Travel update: summer holiday

In our experience, Travel Insurance is one of the most emotive and disruptive classes of insurance available in the HNW market. There is a palpable sense of disappointment and heartache involved in seeing flights cancelled, learning that you are a victim of flight or accommodation booking fraud, being involved in personal accidents abroad, seeing loved ones suffer health scares which often ruin a planned getaway.

There a few steps that holidaymakers can take in advance of a holiday to reduce the chance of suffering disappointment:

Research your destination

Travelling to some countries will require vaccinations in advance of your trip to ensure you do not pick up local diseases which could ruin your holiday. Local laws and customs can be very different to our own and not being aware of them is not an accepted excuse with local authorities. Experiencing trouble with authorities in another country can be an alienating experience, therefore a little research can save you a lot of potential anguish.

FCO alerts

Ensure that you check the official advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in advance of travelling to your destination. If the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel, the vast majority of Travel policies will not provide any cover for that trip if you still opt to travel.

Correct documentation

Checking that all your documents are up-to-date can often be a last minute exercise and most Travel policies will not provide any cover if your documents do not arrive on time. It is, therefore, good practice to check that you have the correct visas far in advance of the start date of your trip and to also check that your passport has a minimum of 6 months remaining during the time that you are away.

Select your travel provider carefully

If a holiday deal looks too good to be true, it pays to be cautious.

ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) has produced its latest figures suggesting that victims of booking fraud suffered a loss of £1,380 on average each in 2018 and that the total number of victims were over 5,000.

The travel market is volatile and when some firms go out of business it is often the customer that suffers the most, especially when a firm is not ATOL (Air Travel Organisers Licence) protected. It is therefore always prudent to book holidays with reputable travel agents and tour operators to ensure you are not a victim.

Declare medical conditions

If you or any member of your family have any medical conditions when you incept the policy, call the relevant medical screening line. If any new medical conditions arise prior to the journey, you should call the medical screening line as soon as possible to ensure that the insurer is aware of any health conditions that could affect the terms and conditions of the policy. Being transparent about yours and your family’s health is essential to avoid any additional unwanted surprises in the event of a medical emergency whilst you are away.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are travelling in Europe, a free EHIC will enable you to access to medical treatment at the same cost (free of charge in some instances) as people who were born in your destination country.

Find out details on what an EHIC card is, what services it covers and who needs one, here.

You can apply for or renew your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) until 31 December 2020. Some people will also be able to get a new UK-issued EHIC which will remain valid from 1 January 2021. Click here to find out more.

Be prepared for an emergency

It might seem a little paranoid, but being prepared in the event of an emergency whilst you are away can save a lot of time, frustration and money if something does go wrong. Make sure you have copies for you and any friends or family at home of your important documents, booking information and contact information. And of course, keep your Travel insurance details with you at all times.

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