If you travel then travel insurance is a must have

Travelling is fun and exciting but it can also be expensive and risky. Anyone who has had their luggage pinched or ‘misplaced’ by baggage handles can attest to that. Lost traveller cheques can simply ruin what has taken months to save up for and the loss of money can leave you stranded in a foreign country, especially if all your travel documents were taken too. Travel insurance is not a luxury; it is a necessity even if your company is picking up the bill.

What about medical emergencies? What do you do if you or someone in your group is taken ill? Do you have the funds to get them medical attention? Often medical facilities ask for hefty cash up front payments before they will treat foreign nationals. Medical attention can be so expensive that it is not uncommon for an insurance provider to offer as much as £2m in their travel insurance cover.

Under this area of cover it is worth mentioning some facts about what is not covered. Pre-existing medical conditions are generally excluded as they should be covered in your normal medical cover, but it is worth having a conversation with your insurance specialist about this anyway. Sports that carry high risk such as scuba diving or abseiling are also excluded. So are injuries sustained while visiting countries that are considered high risk for natural disasters or terrorism. War torn countries also fit into this category. However it is often possible to purchase separate insurance for any or all of these.

Pregnancy on the other hand is usually covered only if you travel within the first trimester, after that things may get a little tricky and cover varies from insurer to insurer so it is advisable to check all the facts before your journey. What is definitely excluded however is any injury or illness caused by either alcohol or drug use.

These are the most common risks most travellers include in their insurance. There are a host of other cover options available too such as delayed departure or even having to cancel your trip for various reason, funeral expenses, emergency evacuation, legal assistance, rental car damage excess and even personal liability cover. There is even an option available for adventure travellers or students who may travel for months at a time.

Surprisingly travel insurance can even provide you with extra bonuses and very helpful services such as concierge services and emergency travel assistance, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Your insurance should not cost you more a small percentage of the total cost of your trip. All you need to do is speak to your insurance provider and discuss which options suit up best. This way you will have peace of mind that everything your need to travel safely and confidently is covered in your travel insurance.