What type of travel insurance do I need?
There are several types of holiday insurance, each designed to suit a different type of trip. They include:
- Backpacker travel insurance: If you’re travelling through multiple countries on a longer trip, this is likely to be the cover you need. These policies cover you for between 1 and 18 months and may be ideal for gap year travel.
- Business travel insurance: This is an add-on to a standard travel insurance policy. It covers your laptop and other business equipment while abroad, as well as any company money that’s lost or stolen.
- Single trip travel insurance: This is useful if you’re planning a short city break or your annual family holiday as it covers you for 1 trip to a single destination. These policies tend not to cover pre-existing medical conditions or ski cover as standard.
- Annual multi-trip travel insurance: This might work out more cost-effective for people who make multiple trips in a 12-month period, both in the UK and abroad. It usually covers you for an unlimited number of trips in a year. Most travel insurance companies limit each trip to 31 days. But some companies might let you extend this to 60 or even 90 days, so it’s worth checking before buying.
What additional cover can I get?
When you're getting a quote, you can choose to add on extra cover for:
- Winter sports if you plan to ski or snowboard while away: Standard travel insurance doesn't normally cover this as there are additional risks involved. But it could cover you if the piste is closed due to bad weather or lack of snow, for example.
- Gadgets: You could get up to £1,000 of cover towards the cost of replacing your laptop, phone and other gadgets if they're lost, stolen or damaged while on holiday.
- Cruises: With cruise cover included, you should also be insured for cabin confinement, missed ports, emergency transport to hospital and unused excursions.
- Business: Offers extra cover that’s specifically suited for business trips. It covers things like laptops, business phones, alternative travel arrangements, and golf clubs.
Depending on the type of holiday you’re planning and who you get your insurance with, you might also be able to include:
- Water sports like scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing and swimming: Some policies already cover this. But for more adventurous water sports like jet skiing, extra cover could help with medical expenses and damage to your equipment.
- Passports: Passport cover usually pays the cost of a replacement passport if yours is lost or stolen. If not, you might be able to claim for the cost of getting an emergency travel document to get you to your destination.
- Travel disruption: Cover for travel disruption protects you if your holiday is delayed or cut short. This add-on might also cover transport and accommodation costs while your trip is delayed.
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Hazardous activities like hot air ballooning: Some insurers offer this cover as an add-on, but certain high-risk activities might be excluded altogether. Check the policy wording when looking at your quote so you know exactly what activities are covered.
- Delays: This add-on helps with transport and accommodation if your flight is delayed and you’re unable to get delayed flight compensation.
- Repatriation, also known as return travel to your home country: This covers you if you fall ill on holiday and need to be flown home for treatment. Check the level of cover you get for this, as some providers might let you enhance how much you’re covered for.
- Personal liability: This protects you in case you injure someone else or damage someone else’s property while on holiday. The amount of cover you get is likely to vary between providers, so compare how much cover you get for the price.
What’s not covered with travel insurance?
There might be some exclusions attached to your policy, but it depends on the insurer. Some examples of what standard travel insurance policy might not cover include:
- Travelling against FCDO advice.
- Failure to declare any pre-existing medical conditions. If you have a medical condition, you should get a pre-existing medical quote to make sure you're covered on your trip.
- Incidents involving alcohol or drugs.
- Waiting too long to report an incident. You need to declare any lost or stolen personal possessions usually within 24 hours. But this should be detailed in the policy.
This is why it's important to answer questions honestly when getting a travel insurance quote or making a claim. If you don’t, your claim could be void or your policy cancelled, and you’d be left without protection.
When travelling, always follow the latest government advice, declare any incidents as soon as possible and enjoy yourself.
Types of travel insurance
Need more help?
How do I make a claim on my travel insurance?
Get in touch with your travel insurance provider as soon as possible. If you have your policy details to hand, you could contact them while you’re still on holiday. They might send you a claim form, or ask you questions over the phone. They should be able to guide you through their process from there.
