Home Travel Guides Going on holiday? Don’t skip the insurance!

Going on holiday? Don’t skip the insurance!

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Going on holiday? Don’t skip the insurance!
travel insurance
travel insurance
travel insurance

When booking an – often costly – holiday with an agent on or offline, understandably many people decide to not shell out for the additional cost of travel insurance, assuming that everything will go to plan whilst away on their vacation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and should you suffer an accident resulting in injury whilst away, the financial repercussions can be devastating.

Should you trip and crack your hip bone during a trip to America, you’ll be forced to shell out over £22,000 in health care costs, whilst a heart attack could cost you £35,000 in Spain. A broken lower leg in the USA? $4600. Even a simple wrist injury can set you back up to £3000! Although it is true that 50+ countries have reciprocal health care arrangements with the UK (in which health care is free on the Nation Health Service), UK residents could still face a significant fee, since some elements – such as an ambulance ride – are not covered by this arrangement.

Since the majority of people on holiday do not have to take up the precautions offered by their insurance policy, protecting yourself can work out to be incredibly cheap (the dynamic of the industry is based the minority ever making a claim), especially when compared to these gargantuan health costs. Paying £25 (approx) per week away now could serve you incredibly well should the unexpected occur! If you are a regular traveller, you might wish to take out an annual insurance deal as this will save you even more money.

Those who take out travel insurance are covered for more than just hospital visits however.

Losing any part of your personal baggage at the airport or due to theft once you have arrived in your country of choice can be devastating and can completely ruin your holiday. Although a monetary payout will not completely qualm the inconvenience that such a loss can cause, knowing that the cost of replacing the contents of your bag or suitcase will be covered by your insurance company (under their personal baggage clause) will help a little.

Sometimes, holidays just have to be cancelled at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. This is not only disappointing for those involved but this situation can see one losing out on holding fees and/or deposits for accommodation as well as flight costs. Cancellation cover is often included under the umbrella of travel insurance which will protect you from such losses.

The inclusion of personal accident insurance ensures that compensation is paid to those suffering an accident which leads to a distressing event of a death or the permanent loss of a limb (around £15,000 and £25,000 respectively), beyond the initial costs of receiving care in a foreign hospital.

Public liability insurance is also often included to protect travellers against being sued whilst on vacation abroad (usually up to £1 million in legal fees but be sure to enquire) which could happen should your hired chalet become damaged during your stay (just one example).

When taking out a travel insurance policy, honesty is the right way to go. If you lie about any previous health issues or something else that could affect your claim, then your policy will be void and you will not be entitled to any monetary compensation. Never assume that you are protected by every element mentioned in this clause either – policies can vary wildly so be sure to heavily probe your agent so you know exactly what cover you are paying for.

Kat Cole has seen many incidences of failed holiday accident claims from CompensationClaims.net in the wake of the client’s failure to take out insurance. When Kat is not working in the realm of compensation claims, she enjoys live music performances and using a plethora of different social networking websites.

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