Compare Travel Insurance

When you go on holiday protecting yourself with comprehensive travel Insurance is almost as essential as having a valid passport, if not more so as the consequences of travelling uninsured have the potential to be a lot more expensive.

Once you leave the UK you’re no longer protected by the reassurance a free health service and therefore face the very real possibility that an accident or illness overseas could see you paying out thousands of pounds for treatment. However, despite this many Brits still jet off on their holidays every year without arranging cover.

In the past travel insurance has had a bit of a reputation for being expensive and not particularly comprehensive, however this was largely down to the travel agents that hiked the price of basic cover and sold it as an add-on when excited holiday makers were planning their trip away.

This is definitely no longer the case and by taking a couple of minutes to shop around for a policy that provides you with value for money you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’re protected financially wherever you travel.

Annual or single cover?

The first thing you’ll need to decide on when looking for travel insurance is whether you want to take out a single trip or annual policy. A good rule to follow is that if you travel abroad more than twice a year, plan to take part in winter sports or are visiting America, you’re better off opting for an annual policy as the overall cost will be cheaper than insuring each individual holiday you take.

Single trip insurance is designed to provide you with cover for a specific holiday and the cost will depend on both your destination and the length of time you are away for.

Annual policies are designed to protect you overseas for a year from their start date regardless of however many times you travel abroad and this makes them a really flexible option.

Some insurers will give you the choice of taking out either European or Worldwide annual cover.  If you only plan to venture within Europe during your policy year European annual cover is likely to be a more economical option for you so this is definitely something worth looking into.

If you plan to take any longer holidays you should also check whether an insurer places a restriction on the number of days you can spend abroad on any one trip. If you plan to be away for a number of months at any one time you may find that ‘backpacker’ or ‘gap year’ insurance options provide more suitable cover for your travel requirements.

Additionally, when setting up your annual travel insurance it’s important to choose your policy start date carefully. While you may be tempted to have it start on the first day of a holiday it’s actually safer to arrange it to begin on the day that you book your first trip as this way you’re fully protected against the cost of cancellation.

Benefits to look for

Once you decide whether annual or single trip insurance will be more suited to your travel arrangements it’s then time to start comparing the individual policies available. To make this a little easier you should start by looking at the different features offered including:

• Medical cover - This is one of the most essential components of travel insurance cover and while it can be tempting to pay a little extra for bonus cover in almost all circumstances £2million will be sufficient.
  
   
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