We all look forward to our summer holiday – but things don’t always work out how we expect them to and accidents do happen. Sometimes it is our own fault. “People do things on holiday that they wouldn’t dream of doing when they are at home,” says Roger Vincent, spokesman for the UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), “like jet skiing or hiring a motor scooter for the first time.”
Vincent says that RoSPA advises people not to take unnecessary risks - like hiring motor scooters unless they are already an experienced rider. If that seems like common sense, it is. But, as he points out, people tend to let their guard down when they are on their annual break.
The consequences, especially if you don’t have insurance, can be very expensive.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) says that many people regret not taking out travel insurance when they go on holiday. Often, people think that their credit card accident cover, home insurance or private health cover is sufficient. But unless you are adequately insured an emergency abroad can be extremely expensive.
An air ambulance from the USA’s east coast will cost between £35-45,000; an air ambulance from the Canary Islands can be as much as £16,000; a scheduled flight with stretcher and doctor escort is between £15-20,000.
The FCO reminds travellers that it will not pay for such emergency services.
An inexpensive travel insurance policy should cover medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad and 24 hour emergency service and assistance. It should also include personal liability cover in case you’re sued for causing injury or damaging property; it should cover lost and stolen possessions and include cancellation and curtailment (cutting short your trip) cover.
Risky activities such as jet skiing are commonly excluded from standard policies, as is personal accident cover, legal expenses cover and financial protection if your airline goes bankrupt before or during your trip.
But many insurers will extend cover if you ask them. If not, the FO advises shopping around for a specialist policy. It adds that cheaper policies will usually have less cover – but says that buyers should ask themselves whether getting less cover is worth the premium saving.
Most travel policies are extremely simple and underwriters work on a generic product which covers the vast majority of holiday possibilities, according to Peter Laidlaw, underwriter with Lloyd’s insurer Atrium. “The types of holidays people are taking now is resulting in more policies extending the coverage they provide to include activities that previously may have been excluded,” he explains.
“That said, if people are intending on going to somewhere more exotic or participating in more hazardous activities then they should look at the policy wording more carefully as coverage for these types of holidays varies dramatically from policy to policy,” he cautions.
Laidlaw advises holidaymakers to read the policy wording carefully before buying: “I recently spoke to a travel specialist who operates one of the best internet travel insurance websites in the UK and he said less than 0.1% of their customers access the policy wording prior to purchasing the policy!”
David Stirling, director of Lloyd’s specialist travel insurance broker Crispin Speers & Partners Ltd offers the following pre-travel tips to holiday goers:
1. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not the answer to your insurance needs but can soften the costs of the deductible where state cover applies. But there is no repatriation and the system is not flawless.
2. Check with the Foreign Commonwealth Office “know before you go” campaign.
3. Don't assume that your employer has you covered nor should you rely on your bank or credit card cover unless you have full details and have read and understood them.
4. Take your assistance card/number with you and keep the documents in a safe place.
5. Call the assistance company immediately in an emergency. They are there day and night to help you so don't clock up costs without their guidance or help.
