Top travel insurance need-to-knows

Booking Travel insurance is an important part of preparation when going on holiday. Without suitable cover, you put yourself at risk for all manner of unforeseen circumstances. At Holiday Extras, we don't want that to happen. Here are some top need-to-knows for booking your travel insurance.

1. Buy travel insurance as soon as you book.

You may have seen Martin Lewis talking about the importance of buying travel insurance as soon as you book; but why is this so important? Well, many people don't realise that travel insurance doesn't just cover you for the time that you're away. It also may cover you for cancellation due to unforeseen events that happen before you travel. This can include injury, illness in the family and death. Some providers, such as Holiday Extras, may also cover you if you or someone else on the policy is diagnosed with coronavirus shortly before your trip, meaning you can't travel.

2. Always declare any medical conditions. If you don't, your claims could be affected.

It may seem like the obvious thing to do if you have a pre-existing medical condition, but you must declare ALL conditions, even those you may think aren't that significant. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy and result in a claim being rejected. Holiday Extras has a quick, easy and confidential screening process to help you with any medical declarations you need to make.

3. If you're planning to travel multiple times throughout the year, it may be cheaper to book an annual travel insurance policy.

If you know in advance that you're planning at least two trips in a twelve month period an annual travel insurance policy may be the most suitable choice for you. The more trips you plan to take, the more cost-effective an annual-trip policy is likely to be. A Holiday Extras annual policy insures you for an unlimited number of trips throughout the 12 month policy period, providing that each trip does not exceed 45 days.

4. If you're going on a cruise holiday, consider taking out a cruise-specific policy.

Cruise policies offer extra cruise-related cover that you would not necessarily find on a standard travel insurance policy. This includes cover for missed departure, missed port, cabin confinement and missed excursions. At Holiday Extras, we offer dedicated cruise insurance policies to help ensure you have a stress-free time at sea.

5. Make sure your cover applies to any countries you're travelling to.

When booking your travel insurance, make sure you've selected the correct region for your cover, depending on where you'll be travelling. Our travel insurance is split into the following regions:

• Europe
• Europe - Excluding Spain, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Greece
• Australia and New Zealand
• Worldwide - Excluding USA, Canada and The Caribbean
• Worldwide.

6. Check with the FCDO if they are advising against travel to your destination.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) compiles a list of countries it deems are currently unsafe to travel to. The reasons can vary, but most often relate to war, terrorism, natural disasters, and more familiarly in recent years, pandemic. This may affect your ability to take out travel insurance. Be sure to check the FCDO website prior to travelling to ensure your destination has been deemed safe to travel to.

7. If you're travelling within the EU, make sure to get a GHIC.

The Global Health Insurance Card (or GHIC), which recently replaced the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to treatment in any state-run hospital in the EU, at the local cost. It's important to note that this is NOT a replacement for travel insurance, more an additional level of protection. The GHIC can be obtained FREE from the NHS website.

Note: The GHIC is only valid for use in countries that are a part of the EU. As of 2021, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein are no longer part of the EU, so the benefits of the GHIC will not apply if you are travelling there.

8. Protect your electronics with gadget cover

In today's world, we're rarely far from our phones and other electronic devices, even when on holiday. Many of these devices are incredibly expensive, and as such, it makes sense to protect them. Holiday Extras' gadget cover offers protection against theft, loss or damage to your gadgets.

9. Always check the exclusions of your travel insurance policy.

It's always important to check what you're not covered for with your chosen travel insurance. These are known as exclusions. Common exclusions include high-risk sports such as bungee jumping or snowmobiling, any alcohol-related injury, and failure to declare medical conditions. It's your responsibility to read the exclusions carefully in the policy wording.

10. Book the appropriate add-ons if you're going on a sporty holiday.

If you're the adventurous type and are looking to partake in sports on your trip, make sure you've got the right level of cover for these extra activities. Holiday Extras offers add-ons for winter sports, which includes cover for both your own and any rental equipment. It also covers you against piste closure, landslides and avalanches.

If you're planning on more high-risk activities, such as abseiling, black water rafting and sea kayaking, our extended risk add-on offers cover for this. Be sure to read the policy wording for a full list of what's covered.