Your travel insurance guide

The cost of the healthcare itself is not the onlyissue. Many travellers find their travel insurance falling short whenthey need to be flown home for treatment, only to find that theirpolicy does not cover repatriation costs.The healthcare available varies dramatically from country to country,so you should take a look at the healthcare available within yourholiday destination before deciding how much cover to obtain.Within the European Union, healthcare is generally good and can besubsidised by the UK government, and so a policy of around 1,000,000GBP is advised. If you are travelling outwith Europe then a higherpolicy is advised, in the region of 2,000,000 GBP instead.

You will also need to calculate what is a reasonableamount of cover to expect for your given destination. Many countriesnow have healthcare agreements with the UK entitling you to free orsubsidised healthcare costs there, but many do not.

An exclusion to look for when searching for travelinsurance is that some insurance providers will not provide cover foremergencies that occur outwith official working hours. Once you havesecured a policy you should make sure to take a note of your insurerstelephone contact and your policy reference number and carry it withyou.It is also important to let your travel insurer know if you have anyexisting healthcare needs as this can affect your policy. If you arehaving trouble finding insurance due to your existing medical conditionthen you will find specialist insurers and brokers that cater for thistype of specialist insurance.

Another possible way to save on travel insurance isto examine any private health plans you may have, as some of thesepolicies may already insure you for foreign travel. Alternatively youcould take a look at your credit card policy, as some cards includeoverseas health insurance also.

Those who have any current medical conditions shouldalso always let their insurer know about this before purchasing apolicy. If you do not declare an existing condition, then your covermay be null and void when you come to need it.

Before purchasing any travel insurance, it is advisable to check anyexisting medical policies or credit card policies, as both can includesome level of travel health insurance too.

An exclusion to look for when searching for travelinsurance is that some insurance providers will not provide cover foremergencies that occur outwith official working hours. Once you havesecured a policy you should make sure to take a note of your insurerstelephone contact and your policy reference number and carry it withyou.It is also important to let your travel insurer know if you have anyexisting healthcare needs as this can affect your policy. If you arehaving trouble finding insurance due to your existing medical conditionthen you will find specialist insurers and brokers that cater for thistype of specialist insurance.

Another possible way to save on travel insurance isto examine any private health plans you may have, as some of thesepolicies may already insure you for foreign travel. Alternatively youcould take a look at your credit card policy, as some cards includeoverseas health insurance also.

Those who have any current medical conditions shouldalso always let their insurer know about this before purchasing apolicy. If you do not declare an existing condition, then your covermay be null and void when you come to need it.

Before purchasing any travel insurance, it is advisable to check anyexisting medical policies or credit card policies, as both can includesome level of travel health insurance too.