What (cheap flights to beijing) to look for in travel insurance

September 3rd, 2009 admin Posted in travel |

By Tonie Lauchaire

If you are considering taking out a travel insurance policy, there are several things to bear in mind. By looking at your requirements and specific needs you can go a long way towards securing a better deal than you might have.

Firstly, it is strongly recommended that you buy travel insurance online. It is a little known fact that while a holiday company may be able to offer you insurance at the time you get the holiday as a package, such policies often work out a lot more expensive and do not cover you for very much. Profit margins on such policies are quite high, but why be ripped off?

The online travel insurance market has boomed in recent years and with good reason. It is so much easier to search for and compare quotes on the internet, with the click of a mouse. To this end, several excellent price comparison and portal sites have been set up enabling you to find the best deal.

Looking at the actual policy itself, you should be certain as to whether it actually covers you for those activities to be undertaken while on holiday. This sounds a little obvious, but with some more basic policies winter sports cover is not included as part of the main policy. This has the effect that if you were to be involved in a skiing accident, the high cost of being airlifted and medically repatriated would fall wholly on you ? there would be no chance to claim anything back. If your skis or snowboard were lost, damaged or stolen, you might also not be able to claim for it.

Similarly, some policies do not always cover ‘adventurous sports’ such as boating or even snorkelling, and subsequently it is highly advisable to read the detail in the small print. You would be best trading up to a higher costing policy. Just going for the cheapest option is not necessarily the best way of going about it.

One major thing to look for in a travel insurance policy is age related cover. Many insurance companies are reluctant to insure those over the age of 65 and as such, standard insurance policies would not cover you. A benefit of taking out a tailored travel insurance policy for those over the age of 65 is that medical benefits are massively expanded, from the usual ?1m or ?2m to ?10m for example, as well as extra curtailment and cancellation cover. This would come in very handy.

If you are travelling with your family, it is advised that if possible you take out cover for all the family, and a family travel insurance policy makes a whole lot more sense than buying individual policies not least from the cost savings. This is especially so if older children might then be travelling independently from you further on in the year ? take out an annual policy and ensure that they are written in to it, thus saving further expense of having to buy additional policies when they travel.

Lastly, you may want to look at your existing home insurance policy in relation to a travel insurance policy ? while you could potentially claim for lost or stolen belongings on your home insurance, this may have the effect of increasing premiums significantly the following year. Therefore check that the travel insurance policy contains cover for personal effects as it will definitely be cheaper to claim on that.

For great deals on cheap travel insurance visit Go Travel Insurance.

Shopping for travel insurance

By Alethia Camidge

Getting not only the cheapest but also the best travel insurance, or rather a suitable combination of the two, isn’t always easy. There are literally hundreds of different policies on the market all vying for the attention of potential customers. The claims, discounts and bonuses offered can all make it difficult to really know what is on offer.

But there are ways to cut through the talk and really find out which policies might suit you. Here are some ways to help you make a good decision that you won’t regret:

1. Price-comparison sites like moneysavingexpert.com are very useful tools for summing up the market quickly, listing the comapnies along with their prices. However, it must be pointed out that these sites aren’t comprehensive and are not always completely impartial. Not every company will be listed for various reasons, and those that are will be sorted by price but not by quality. These websites are a very useful tool but don’t let them choose for you.

2. Something that can take your search to the next level is a consumer watchdog. These companies are usually impartial and they research and assess products, reporting the findings to consumers. This way the imperfections of a policy can be identified, and good products be discovered.

3. Reading the policy documentation to check that it is alright for you is the final part of the process. It is also the most important part of the whole process. It is vital that you check whether or not a particular policy has all the cover you require. The details, specifically, of what is included, what is exempt, and what the conditions are, are all written down here. Don’t hesitate to find another policy if even one thing is not to your satisfaction.

Methods like these are agreat help when shopping for insurance. But always remember that you alone are responsible for getting it right. Make sure everything is in order and you won’t be let down. Don’t be caught out abroad when an inadequate policy leaves you in a tricky situation.

Don’t waste time visiting lots of websites for your travel insurance comparison, get a great deal with QuoteBanana.co.uk

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