The press and television are currently overflowing with holiday advertising offering us our dreams in the sun, or a cruise, or to just generally get away from it all.
You have chosen your destination and your method of transport, even your travel companions, so now is the time to think very carefully about your insurance. Wherever you are planning to go, home or abroad, it is vital to consider what cover you are going to need for any eventuality.
As we get older and our bodies are more susceptible to ailments it is worth exploring all the options as, especially if we are leaving the UK, medical care is usually very expensive. So getting the right cover and including any existing medical conditions is very important.
You may well be offered insurance when you book your holiday, but unless you look very carefully and ask all the right questions you may find that what you have been sold is worthless. a claim on your travel insurance for someone over the ages of 65 can be as much as three and a half times more expensive than one made by a person under 50.
If you are under 65 than that is good news as most travel insurers tend to have one price band for travellers aged 18 to 64 – but once you hit the age of 65 then you can expect your premiums to start to rise and each insurer will have different criteria once you pass this age.
Wherever you are going and for however long you will need to make sure you have the following cover for:
1. Personal Liability
2. Emergency
3. Cancellation and curtailment
4. Delay
5. Medical
6. Pre-existing medical conditions
7. Baggage and belongings
8. Cash
9. Strikes
10. Catastrophe
“Outside the UK, medical care is expensive so getting the right cover is important“
These differ with every policy and provider, but do make sure you cover all these eventualities as you never know what is going to happen.
Who would have thought that the skies over Europe would have been blocked by the ash from a volcano in Iceland a few years ago?
It is also worth researching insurance cover for all the members of your group if you are going with other people or family. There are good deals to be had among the specialist policies for the over 60s which can also include and insure younger family members.
Taking out travel insurance is an absolutely essential part of your holiday planning and often it seems that we are more concerned with which shoes to pack than what cover we have in case our luggage goes missing.
While looking forward to a holiday is a large part of the pleasure, take a moment to think of the worse things that can go wrong and then make sure you have them covered: and then forget about them. I am sure at some time or another we have read or watched the sad and distressing tales of other people’s holiday misfortunes.
There have been several consumer television programmes made about holiday disasters and in most cases the insurance companies tried to duck out of their responsibilities.
The majority of holidays are perfectly satisfactory, but you don’t want to be caught out the one time there is a hitch. There are at least two ways you can buy travel insurance, cover for a one off trip or annual cover.
If you travel several times a year, whether abroad or in the UK, it is worth considering taking out an annual policy. Take time and plan your requirements and don’t be railroaded into taking out insurance with the holiday provider or travel agent at the time of booking – this will inevitably be more expensive for you.
You take your time in choosing car or home cover insurance, so don’t be rushed into holiday and travel cover. If you are taken ill abroad, medical fees could cost you far more than a damaged car!
To obtain a quote for your holiday, or to find out more about Travel Insurance call Mature Times Travel Insurance on 0845 070 8904 where you will speak to a UK based adviser, or visit www.maturetravelinsurance.co.uk
