so having a travel insurance policy in place is essential to help protect you and your trip. The travel insurance experts over at Travel Insurance Explained are on a mission to make sure that, no matter where you are heading, you can find the right travel insurance for your needs. They have outlined below some of the key things you need to look out for when buying your travel insurance cover.
Declaring medical conditions and finding a medical travel insurance policy
When completing a travel insurance quote, you will be asked about your health and may find yourself needing to complete a medical declaration. You may need to provide the travel insurance company with a list of your medication/s and the condition/s you take them for as well as any recent test results, so be sure to have these on hand before you get started.
In some cases, there will be a medical excess added to your policy. This excess will only need to be paid in the event of a claim related to any of your declared medical conditions.
Those with a more complex medical history may be concerned about finding a travel insurance policy that will cover them. We suggest having a look in forums specific to your medical condition, searching online, or speaking with your treating doctor. There are specialist medical travel insurance companies out there, but they’re not always on comparison sites so allowing some time to do a little research is important.
It is important you declare your medical conditions, no matter how small because if something related to the undeclared condition was to happen before you travel or while you’re away, it is likely your claim will be denied.
Travelling with friends or family
If you are travelling with friends or family it is a good idea to ensure that you are all on the same travel insurance policy, particularly if there are medical conditions to declare.
Most travel insurance companies will not cover you for cancellation or the costs of coming home early if your travelling companion, who is insured elsewhere, is taken ill due to a pre-existing medical condition. However, if you are on the same policy and the medical condition is declared and accepted, you will be able to submit a claim.
Choosing a single-trip or a multi-trip policy
If this is just a one-off adventure, a single trip will be the best policy for you to buy. However, if you have several trips planned over 12 months, you may find that a multi-trip policy is more cost-effective.
A multi-trip policy will cover you for unlimited over 12 months, as long as they are within the destination range that you select. It is important to note that some travel insurance companies will have a maximum trip duration per trip which is usually 31 days, but some offer a 45-day or 60-day trip limit.
Cover for non-travelling relatives
A concern we often encounter is the cover available for non-travelling relatives, particularly if they have an existing medical condition. You may be surprised to discover that needing to cancel your holiday or come home early due to a relative who has not travelled with you’s existing health condition deteriorating is not covered as standard on most travel insurance policies.
There are only a few policies that will offer this either as part of their cancellation cover or as an extension/add-on to the policy. They will also state that the medical condition needs to be stable at the time of booking the holiday.
If this is something you are concerned about, we recommend having a look through the policy wording to make sure this cover is in place.
When should I buy my travel insurance policy
Saving the most important until the last.
Once you have booked your holiday, the next thing on your list should be your travel insurance. Despite what some may believe, leaving your travel insurance to the last minute doesn’t save you money – in fact, it could end up costing you a lot!
Making sure you have travel insurance in place from the date of booking means you will be covered for cancellation should something go wrong before you are due to travel (as long as it is a reason covered under your travel insurance).
Travel insurance can be confusing, but we hope the above helps to put your mind at ease and steer you in the right direction for finding a travel insurance policy that is suitable for your next Flavours Holidays trip!
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