Travel News USA : Vacation & Travel Blog

Are you planning a holiday? If you are then it’s always a good idea to make sure you are properly covered in the case that anything should go wrong.

Amazingly, nearly two thirds of Brits admit to taking out no travel insurance when they go away, while eight percent say they have never bothered. This ‘it wouldn’t happen to me’ attitude puts travellers at unnecessary risk; what would you do if you lost your passport, plane tickets, or one of your party had to have special transport home for medical reasons? It’s quite easy to find cheap deals to cover your travelling group, but if you’ve never bothered before then you’ll need a few tips to get the right deal. If you’re looking to go abroad, then read these few tips to send you in the right direction when it comes to insurance.

The Type of Policy

There are quite a few fundamentally different insurance policies available. There’s single or multi trip, then specific packages such as backpacker insurance and sports insurance for holidays such as skiing. It shouldn’t be too hard to think of what you need if you’re going on a foreign beach holiday within the EU – probably single trip cover – but if you’re considering more than one trip during a twelve month period, you should probably go for multi trip. The family deals on these packages can make them cheaper in the long term. Outside the EU is likely to drive your quote higher. You should remember that due to their expensive private healthcare system, you will probably need to pay more if you’re travelling to the USA, and substantially more if you’re going on a sporting or skiing trip due to the related risks.

Any Special Circumstances?

Be careful if you or anyone in your travelling party has special circumstances – it’s possible that prices will be higher as a consequence. Special circumstances include a history of serious illness, pregnancy or being over 65 – all of which present higher risks for insurers. Specialist insurers such as SAGA may be able to help you here, but should you not be able to find a decent quote, you may be able to forego your clause about any history of illness – just remember it’ll be on your head should anything go wrong. Also if you are travelling in the EU, make sure you have an EHIC card. This will provide you with the same amount of cover as a citizen of the country you are visiting, which will mean you will get free or discounted treatment should you fall ill or be injured.

Get the Right Level for You

Have you had a policy suggested to you by your holiday booker? If you have then consider if it’s at the right level for you, and the right price; it’s possible to be oversold in insurance package and you could end up with too much cover. For instance, does anyone need £100,000,000 worth of medical cover? The answer is almost certainly not, so there’s no need to go for a quote with this if it’s more expensive than a policy with, say, £2,000,000. Furthermore, unless you’re carrying the crown jewels across the world it’s unlikely you’re going to need much more than £1,000 worth of baggage cover. As the rule of thumb, just try to think objectively of the extent of cover you’ll need – it’s probably never going to run into the millions so don’t pay for it!

For great deals on cheap travel insurance including annual travel insurance visit AA Travel Insurance and ensure that you are covered for medical expenses up to £10,000,000.