When it comes to arranging a holiday, it can be tempting to underestimate the importance of travel insurance. Viewed by many people as one extra hassle that involves shelling out for something that may or may not happen, travel insurance has a bad reputation amongst holiday makers. However, it is vital that you recognize the importance of travel insurance if youre booking a holiday – its the one thing that really does make a difference.
It’s not really surprising that travel insurance often gets overlooked when people are already caught up in the hustle and bustle of holiday planning, travel insurance might seem like the least pressing item on the check list. Top of the priority chart are without a doubt flights and accommodation, as you can’t really have a holiday without them, with travel insurance trailing behind and sometimes getting neglected in the stressful run up to your holiday. Often, it is also ignored because it relies on the pessimistic notion that something bad will happen to your holiday. Everyone wants to believe that their holiday will run as smoothly as planned, rendering insurance unnecessary: it’s particularly hard to give up that extra bit of cash if you don’t think it’ll pay off.
Unfortunately, this can lead to unnecessary grief for many travellers. Travel insurance may be about ifs’ and buts’, but that doesn’t mean you should underestimate its value. Ignoring travel insurance could just as easily leave you with negative ifs and buts’ that ruin your lovingly planned trip. For instance, what if’ your holiday gets unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute? And but’ certainly won’t help pay for any medical bills that hit you out of the blue. Travel insurance might mean a small cost of at the beginning of your trip, but this will pale in comparison to the help it can provide with any unexpected setbacks: it really is worth its weight in gold when it comes to terms of peace of mind.
When you take out a travel insurance policy you are covered for a variety of unfortunate setbacks, like medical expenses, cancellation, delayed departure, loss or theft of personal belongings, delayed baggage, and legal assistance. If all goes according to plan you won’t need to call on your insurance, but if anything does go awry then your travel insurance will cushion you against the impact of any undue stress or expense, ensuring that your holiday is the one you planned for.
So just what can travel insurance guarantee you in terms of peace of mind? Well, for many travellers the key bonuses of travel insurance are the cover for medical expenses incurred abroad, and for loss or theft of personal belongings. For example,AA offer up to 10 million in cover for medical expenses per insured person, which can go a long way when you really need it. They also provide up to 1,500 per insured person towards possessions and belongings – it may not bring back your favourite handbag, but itll help you to replace it and move on.
There are a variety of different options for you to choose from when you sort out your travel insurance, and rates tend to be based on a couple of factors: the type of travel you are doing, and the kind of traveller you are. The type of travel you are doing can determine how much cover you need a peaceful family holiday in a quiet villa shouldn’t require cover for the extra dangers that, for example, a skier or snowboarder might have to think about.
There are also different options available depending on the type of traveller you are. Insurance companies will provide single trip insurance from very low weekly prices, so that you can save money if you know youll only be travelling the once this year. More frequent travellers, however, may prefer annual cover which, for a set rate, will insure them for as much travel within a year as they would like.
In the end, though it may seem like too much to worry about when you’re already knee deep in the stress that comes with arranging a trip, sorting out your travel insurance will be the vital thing that makes any unforeseen hassle that might ruin your trip into a small setback, easily forgotten as you move forward and enjoy the holiday as planned.