With so many things to remember before you travel, it can be hard to think of everything. insurancewith have created this travel checklist to give you a helping hand:
Two people in as many weeks have fallen from balconies whilst abroad on holiday, both are in hospital with serious injuries and neither of them had any travel insurance. The families of both have launched appeals to raise in excess of £15,000 to bring them home. Both cases are extremely sad, but the added stress and worrying about trying to find the money to get home could easily have been erased if they had bought travel insurance for their holiday. In one of the cases the couple assumed that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) would cover them and that they didn’t need travel insurance, it is not clear why travel insurance was not bought in the other case.
A recent report by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, British Behaviour Abroad highlighted the number of Britons travelling abroad without travel insurance and requesting consular assistance. The government must do more to publicise the need for appropriate travel insurance when you go abroad. Many Britons who do fall ill while abroad are facing costly treatment and repatriation bills, because they have either not taken out travel insurance, omitted to declare a pre-existing medical condition or have wrongly presumed that if they are travelling in the European Union their EHIC would fully cover them for all medical costs and repatriation. It is
left to their families and friends to raise the money to pay for medical costs and to bring them home, some taking our huge loans or bankrupting themselves in the process
There is a serious lack of information from the Government about the EHIC cards, even the name European Health Insurance Card gives the public the impression they have health insurance whilst in Europe and they naturally assume it will be the same health care they enjoy in the UK. This is not the case and the Government needs to do some sort of publicity to clarify the situation or we will> continue to hear about families saddling themselves with debt to pay for their loved ones medical and ancillary costs abroad or to bring them home.
Travel insurance is something we all grudge paying for, but is worth its weight in gold when we do need it. Buying travel insurance does not have to be prohibitively expensive even if you have a medical condition, www.insurancewith.com specialises in providing affordable travel insurance for people diagnosed with cancer and other pre-existing medical conditions.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has urged travellers to reassess their priorities when visiting family and friends abroad, they have found packing items such as teabags are considered before taking out travel insurance.
According to new research published today by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), over 12 million British nationals are planning to visit friends and family abroad this year, and the research shows:
Nearly half of young people did not take out travel insurance the last time they stayed with family and friends
39% of people visiting friends and relatives in Africa did not take out travel insurance on their last trip
When staying with friends and family in South Asia, less than half (48%) took out travel insurance
Being familiar with a destination, it may be where you spent your childhood, doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter the same problems as a tourist visiting the destination for the first time.
You should always make the same preparations visiting friends and family abroad as you would for a normal holiday. For example, don’t assume you are immune to diseases prevalent in the area you are visiting because you have spent a lot of time there, you must still get the correct inoculations or take preventative measures such as taking malaria tablets.
More importantly, the research by FCDO shows that young people are more likely to buy a present for their host than take out travel insurance. Travel insurance is not the exciting part of booking a trip abroad, but it is important, even losing your baggage could leave you out of pocket unless you are covered, and a medical emergency could bankrupt you and your host.
When purchasing travel insurance make sure you are purchasing the correct policy for your needs, if you have a medical condition you will need to buy travel insurance for existing medical conditions, and fully declare all your medical conditions and any prescription medication.
Anyone travelling within the European Union should also be aware that from 1st January 2021 rules around travel to Europe have changed, anyone travelling within the European Union should visit the Government website for up to date information on passports, EHIC, healthcare and more. We’ll update this page with more information as and when the Government release it.
Another consideration for travel insurance is if you are going to be taking part in particular activities or sports whilst on holiday, check if your travel insurance policy will cover you. Some of the very cheap policies will exclude cover for all but the most sedate activities.
Insurancewith is a pre-existing medical condition travel insurance provider, specialising in cancer travel insurance, breast cancer travel insurance and travel insurance for diabetics.
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Get a pre-existing medical condition travel insurance quote online, or for more information please contact us or give our UK customer service centre a call.
This was the headline in the Mail on Sunday this Sunday. The article quoted radio presenter Danny Baker who thinks that insurance is a waste of money and encourages people to live in a constant state of anxiety.
Everyone has an opinion about insurance and the majority are not that positive. However it is when you do need to claim on a policy that you realise its worth. Read more
