Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.
Travelling is an activity many of us enjoy and choose to do in our free time to rest and relax, see family, or enjoy warmer climes. However, there are elements of planning a holiday that need to be thought about carefully and planned well in advance to avoid stress and unnecessary anxiety. Booking accommodation, planning activities, prepping medication, and booking travel insurance should all be on your to-do list.
If you have a medical condition and worry about your travel insurance, then Medical Travel Compared can help you find travel insurance for a range of medical conditions, including annual travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions or single-trip for one-off holidays.
If you’re looking at getting medical travel insurance, then there are some crucial things you should be looking for that make a good travel insurance policy, and we explain these in more detail in this article.
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What Does a Good Travel Insurance Policy Typically Include?
When selecting a travel insurance policy, it's essential to scrutinise its features to ensure comprehensive protection throughout your journey. A good policy will offer more than basic protection, addressing various potential issues you might encounter while travelling.
Understanding these key elements can provide peace of mind, allowing you to focus on enjoying your trip, knowing you are well-protected against the unexpected. In this section, we will delve into the critical components that constitute a robust travel insurance policy, ensuring you are equipped with the knowledge to make an informed decision.
READ MORE: Travel Insurance Policy Types and Benefits
Cancellation and Curtailment
As a basic, you want to ensure that your travel insurance policy includes cancellation or curtailment. There may be a plethora of reasons that this part of the policy is needed, a member of the travelling party may not be able to travel due to a medical condition, airlines or travel may be cancelled or accommodation might be cancelled.
Whatever the reason, if you have cancellation within your policy, you have peace of mind that you will get your travel and accommodation costs back that you can’t claim back from the original booking companies.
READ MORE: Guide to Cancellation
All the policies shown on the Medical Travel Compared website will offer refunds for the following reasons within their cancellation and curtailment, and it is worth checking you are covered for these things when choosing a policy:
- Death, serious injury or illness to yourself, somebody who you’re relying on to travel, an immediate member of your family or somebody who you will be staying with abroad.
- If your accommodation is cancelled.
- Cover for natural disasters (this is included in some policies but not all)
READ MORE: What is Curtailment?
Personal Accident
As with any activity or holiday, you can’t predict the future, and accidents happen, even when you’re least expecting them. So, when choosing a travel insurance policy, you want to make sure that personal accidents are covered.
Personal accident cover will make sure you are protected if you or a member of your travelling party should have to pay out due to an accident or emergency. This will include the likes of medical and hospital expenses.
READ MORE: Your Guide to Handling Holiday Illness & Accidents
Medical & Repatriation Expenses
For those with medical conditions, this might be one of the most important things to make sure is included within your policy and that is medical and repatriation expense cost should you need it whilst you’re away.
When choosing your policy, you will have been asked questions about your medical conditions to make sure you are offered the correct policy and any additional needs are covered, but the basics will be covered within medical and repatriation expenses. This will cover you should you need any emergency assistance or medical repatriation back to the UK whilst you’re abroad.
READ MORE: Repatriation Cover Explained
Baggage/Belongings Loss
The last thing you want to realise when you arrive at your holiday destination is that you’ve lost your luggage or it has been misplaced, but these things happen, so making sure you are covered within your policy is essential.
You want to make sure that your travel insurance policy covers you should you find yourself without your luggage and most policies will include cover for personal possessions (as well as cash) if lost, damaged or stolen.
It is worth noting that most policies will offer gadget cover as an addition and that this isn’t included in the basic baggage and belonging cover.
READ MORE: Personal Belongings Cover
Mobility Aids
If you rely on a mobility aid, the thought of it getting damaged or lost whilst you’re enjoying a holiday isn’t something worth thinking about. As part of many of the policies on Medical Travel Compared, your mobility aids such as walking sticks, walking frames and mobility scooters are covered should they be lost, damaged or stolen.
