Be insured for when things go wrong

Forgetting to take out travel insurance could be a huge mistake. Credit card accident cover, home insurance, or private health cover will not be sufficient to cover you for all eventualities while you are away. Even the European Health Insurance Card will not insure you for all health-care related eventualities and it is advisable to get more extensive cover.

The real cost when things go wrong

An emergency abroad could be extremely expensive and if you are not prepared could result in your financial ruin. The following figures were taken from the Foreign and Commonwealth office website:

£35-45,000 - air ambulance from USA’s East coast £12-16,000 - air ambulance from the Canary Islands £15-20,000 - scheduled flight, stretcher and Doctor escort from Australia

The British Embassy or High Commission will not pay for this and it is not included under your European Health Insurance.

Your travel insurance should definitely cover:

- medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad - 24 hour emergency service and assistance - personal liability cover in case you’re sued for causing injury or damaging property lost and stolen possessions cover - cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover - extra cover for activities that are commonly excluded from standard policies, such as jet skiing.

The policy should be valid for the whole time that you are away

You may also wish to ensure that your policy includes: -personal accident cover -legal expenses cover -financial protection if your airline goes bankrupt before or during your trip.

Many insurers will extend cover if you ask them. If not, shop around for a specialist policy.

Make sure that you read the exclusions section of your policy as well as its benefits so that you can protect yourself against making it invalid by acting outside its protection.

Investigating travel insurance online is the easiest way to compare the different policies that are on offer. As a starting point, head to the AA Travel Insurance website, Go Travel Insurance or 1stop Travel Insurance, all of which offer comprehensive travel insurance policies.

About the Author:
For great deals on travel insurance including annual travel insurance with discounts for couples & families, visit AA Travel Insurance.