Brits Urged to Check Travel Insurance Cover

A new government campaign is urging British travellers to check their travel insurance coverage before departing on holiday and check Travel Advice for their chosen destination.

As summer holidays launch into full swing, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)has issued a campaign to urge British people to check their insurance to avoid running up huge bills if things go awry while they are abroad.

Before You Travel

Steps to take before travelling include:

• Declaring all pre-existing medical conditions before travelling.
• Checking whether their insurance covers activities such as water sports.
• Verifying that the length of their trip does not exceed any stated time limit in their policy.
• Finding out whether the travel insurance includes coverage for medical evacuation costs.
• Carrying a paper copy of the insurance document and keeping the 24/7 emergency contact number for the company on your phone, as well as sharing details with family members at home.

Travel Insurance Saves Money

Taking simple steps to check your cover before travelling will save you a lot of money. The price of surgery and medical treatment in the Canary Islands for a broken leg can cost over 10,000 euros. Having travel insurance coverage will ensure that your priority is your health, and you won’t have to worry about incurring huge medical costs if something goes wrong.

The FCDO can help and assist British people hospitalised abroad, but medical costs and evacuation costs are not offered by the organization.

Travel insurance can also cover cancellations due to unforeseen illness or injury, or flight and hotel cancellations, but it is recommended that you check carefully what your insurance policy covers while you’re away. Sometimes, it is worth spending a little more on your policy to ensure it covers what you need.

What About the EHIC or GHIC Card?

Holders of the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or valid UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will be entitled to more affordable access to state healthcare when in Europe, or sometimes even free healthcare. However, it is not a replacement for travel insurance and conditions vary from country to country, and it will not cover the costs of repatriating a patient back to the UK, or cover any additional costs incurred during the emergency.

Before you travel, you can find out all the latest information on travel restrictions, and passport requirements on GOV.UK.