When you purchase travel insurance, you are buying a policy which covers certain things. This will differ from firm to firm but what should you expect from your standard travel insurance policy?
Should you fall ill on holiday or experience any other kind of accident, you will need to be insured for this. You will not be able to access free healthcare in every country across the globe and thus you will have to be covered for this. You can opt to ignore this possible risk but you may face a huge bill if something was to happen on your travels. The health aspect of travel insurance can be purchased separately or as part of a more comprehensive policy. It is usually cheaper to buy one policy with one insurer that covers everything you need.
You may be unfortunate enough to have your trip ruined before it even gets started. Flights can be delayed or cancelled for a number of reasons and your travel insurance should cover this as a minimum. Terrorist threats and bad weather for the aircraft are included here, as are personal illness and being called up for jury duty.
Those are the very bare essentials of your travel insurance but you may need some extras too. If you are the active sort and you are likely to be taking part in adventure activities or sport on your holiday, you will not be covered for damage sustained during this with an ordinary policy. Hiking or playing golf both count as sports and you may need to take out extra cover for this. You must read the policy carefully and make sure you are aware of what you need cover for.
Most policies specify the length of stay also so make sure you have cover that is relevant to you. If it is an extended stay then you must get extended cover.
The bare essentials are cancellation and healthcare but even these will come with limits and conditions. You need to read the policy to make sure you know exactly what is covered and take out any additional cover if necessary.
