Travel Insurance Tips

When choosing travel insurance it is important to find the perfect cover to protect you, and your belongings, just incase things go wrong. With the guidance for cruise lines still changing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that you find the cover that is going to be accepted by your cruise operator.

For example, with P&O cruises you need to be sure to have comprehensive cruise-specific travel insurance with a minimum of £2 million medical cover, as well as cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses relating to COVID-19. Your policy must also cover for repatriation, cancellation and curtailment including in the event of you contracting COVID-19 and having to leave the ship due to a medical emergency. You must also declare any pre-existing medical conditions.

Now, yes, I hate reading terms and conditions (who doesn't), but when purchasing travel insurance online, you are often shown an over view of the cover detailing all the specifics of the cover, so it is important to take your time and double check that the cover you are choosing is right for you.

Here's where things get fun, and not in a "visiting a themepark" sense.

When we booked a trip with P&O cruises, we used their link to Holiday Extras, their partner for travel insurance. Initially on completing the form and receiving a quote, we were surprised at the cost, they came in around the £200 mark for an annual multi-trip insurance, including pre-existing medical conditions.

However, we were unable to purchase then and there as we were counting down the days until payday. Just under a week later, we were ready to purchase our insurance, submitted the form once again, and were met with exactly the same cover, for £406!

On reaching out to Holiday Extras, I was informed that

details were different for one member of the party (they weren't), I completed the form again, double checking what I had done, and again, £406.

I then visited MoneySupermarket, completed the form, exactly the same as I had for Holiday Extras and was surprised to see that the option that best suited us, was £227. However, what surprised me more, was that the company offering the insurance, was Holiday Extras. The same answers, the same level of cover, the same annual multi-trip policy, £179 cheaper.

So, to summarise the above, make sure to check those comparison websites. Don't always go with the with the travel insurance provider that the travel agent recommends. I appreciate the prices of insurance are a "live" price, and do change closer to the time, but to almost double in price shocked me. It seemed to me to be more of a fault on the end of Holiday Extras, especially as the price we were quoted on a comparison site was vaguely similar to our initial quote.

Other comparisons sites, such as comparethemarket.com, are also great for searching multiple providers at once, and you never know, they may have a promotion on too, such as 2-4-1 dining.

For ourselves, we decided to go with an annual worldwide (incl USA & Canada) multi-trip option as we have a few trips coming up within the next year, so it was more economical when compared to several single trip policies. However, if you believe you are only going on one, or two, trips over the course of the year, then it may be worth doing two separate single trip policy quotes and work out which may be more beneficial to your plans, and your pocket.

Here's some other great tips to help you get the policy that may best suit you:

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Shop Around

It is important to shop around. Comparison sites such as MoneySuperMarket, or Compare the Market, are great places to start. The travel insurance provider recommended by the cruise line may not always be the best value.

Single trip or Annual

If you are travelling more than once in a year, then it may be more economical to choose an annual policy rather than a single trip option.

Choose the relevant destination

When searching for travel insurance policies, you'll be greeted with destination options. United Kingdom, Europe, Worldwide (excluding USA, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico), Worldwide. Should you request European cover, yet take a trip to Mexico, then you will not be covered, so make sure you select the correct option for the trip you are going on. We have only one trip outside of Europe planned so far for the coming year, this trip does visit Canada and the USA, so we opted for the Worldwide cover.

If you have purchased travel insurance for a particular destination, but this changes, then contact your travel insurance provider prior to your trip as they may be able to amend your policy.

Declare any pre-existing medical conditions

Should the worst happen while you are away and your trip is affected for medical reason, you want to make sure you are protected. When declaring a medical condition for travel insurance, the price of the policy may increase.

If you have travel insurance provided through your bank, then ensure you have checked wether you need to disclose pre-existing medical conditions to the underwriters. Some premium bank accounts allow you to add this information to your policy for a small charge, while others will not even give you that option (I'm looking at you Monzo Bank).

You want to fully ensure that you are protected and that the insurance company will pay out if you need to make a claim.

Cruise Cover

When searching for your policy online, you will be asked (either at the start, or at the end as an add-on) if you require cruise cover. Make sure you select this option if you are going on a cruise as it will add on extra protection such as; missed port, cancelled outings, cabin confinement cover, and more.

Adding cruise cover to a policy generally increases the cost of the policy, however, it is a requirement of many cruise operators, and gives you that extra peace of mind.

Read the Policy Carefully

Make sure you know exactly what is, and isn't covered. Some policies allow extra protection for gadgets, baggage, theft, personal liability, etc. The policy will state how much excess you may be required to pay should you need to claim, and give you all the detailed information on how to claim, as well as some contact numbers for medical assistance. It is worth noting these numbers down incase you do need to require their service while away.

Ensure your activities and excursions are covered

This will all be detailed in the policy it self, however, when searching for travel insurance, you will generally be asked if you are planning to take part in winter sports for example. Some insurers class activities such as swimming with dolphins, or even horseback riding as extreme sports. So it is worth checking your policy before purchasing.

If you are purchasing through Money Supermarket, they offer a brief over view of the travel insurance cover in a drop down form which will detail all the activities covered in the policy.

Have you booked flights separate to your cruise?

Check whether the insurance policy you have selected covers you if the airline fails, or prevents you from joining the ship on time.

Meet the requirements of the cruise operator

As mentioned in the blog post, when selecting your cover, make sure your policy matches, or exceed the requirements of the cruise line. When we travelled with P&O Cruises, they required medical cover of at least £2m as well as cover for evacuation, curtailment, and repatriation. The cruise lines website should be staying up to date with travel requirements, so make sure to visit their website to check their specifics.

Check the company underwriting the insurance

Sometimes it is best to go with a reputable and established company rather than the cheapest. It is also worth searching for reviews of the underwriters to read other peoples experiences.

Take note of contact details

Once you have purchased the travel insurance note down the details for the assistance company you will need to call in case of a medical emergency. We always print off the certificate of insurance which normally contains this info or save it to our iCloud drive to access on our phones.

To summarise, although this may look like a lot of information waffling on about travel insurance, we would never travel without it for that extra peace of mind. Not only that, for many cruise operators, it is a must have to allow boarding.

There are also options for you to add-on extras to your policy prior to purchasing, such as; winter sports, sports, gadget cover, theft, etc. It is definitely worth searching around and researching your options before committing to one provider.

After all, you may end up saving £179 like we did!