Travel Insurance Tips

Leave your travel insurance to the last minute and you will probably end up paying a lot more for your policy. And while no one likes to think that things will go wrong, unfortunately sometimes they do. You could miss your flight or ferry, lose your baggage or money, or, perhaps worst of all, become ill or injured while you are abroad.

Travel insurance can help you deal with these emergencies. For many people it enables them to continue their holidays. For those that have to curtail their holidays because of illness or injury, they have the peace of mind that they will receive the treatment they need and if necessary be brought home. It has emerged recently that the terms and conditions of many credit cards contain clauses that mean many people are not insured when travelling abroad, even though they believe they are. It's vital to be insured and it's vital that you are covered for every eventuality. Here's 10 things to consider when choosing travel insurance:

• Does the policy provide sufficient cover for any medical eventuality and repatriation? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends that the level of cover should be £1 million for Europe and £2 million for the rest of the world.
• Does the policy provide a 24-hour emergency service/assistance company?
• Does the policy cover a full refund of your costs if the trip is cancelled or cut short for any reason?
• Does the cancellation cover start immediately?
• Does the policy cover all the activities and sports that you might do? Many policies do not cover various activities, particularly "extreme sports" such as bungee jumping and sky diving.
• Does the policy cover personal liability, in the event that you accidentally cause injury or damage to others and their property and they sue you?
• Does the policy offer reimbursement of legal expenses incurred if a damage claim needs to be made?
• Does the limit for stolen, lost or damaged possessions sufficiently cover what the items are worth?
• How many children are covered under a family policy?
• If you are travelling regularly during the year, would it be cheaper to take out an annual policy rather than single-trip cover each time?