Holiday security

That's a serious amount of people going abroad every year and taking unnecessary risks! Travel insurance isn't expensive, and it can give you peace of mind when you're away; safe in the knowledge that if something did go wrong (fingers crossed it won't) then you'd be covered. If yourself or one of your group fell ill while you're away then it's not ideal, but consider how you'd feel if you had to fit the bill! Travel insurance shouldn't be considered as an added extra, rather it's an essential to your trip that you shouldn't do without. If you're on the lookout for travel insurance, then take a read of this article to find out more.

Check What Cover You Already Have
Before you wade into the travel insurance market and spend time finding the right package for you, make sure you check bank accounts and credit cards to see if they already offer you cover. Many credit card and bank account providers have benefits for ‘premier' customers, and it's possible that you may already be one of these and therefore already have a policy. If you're not sure, then call your bank to find out what they can offer. Paying a monthly fee for having a premium account is unlikely to be worth it in the long run, but it's possible you could upgrade for free if you're a particularly good customer and the bank wants to give you incentive to stay on. If you can get one of these deals, then great, but also make sure your holiday destination is covered.

Special Clauses
Anyone with special conditions can get quoted ludicrously high amounts from most traditional insurers. People with histories of serious illness or disability, and those who are pregnant or over sixty-five can all find themselves struggling to justify the cover price. Make sure you have an EHIC card (when travelling within Europe) and check out specialist insurers that may be able to give you a better deal. If you find the cover to still be unaffordable, then the price may drop if you ask the insurer to exclude pre-existing conditions; though it's then your call on the risks of going abroad with limited cover. Also, the EHIC card won't cover you for everything. In fact, it will only give you as much medical cover as a local citizen in your destination country - it won't cover you for luggage loss or plane ticket cancellation.

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!