Travel Insurance: Summer 2015’s “Must Have”

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With Summer 2015 now upon us, many of you will be looking forward to your holidays. In this excitement, the importance of buying travel insurance can sometimes be overlooked – here’s why we think it should be at the top of your “to do” list.

Using the latest information available from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), for the full year in 2013, the facts and figures are quite startling:

  • The average cost of a claim for medical expenses on a travel insurance policy in 2013 was £930, this is compared to £616 in 2004
  • More people claim for medical treatment than for either cancellation of their holiday and lost or stolen money or baggage.
  • Travel insurance helps over 4,300 people a week who need medical treatment while abroad, paying over £4 million a week to their customers.
  • One in five holidaymakers (19 per cent), roughly six million a year, risk travelling uninsured.

    • Of course, to reduce the risk then there are a number of other steps holidaymakers can take and the ABI’s top tips when travelling abroad include:

  • When travelling in Europe, make sure you have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This is not a substitute for travel insurance, but it is free and allows you to receive emergency treatment from public hospitals across Europe.
  • When taking out a policy, don’t buy a policy based on price alone – the cheapest policy may not cover all of your needs.
  • Holidays are fun and relaxing but you should act responsibly and remain vigilant. Some insurance policies might not cover dangerous or risky behaviour.
  • Check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign website which provides valuable advice to travellers.

    • We can add one more helpful hint to that list for good measure. We recommend you consider purchasing daily or annual excess car hire insurance which, when compared to the cost of buying cover upon collecting your vehicle from the car hire company could very well save you money. To find out more, please visit our travel insurance page.

    If you’ve now decided you would like to purchase travel insurance for your summer holiday, P F Spare Insurance Brokers are pleased to work with Tokio Marine Kiln, a specialist travel insurer, to provide you with the opportunity to secure a quotation and buy travel insurance instantly online. With extensive levels of cover, including acceptance for a range of medical conditions and older travellers, if you’re planning a holiday or trip away we urge you to protect yourself should something go wrong by buying annual multi-trip or single trip travel insurance now!