Colorado Marine Officer

Choosing travel insurance
Travel insurance can provide you with cover for:
•cancelling or cutting short your trip for specific reasons outside your control, for example, the unexpected illness of you, a close family member or a member of your travelling party
•missed transport or delayed departure for reasons outside your control
•medical and other emergency expenses
•personal injury and death
•lost, stolen or damaged personal property, including baggage
•accidental damage or injury you cause to someone else.
You can buy travel insurance to cover a single trip, or an annual policy covering several trips. As most travel policies cover you for cancellation, you should take out insurance when you book your trip. Some package holidays offer to include travel insurance but you do not have to accept this. You are free to make your own arrangements. A travel agent must not charge you more for a package holiday because you do not buy their insurance. If a travel agent tries to do this, you should contact Consumer Direct on 0845 404 0506.
Ask for quotes from several insurers to help you get the best deal for your circumstances. You will need to compare what each policy covers and:
•any exclusions. Some policies exclude dangerous activities or high risk sports such as skiing or scuba diving. If you are going on a holiday involving one of these activities, you may have to pay more for your insurance
•compulsory excesses. This is the amount you have to pay towards the cost of a claim. The amount may vary, depending on the claim
•additional conditions, for example, how long your journey has to be delayed before your insurer will pay you compensation.
Check whether any age limit applies.
Check your household contents insurance policy, as this may cover you for loss or damage to your personal belongings while you are abroad. You may decide that you only want to take out insurance for some of the other risks you can be covered for while you are abroad.