Even if you have got the best deal available on your flights, car hire and accommodation, there are still costs involved in going on holiday that can make it seem very expensive. That’s why cheap holiday insurance is something all travellers want in order to keep costs down.

But while you can easily compare prices, what should you look out for in a cheap holiday insurance policy? The premium may not be costing you the earth, but you still need decent cover. Here is a short guide to what the policy may or may not contain.

24 hour medical assistance

Accidents and illnesses do not always happen during office hours. Also, you might be in a completely different time zone to your provider, so their office hours could be your bedtime. That’s why it is important to ask whether your insurance provider has a 24 hour helpline to assist you with any claim, and help to make arrangements for your medical care.

Dangerous sports?

t’s essential to check the small print in any travel insurance policy, regardless of the price. If you regularly participate in a dangerous sport, check that injuries relating to this activity are not excluded from the cheap holiday insurance cover. Sometimes it is possible to get additions to the policy as optional extras (e.g. skiing and snowboarding).

Single or multi trip

Are you a regular traveller, or is this holiday a one-off? If you are planning to make frequent trips throughout the year, speak to your provider about the cost of a multi trip insurance (annual insurance) policy for 12 months’ worth of travel. It may be that this is cheaper than buying a new policy every time you go abroad.

Your destination – EU or worldwide?

When reviewing a draft policy, ask yourself whether you need all of the cover it offers. For example, why purchase worldwide travel insurance when you are only going to be within Europe? On the other hand, if you have not finalised your plans and intend to travel where the wind takes you, keeping your options open could prove less expensive than purchasing an extension to the boundaries of the policy from your mobile phone as you cross the border.

Like for like travel accommodation

Having to find alternative accommodation can be a real pain. The city you are staying in could be full, or perhaps there is a dearth of decent places. If you have like for like accommodation included in your cheap holiday cover, the chances are that your insurer will have an arrangement with the larger hotel chains, which could pay dividends in this scenario.

Luggage and cash

Have you insured your luggage bags and their contents? Whether get lost or stolen, it is not uncommon for baggage to go missing. If you wrote a list of the value of everything in your case, you may be surprised at the cost of replacing your possessions. Cheap holiday insurance policies might include such cover, or allow it to be added as an extra for a small fee. Do be careful on this point to read the small print and check whether there are any “large value single item” exceptions, which may have to be scheduled separately to be covered.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.