Travel, Leisure and Recreation

Annual travel insurance policies can be deceivingly luring because you have an entire year to enjoy travel funds without having to repay the loans. Upon closer inspection, many policies reveal incomplete cover of travel needs.

Today people travel for a wide range of reasons and the travel insurance policies accessible to you have evolved to meet the more varied demand for suitable cover. In this guide we will look at which policies are suitable for certain types of travel. If you are plan to take a winter holiday you may want to consider taking out winter sports insurance.

This form of insurance provides cover for activities such as skiing and snowboarding, covering equally injuries and the loss or damage of sports tools. Fewer than 60 countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK and without adequate cover a broken leg in Switzerland could cost you around ?25,000.

Backpackers insurance is great when planning to take a backpacking holiday, as it allows up to 18 months of coverage for long term trips. For people like students who are studying or working abroad, traveling insurance can also be useful, as long as you make sure all the countries you are visiting are covered in the policy. Be sure to check if you EHIC card is valid in certain areas, such as third-world countries where coverage may be more difficult to attain.

If throwing on a backpack, sticking out your thumb or buying a train pass is your idea of a great holiday – well, there is an insurance policy for you too. Backpackers insurance will cover injuries and accidents in multiple countries. However, before purchasing one it’s important to double-check that these the countries you plan to visit are covered – many third-world ones are not. This type of policy is is also long-lasting: many last for 18 months, which is perfect for the wayward backpacker.

If your work requires you to travel abroad you should consider taking out business insurance. This type of policy can cover business equipment such as laptops and PDAs and business documents. Some policies also cover the travel expenses if you are taken ill and another member of staff has to fly out and take your place. Something that insurance provided by your employer may not.

Many standard insurance policies have an upper age limit (usually this is 65). Once you breach this limit travel insurance can turn into further expensive as you are careful a higher risk. In this situation you should seek insurance from providers who specialize in cheap travel insurance for the over 65s. Regardless of your age if you have any pre-existing medical conditions it is vital to let your insurance company know before buying the insurance. Such a condition is likely to increase the cost of your policy but it is a little fee to pay; if you fail to declare any medical issues your insurance policy is unlikely to cover you and this could result in a large bill for any medical treatment.