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.
It is important that when you are looking to compare holiday insurance you read the policies to ensure that the travel insurance you are looking at taking out covers you for everything you need. Insurance policies, however, can include wording and terms that are difficult to understand.
With travel insurance you want to ensure you are covered for the basic things that can go wrong should you need medical treatment when you are abroad or if any of your belongings get lost or stolen. With so much information and so many details, things can get lost in translation.
In this guide, we try to help you out by sharing some explanations of the most common travel insurance jargon which you are likely to come across.
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The Different Types of Travel Insurance Policies
Travel insurance policies typically come in two main types: Annual Multi-Trip and Single Trip. Both options offer peace of mind, but the best choice depends on how often you travel and your specific needs.
Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance
This is a type of travel insurance that will cover you for one whole year from the date the policy starts. Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance means you can go on multiple holidays in the year and be covered by this one policy, although these policies will have a limit as to how long you can be out of the country. If you are planning to take more than one or two holidays a year, this type of annual cover can save you money.
Single Trip Travel Insurance
This is a type of insurance that covers you for one trip only and is designed to cover one-off, individual trips and will insure you for the period of your specified travel dates. Single Trip Travel Insurance will cover you for a variety of things like cancellations, lost or stolen luggage, and any accidents that occur during your time away.
READ MORE: Travel Insurance Policy Types
Add-On Travel Insurance Policies
When planning a trip, it’s important to consider that standard travel insurance policies might not cover all specific needs or circumstances. That’s where add-on travel insurance policies come in. These optional extras allow you to tailor your policy to better suit your travel plans, providing additional protection and peace of mind for unique situations.
Long Stay Travel Insurance
This is a type of policy that is perfect for people planning to travel for several months or a year. With a standard single trip or an annual multi-trip policy, you are generally covered for a certain amount of days and you therefore will need long-stay travel insurance to keep you covered for a longer duration of time per trip.
Cruise Travel Insurance
This is an additional cover for cruise holidays, and it can be added to a single trip or annual multi-trip policy. The cruise travel insurance includes cover for pre-existing medical conditions as well as insures you against specific cruise-related issues that you wouldn’t normally get protection for with standard cover.
Winter Sports Travel Insurance
Winter sports travel insurance is an add-on to a policy that can cover you for medical treatment should you incur any injuries on the ski slopes or in any other winter sports setting.
Gadget Cover Travel Insurance
A phone, camera, laptop, tablet, earphones or other electronic items can be expensive and gadget cover travel insurance is a policy that will cover you if anything were to happen to them. If someone steals one of your gadgets or a tablet is dropped into a swimming pool, this insurance will cover the cost of replacing the damaged or stolen item.
Remember, in most cases, travel insurance policies will not include these additional benefits as standard, meaning you may need to 'opt-in' for them to be included.
Frequently Used Travel Insurance Terms
The following terms will be found in most (if not all) travel insurance policies.
Pre-Existing Medical Condition
This cover is for any medical condition that existed before you took out your travel insurance policy. You must notify insurers of any medical conditions that you suffer from and during the process, you will be asked about your medical history.
READ MORE: What Medical Conditions Do I Need to Declare?
Undiagnosed Condition
This refers to any pre-existing medical condition that is currently under investigation or has not yet been diagnosed by a medical professional. Unfortunately, most insurers will be unable to offer you cover for an undiagnosed condition.
You/Your/Insured Person
Directly refers to the named individuals on the travel insurance policy and does not extend to travelling companions.
Individual, Couple, Family and Group
When buying travel insurance, you will need to decide as to who you would like covered under your policy. The options available to you are as follows:
Individual
The policy will cover one insured person who is named on the policy.
Couple
A policy for two people who live at the same address.
Family
A single parent or two parents travelling together with their child or children (under 18 years) for whom they are the legal guardians and who all reside together. A maximum of 10 children can be added to the policy.
Group
A Group policy can be used for those who are travelling with friends or family, who do not live at the same address. A group can be from 2 people to a maximum of 12. The group can contain children too.
READ MORE: Travelling as a Group
Travelling Companion
An individual or a group of people, who are all booked to head away on the same trip as you, including their immediate relative(s). Travelling companion does not apply to individuals who are named on the same travel insurance policy as you.
Immediate Relative
The definition of an Immediate Relative can vary between insurance policies, however, it usually includes: Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Spouse, Civil Partner, Husband, Wife, Your Children (including adopted/fostered), Grandparent, Grandchild, In-Laws (Parent, Son/Daughter Brother/Sister), Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Nephew, Niece, Step Parents, Step Child, Step Brother/Sister, and Legal Guardians.