Make sure you keep any relevant documents to hand:
- Receipts
- Photographs
- Correspondence
- Crime reference number, if the police were involved
Has Covid-19 affected travel insurance
Yes it has. Even though most countries don’t require PCR tests anymore, Covid-19 is still something that you have to consider when travelling, especially the cover you get as part of your holiday insurance. Since the pandemic, policies that include Covid-19 cover protect you against things including:
- Cancellation cover due to contracting Covid prior to your trip
- Repatriation if you’re unwell due to Covid-19 while you’re away
- Accommodation or travel costs if you need to stay longer or isolate as a result of Covid
- Medical expenses and emergencies as a result of contracting Covid or treatment required
Covid-19 is now something that has to be considered when travelling. If you travel against FCDO advice, any travel insurance policy you have is void and you won’t be covered if you need to make a claim.
The level of cover you get varies depending on the policy, so it’s important to read the policy wording before you buy.
What if I have 2 travel insurance policies?
Accidentally having 2 travel insurance policies can cause problems if you need to claim, as you might find each policy only pays a portion of the claim. This comes with the admin headache of making 2 separate claims.
Do I still need travel insurance if my holiday is ATOL protected?
While ATOL protection can help if your airline goes bust, that’s the only scenario it covers. Travel insurance protects you in many other ways.
Do I need travel insurance if I have an EHIC or GHIC?
A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives you access to state-level healthcare in the EU. With the card, you can get the medical care at the same price a citizen pays. This means it might be free, if the country you’re visiting has free healthcare, or it might come at a cost.
The EHIC or GHIC aren’t replacements for travel insurance, though. If you want cover for replacing stolen property or the use of emergency services such as mountain rescue, you need a valid travel insurance policy. Travel insurance can also help cover the cost of any medical fees that aren't covered by the EHIC or GHIC that you are responsible for.
Coronavirus FAQs
What type of travel insurance covers coronavirus?
Most travel insurance policies should cover your medical expenses if you get coronavirus while on holiday. But it’s best to check the policy wording as some could exclude certain illnesses as standard.
If you buy your policy when the FCDO advises against all non-essential travel to your destination, you won’t be covered by your policy. If you bought your insurance policy a few weeks or months ago and the advice on travel to the destination changes, you might still be covered. Check with your insurer directly to get up-to-date information.
Do I need travel insurance for the UK?
We recommend that you get a travel insurance policy before you go anywhere, even if you don’t leave the UK for your holiday. A UK travel insurance policy usually covers you for all the things you’d be covered for when abroad, including:
- Cancelled accommodation meaning that if you have to change your UK travel plans, your UK travel insurance policy should be able to help you recover your accommodation costs. However, if you’re in lockdown and plan to travel abroad, then you won’t be covered by your policy.
- Cancelled travel. If you’re travelling in the UK and your flight, train or bus gets cancelled, then your travel insurance policy could cover it.
- Luggage cover means you’re insured if your luggage goes missing, gets damaged, or is stolen. Any valuables you have in your luggage should also be covered.
Have travel insurance companies changed their policies to exclude cover for coronavirus or other similar infections?
Check your policy wording. Most travel insurance companies should provide cover for medical expenses if you fall ill due Covid-19 while on holiday.
But they might have exclusions in place around cancellations. So, if you have to cancel your holiday because of coronavirus, you might not be covered.
When you get a quote with us you can see whether coronavirus is covered on the prices page. If the insurer does offer cover then you’ll be able to view the terms & conditions on their website so you can check them before you buy.
Will my insurance cover me if I get coronavirus while I’m abroad?
If you need emergency medical attention while you’re abroad, you could be covered. It’s best to check your policy wording. You won’t be covered if you ignore travel advice from the FCDO, World Health Organisation (WHO), any local government or authority.
Will I be covered if I go to hospital for an illness unrelated to coronavirus, but I contract coronavirus when I’m in hospital?
You should be covered if you’re following the advice from the FCDO or other relevant authority. If you’re travelling against their advice, then there’s a chance you won’t be covered. To make absolutely sure, you should always check with your provider.
If I need to be tested for coronavirus at my holiday destination, will my insurance cover it?
Most travel insurance policies don’t cover the cost of getting tested or getting test results for coronavirus. Some policies might come with a discount on tests, so it’s worth checking with the provider.
What our travel insurance expert says
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