What does travel insurance cover you for?

Emergency medical treatment can be incredibly expensive abroad, so adequate cover is an essential part of any travel insurance policy. The Foreign Office recommends medical cover of £1 million for Europe and around £2 million for the rest of the world, but make sure this also includes repatriation to the UK (transport home) for medical reasons.

If you’re planning to travel while pregnant, check the terms and conditions of your policy very carefully. The average insurance company will cover a woman up to around 24 weeks, but it can vary from broker to broker.

You can protect yourself further by applying for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) – this is not an alternative to travel insurance, but provides you with the right to access state-provided healthcare abroad at a reduced cost or for free, and includes treatment of any chronic or pre-existing medical conditions that become necessary during your trip. Some insurers actually insist that you have a GHIC before they will cover you.

If you injure someone or damage their property while away, even if it’s an accident, they could make a claim against you. Good personal liability cover should insure you for up to £1 million, which should include any compensation owed to the claimant and any legal costs involved.

Occasionally something out of your control can occur, leaving you unable to travel or in a position where a holiday must be ended prematurely – for example, losing your job or a relative falling ill.

A good, basic insurance policy will usually cover you for up to £3,000 of the cost of your holiday should you not be able to travel, but ideally you should go for a policy which will cover the total cost of the trip.

Check your policy carefully, however, as there will be limitations on what you’ll be able to claim for.

Delays are the bane of a traveller’s life, but unfortunately they do happen. If you’re delayed for over 12 hours, your travel insurance should provide compensation – this can also cover items such as a night’s stay in a hotel or an evening meal. Make sure you check your insurance policy and keep all receipts to prove your spending.

If you are delayed for less time than this, there are still other avenues you can take to get some money back – read our article on flight compensation for more details.

If you miss your flight due to circumstances outside of your control, you should be able to claim compensation through your travel insurance. Scenarios can include delayed public transport, traffic accidents and vehicle breakdown. Ideally, you want a minimum of £500 cover for this.

Note, however, that you won’t be able to claim if you cannot show that you set off with sufficient time to spare. Try to collect official documents as proof: for example, police report for accidents, tickets for delays or a breakdown report from your roadside recovery provider.

One of the most frustrating scenarios in travel has to be arriving at your destination when your luggage doesn’t. Not just because you’re faced with the prospect of a holiday without your things, but also because the airline responsible will generally do its best to pass the buck.

A good travel insurance policy can offer some assistance and should offer cover between £1,500 and £2,000-worth of lost belongings. This is usually enough for most travellers, but it can fall short if you have something particularly valuable in your luggage.

Swerve this pitfall by insuring valuable items separately (such as jewellery, for instance) or leave it at home where it should be covered by your household insurance, if you have it. You can also insure your holiday cash. You can also avoid this problem by keeping valuable items with you in the cabin when you fly.

As well as loss, this part of your travel insurance policy should also cover damage and theft – again, check the small print!

This is the amount you, the policy holder, will pay out in the event of a claim. Understanding this bit is vital to ensuring you get the best deal on your travel insurance policy.

For example, if you make a claim for £1,000 and the policy excess is £200, the insurer would only pay out £800.

How the excess works can vary from policy to policy: some have a one-off excess for the whole claim, while others charge excess for different sections of a claim (for example, if you needed medical attention and claimed for the loss of personal effects, you may be charged two separate excess amounts).

In the event of an emergency, it can be reassuring to have someone to talk to. Many insurers will provide a 24/7 hotline, in the event you need to contact them.

• We’d seriously advise you ensure your holiday is ATOL-protected, but if it’s not then you should think about including cover for ‘scheduled airline failure’ or ‘end supplier failure’ insurance – this covers you in the event that an airline or other travel company fails financially, so that you’re not left completely out of pocket.
• You should check that you are covered for winter sports (skiing and snowboarding) and for other activities (trekking, sailing etc), if you know you will be participating in anything that might be deemed out-of-the-ordinary by the insurer. You are likely to need extra cover for this, which you should discuss with your broker.
• There are many other areas of cover you can add on to a policy – any additional cover is likely to raise the premium you pay, but will almost certainly save you money should you need to use it. 

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