READ MORE: Hiring a Mobility Scooter for Your Holiday
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Theft
You can’t control what people around you are doing, so making sure you have protection against theft on your holiday insurance policy is wise. This type of cover ensures that if any of your belongings are stolen while you're travelling, especially from your luggage, you will be reimbursed. It provides peace of mind knowing that valuables like electronics, clothing, or important documents are protected.
With theft protection included in your travel insurance policy, you can focus on enjoying your trip, knowing that unexpected losses won't ruin your experience. Always check the specifics of your policy to understand what items are covered and any potential claim limits.
Optional Extras
If you’re planning a specialised trip, such as a cruise or a skiing holiday, it's important to consider some optional extras for your insurance policy. These additions can provide coverage for unique situations you might encounter. By tailoring your insurance to fit the specific needs of your trip, you can travel with peace of mind, knowing you're prepared for all eventualities.
Cruise Cover
Cruise travel insurance is designed specifically for those embarking on a cruise, offering protection against a variety of cruise-related issues. Whether you're facing itinerary changes, missed port departures, or unexpected medical emergencies while at sea, this insurance ensures that you're prepared for the unexpected.
It provides peace of mind, allowing you to fully enjoy your journey on the open waters without worrying about potential disruptions.
READ MORE: What is Cruise Travel Insurance?
Winter Sports Cover
Winter sports like skiing and snowboarding come with their own set of high risks, making it essential to get additional insurance protection. This extra cover helps protect you against potential incidents, accidents, and injuries that could occur during your snowy getaway.
Standard travel insurance might not be sufficient for these activities, so if you're planning a snow-capped holiday, it's wise to consider looking into specialised winter sports cover. This ensures peace of mind, allowing you to fully enjoy your time on the slopes without worrying about unexpected mishaps.
READ MORE: What is Winter Sports Cover?
Gadget Cover
If you are planning to travel with valuable gadgets, it is wise to consider adding gadget cover to your insurance policy. This protection can provide peace of mind by protecting your devices against loss, theft, or damage while you're on the move. Gadget cover typically includes protection for a range of electronic devices, such as:
- Mobile Phone (smartphone/iPhone)
- Laptop
- iPad/Tablet
- Digital Camera/Camera Lenses
- iPod/MP3 Player
- Games Console
- Kindle/e-reader
- Sat Nav
- DVD Player
- Bluetooth Headset
- Headphones/Earphones
READ MORE: What is Gadget Cover?
Travel insurance is a crucial aspect of planning your trip, providing not only financial protection but also peace of mind. Whether embarking on a relaxing holiday, an adventurous winter sports getaway, or a cruise, ensuring you have the right cover is essential.
Consider the specific needs of your journey, such as personal accident cover, medical and repatriation expenses, theft protection, and specialised cover for gadgets or unique trips like cruises or skiing. By thoroughly understanding and tailoring your travel insurance to match your trip, you can focus on creating wonderful memories with the assurance that you're protected against the unforeseen.
For more articles like this, make sure you explore our blog and guides.
Get a quoteSingle Trip insurance is for one-off, individual trips and will cover your specified travel dates. This is usually up to 45 days; however, some insurance providers can cover up to 94 days. If you’re not a frequent traveller, single trip cover is a great option and will likely be cheaper than an annual multi-trip cover.
If you travel 2 or more times a year, annual trip cover may very well save you money. The maximum duration of any trip will always be specified and will vary by provider. But don't worry, when you get a quote, we'll ask you what your maximum trip length is and only show you quotes that match!
“Pre-existing” refers to any medical condition for which medical advice, diagnosis, care, or treatment was recommended or received before applying for a travel insurance policy. For some conditions, we'll need to know if they have ever been present, whilst, for others, we need to know if they occurred within a certain period
We'll ask you a series of questions about the medical history for you and any travellers on your quote. If you answer yes to any of these, you will need to tell us more about that condition. This could be a condition that a traveller has now or has had in the past. This makes it easy to know what you need to disclose.
If you are not sure what conditions you need to declare, we have online support available to help you 24/7!
You can send your question to our team, or visit our Cover Questions help centre.