Make sure to take a moment to review your policy wording to determine what your insurance policy deems as an 'Immediate Relative'.
Insurer/Insurance Company
This is the entity that underwrites your travel insurance policy. This can differ from the provider of your policy.
Provider
The entity that supplies your travel insurance policy. This can be the insurer directly or can be a standalone company that supplies you with the policy but does not provide any underwriting capacity to your policy.
We/Us/Our
This can refer to your insurer/insurance company or the provider of the insurance policy.
Medical Practitioner
This can refer to a practising member of the medical profession. However, they must not be related to you, a travelling companion or someone you intend to stay with whilst on holiday. In most cases, insurance policies require an unbiased individual, to be deemed as your medical practitioner.
Geographical Limit
Some policies may have this term in their wording, and this means that your policy will cover you to travel to this country. If, for example, the geographical limit is Italy, this is the only country in which you are covered.
With regards to Annual Multi-Trip policies, the geographical limit will be a group of destinations, which are encompassed within a specified range. These are as follows:
- Europe & UK
- Worldwide (Excluding the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean)
- Worldwide
Make sure to check your policy wording to determine which countries are included within each group.
Accidental Damage
Unexpected and unintentional damage caused to an item.
Loss
Misplacing or accidentally leaving an item behind in a location where you are permanently unable to retrieve and use the item.
Theft
The stealing of an item from you, to permanently deprive you of the item and its use. This can be by using force, threat of violence or pickpocketing.
Malicious Damage
Intentional or deliberate damage to your item was caused by an individual who is not a named insured person on your travel insurance policy.
Claim
A formal request made by the insured person to their insurance company, for compensation about something covered by their travel insurance.
READ MORE: Guide to Making a Claim
Excess
An excess is the first part of an insurance claim that the insurer person will be expected to pay. In most cases, insurance providers will subtract the excess amount from the claim payment. However, some insurance companies may request the excess payment be made upfront before processing the claim.
READ MORE: Guide to Excesses
Travel Insurance Benefits
The following list of terms are specific benefits usually found within travel insurance policies.
Baggage and Belongings
When an insurance policy says it covers this it means that if your belongings are lost, damaged or stolen, either during transit or whilst you’re on holiday, you will receive money back. You should check your policy documents as there will be a limit as to how much is covered.
READ MORE: Personal Belongings Cover Explained
Repatriation
This is a term used in insurance policies which means that should you fall ill or get injured on holiday, your insurer will help cover the costs and arrange for you to return home for medical treatment.
READ MORE: What is Repatriation Cover?
Curtailment and Cancellation
These are two terms that are particularly important to read. If cancellation and curtailment are covered in your policy it means if you have had to cancel or cut short your trip (curtailment), the cost will be covered.
READ MORE: Why Do I Need Cancellation Cover?
You should read your policy to see what is covered, but most policies will cover scenarios such as cutting a holiday short because a family member has fallen ill.
READ MORE: What is Curtailment?
Delay
If your flight has been delayed by a certain amount of time (usually 12 or 24 hours), then you can choose to abandon your trip and you can claim the cost of the holiday back. Alternatively, you can wait for the delayed departure and claim back reasonable expenses that you’ve had to buy such as any food or accommodation.
Missed Departure
If you have missed a departure through no fault of your own, you may be able to claim for some additional travel or accommodation expenses. Some examples of when you will be able to claim include your vehicle breaking down, being caught in a traffic jam, or being involved in an accident.
Personal Liability Cover
Many people mistake this term for some form of legal matter. It is something much simpler than that and means that if you injure someone else during your holiday, personal liability cover will cover the damages the other party makes against you.
Catastrophe
Regarding travel insurance, this term refers to any additional accommodation or travel costs in the event of a catastrophe that your insurance policy will cover. Costs are covered if you have had to relocate during your trip or curtail it due to a natural disaster such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes to name just a few.
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Travel insurance is an essential safeguard that provides peace of mind while you explore the world. Understanding the various terms and types of protection ensures you are well-prepared for any unexpected events during your trip.
Always make sure you take the time to review your policy document carefully and ensure it meets your specific needs. With the right preparation, you can focus on enjoying your holiday, knowing that you're protected.
For more informative travel insurance articles like this, make sure to head to our guides page.
Get a quote“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!
Once you've declared all your relevant pre-existing medical conditions, we'll only show you quotes that cover the conditions you have told us about.
No, we are unable to provide cover that excludes any of your pre-existing medical conditions.