10 Reasons Why You Need Travel Insurance For Travelling
We all need travel insurance for travelling! Check out 10 reasons why, and top travel insurance tips to make sure you are adequately insured.
Despite travel insurance cover being such a tiny part of the overall holiday cost, it amazes me that some people still travel without it. We hear about flight cancellations and holiday accidents all the time, yet we don’t believe it will happen to us. The reality is, if you are travelling abroad, you need travel insurance!
Travel insurance is so affordable now – an annual multi-trip policy from Multitrip.com costs from just €19.95*, (based on online European Essential 1 year cover for 1 adult under 66 years holding Private Health Insurance with medical cover abroad). Travel insurance is the cheapest part of the holiday, so why travel without it?
If you still need convincing, I’ve teamed up with Ireland’s favourite travel insurance provider, Multitrip.com to share 10 reasons why you need travel insurance, and my top tips to make sure you are adequately insured.
Multitrip.com is a trading name of Cover-More Blue Insurance Services Limited who are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. They have an Irish call centre so you can contact them easily by phone 0818 444 444 , or book easily via their website.
10 Reasons Why You Need Travel Insurance For Travelling
1. Cancellation
The excitement of planning a holiday can be almost as rewarding as actually travelling. We look forward to our break away and don’t even want to contemplate that we will have to cancel.
However, if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that you never know what life has in store. If you, or a family member get sick, or can’t travel for a particular reason, its great to know that you won’t lose all your hard earned money, if you have to cancel your holiday.
Top travel insurance tips:
- Take out cover at the time you book your holiday, to ensure you are fully covered for cancellation. Cover will be effective seven days after it is added to your policy.
- Check that the cancellation cover is adequate and relative to your holiday cost. For instance Multitrip’s Essential policy covers you for cancellation up to a holiday cost of €1,200 per person, however, the Premier Plus policy will cover for €10,000 per person.
2. Curtailment or extension of your holiday
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position where you have to return home from your holiday early, due to an unforeseen illness, injury, or bereavement, your travel insurance policy could cover you for reasonable additional travel expenses incurred to return home.
If you need to extend your stay for medical or unforeseen circumstances, your insurance could also cover reasonable accommodation and travel expenses.
3. Medical Expenses
Despite what you may think the EHIC – European Health Insurance Card, is not adequate travel insurance. It will only cover you for medical expenses in a public hospital in European countries. If travelling outside Europe the EHIC is of no use. In certain circumstances there may not be a a public hospital close by and it may be necessary to visit a private clinic.
When travelling overseas you need travel insurance for medical expenses in a private hospital and for air ambulance, should you not be able to fly home on a commercial flight. Multitrip.com travel insurance covers you for emergency medical and other expenses for up to €20 million across all of their policies.
Always Remember:
If you have a pre-existing illness, you must disclose this to the insurance company, so you’ll be covered for any other medical emergencies.
4. Delayed or lost baggage
Unfortunately lost luggage is no longer a rarity. Delayed or lost luggage is now something that you need to consider when travelling abroad. By having delayed or lost baggage coverage in your policy, you will be able to claim for the expenses you incur (up to the limit stated) until your bag is delivered to you.
I have lots of top tips on how to prevent lost luggage in this post:
Read: How to prevent lost luggage when travelling.
5. Theft or lost documents
Pickpockets are a common threat in many of the world’s major cities, and its not beyond the realms of possibility that you could loose items and valuable documents too. It is important to have travel insurance cover that covers you in the event of lost, stolen or damaged personal money and travel documents.
Top travel insurance tips:
- Expensive items need to be covered on your household insurance policy, so make sure to have these in a safe place at all times.
- If you are unlucky to have items stolen, make sure you call the police – travel Insurance companies rarely refund expenses without an official police report.
- Photocopy or upload copies of all passports and important documents before you leave.
Read: My holiday checklist – 20 things to do before you go
6. Travel Disruption
With the increasing number of air traffic control strikes, as well as adverse weather conditions due to climate change, travel disruption cover is something you should consider adding to your existing travel insurance policy.
You will be covered for cancellation or curtailment charges should the Department of Foreign Affairs or World Health Organisation advise against travel to the country or specific area you are travelling to, as well as up to €1,000 in irrecoverable accommodation and travel costs because of adverse weather or strike action.
Top travel insurance tip:
Cover will only be effective seven days after it is added to your policy, so it is important to upgrade/book your policy as soon as possible to be covered for the above instances.
7. Hazardous activities and access to specific countries
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If you are skiing or engaging in hazardous activities such as paragliding or jetskiing, it goes without saying that you must have adequate travel insurance. In most cases an additional supplement will apply, however it is important to check your policy to make sure that the activity you wish to partake in is covered.
There are some activities such as boat hire, where travel insurance is compulsory, and certain countries will not allow entry if you don’t have adequate insurance – Qatar and Argentina are examples of this.
8. Personal Liability
When staying in hotels, Airbnb’s, or hostels it is important to have personal liability cover in case you damage the property, and/or someone gets injured and they make a claim against you.
Top travel insurance tip: Review the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy carefully.
9. Missed departure
Missed departure cover will protect you (up to the stated limit) if you miss your flight because of reasons out of your control, such as an accident, breakdown of the vehicle you are travelling in or adverse weather conditions.
10. Peace of mind
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All of the above are great reasons why we need travel insurance, but for me the most important one of all is peace of mind. Holidays are great to plan, fun to go on and hopefully will be full of lifelong memories. Enjoy a stress-free trip knowing you have the right holiday insurance in place.
This post was sponsored by Multitrip.com. At the time of issue Multitrip.com is offering annual multi trip cover from €19.95* per person, based on European Essential 1 year cover for 1 adult under 66 years holding Private Health Insurance with medical cover abroad.
While every effort was made to ensure accuracy, policy conditions and requirements are subject to change. Please check your travel insurance policy for specific cover.
