Travel Insurance
Whether travelling abroad or within the UK, travel insurance covers you for any unexpected events during or before your holiday. According to Money Supermarket, 1 in 4 individuals avoid travel insurance because they don’t think they are travelling far enough to warrant it. No matter where you are travelling, items get lost, and accidents can happen.
When taking out travel insurance, it’s essential to disclose any existing medical conditions. And discuss any activities you have planned during your holiday, such as scuba diving, trekking etc.
A comprehensive insurer should always cover you for:
- Pre-existing medical conditions
- Medical emergencies
- Repatriation
All holidays should be relaxing, regardless of where you go, so we encourage everyone to take out travel insurance. In the event of illness or theft, travel insurance makes sure you’re covered and well taken care of.
Travel Disruption
Travel disruption, cancelled accommodation, or cancelled excursions have been a reality for us during the past year. Suppose you’ve opted to book your holiday directly, not through a travel agent/packaged holiday provider. In that case, you should consider adding travel disruption cover to your insurance.
A package holiday is a pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following under one inclusive price and provides additional protection and cover from your tour operator:
- Transport
- Accommodation
- Other tourist services such as car hire or airport parking
Travel disruption cover allows you to claim for unexpected events, such as delays, missed departures, enforced stay, unused travel, etc.
Without travel disruption cover, you could spend more money than planned.
Passports
Before travelling, it’s essential to check the expiry date on your passport. When travelling to the EU, the UK government recommends you have six months remaining on your passport on your arrival in any EU country.
If you need to renew your passport, please allow at least 6 weeks when ordering to ensure you have it in time before going abroad.
Travel insurance will not cover you if you cannot travel due to an invalid or expired passport.
For further information regarding passports, please click here: Apply online for a UK passport – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Global Health Insurance Card
After Brexit, the UK has a new health card agreement with the EU and Switzerland. The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost or free.
Your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is valid until its expiry date; once it expires, you will need to replace it with a GHIC. Learn more about GHIC here
You can apply for a GHIC by visiting the NHS website; please click here.
Need Advice?
Speak to our personal insurance team today to discuss your travel insurance. Call us on 02920 853759 or email rachel.thomas@thomas-carroll.co.uk.
