Why Travel Insurance is so Important

According to Abta, the Association of British Travel Agents, 20% of British tourists do not take out travel insurance to cover themselves and their families whilst on holiday overseas. Many holidaymakers believe it is the Foreign Office’s duty to repatriate British nationals and pay for overseas hospital bills, plus 17% of respondents to the Abta survey believe the European Health Insurance Card is enough to cover the costs of health treatment on holiday in Europe.

Of course the Foreign Office can step in in certain cases and the European Health Insurance Card does offer cover for basic state health care and emergency treatment. But you cannot rely on either method to get you home safe and sound in your time of need. If you fail to buy travel insurance for your next holiday, you are putting your whole family at risk.

The benefits of travel insurance definitely outweigh the costs, quite literally. For example, Santander Travel Insurance is just £29.10 for a 10-day European family holiday. If you include winter sports cover it rises to £58.20. But, this is a lot cheaper than the thousands of pounds you could end up having to pay yourself if you need to be air-lifted off the mountain because you have broken your leg or neck.

There are various travel insurance options available to you. However, there are two broad types: single and annual multi-trip cover.

As the name suggests, single trip cover offers insurance for one trip. You buy it at the same time as you purchase your holiday to coincide with your departure and arrival dates. If you take just one trip per year that’s no longer than two-three weeks, this is likely to be your cheapest option.

However, if you take more than one trip per year or you like to enjoy extended holidays of 30-40 days, an annual, multi-trip policy is more cost effective. You will be covered for an entire year for multiple trips, so long as no single trip extends either 30 or 40 days depending on your insurer’s specifications.

If you are planning on skiing or snowboarding, you will need to get winter sports insurance as this offers a level of cover over and above the standard holiday cover including insurance for lost or damaged skis and medical transportation via helicopter.