Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance Information

  • Travel insurance sold by us is covered by FSA regulation - unlike travel insurance sold in conjunction with a holiday.
  • On these pages are example quotes for travel insurance of different kinds e.g. annual family multi trip travel insurance, student travel insurance, long stay travel insurance. We are not making a personal recommendation when providing these  insurance quotations and suggest you contact us on 0870 0345503 for a firm travel insurance quotation and details of full policy cover. If you do contact we will assess your needs and make a recommendation as to the policy we would recommend
  • We specialise in the elderly who wish to travel, the oap, senior citizen etc. use the link below for an immediate quote.
  • Policies have exclusions and limitations of cover - details will be provided in the 'Key Facts' document we send you before you travel.
  • Policies often have high excesses (the amount you pay if you have a claim) or low maximum benefits. If you contact us  before you travel we will advise you of these and why we recommend a particular policy
  • You are reminded that you must disclose all material facts when applying for any travel insurence policies. Examples of material facts for travel insuance are: medical conditions of all travellers and close relatives, hazardous or dangerous sports or other activities. If you are in doubt if a fact is material you should advise us (we can offer policies for people with medical conditions).
  • Similarly you must advise us of all your travel demands and needs. We will quote you a policy meeting your demands and needs or advise you that such a policy is not available and offer, in our opinion, the best alternative.
  • We offer a fair market analysis of travel policies
  • We also offer cover for business travel to cover sales representatives and other staff members. Policies issued can attract a lower tax rate than normal travel policies. To quote for business travel  we will need a rough idea of the number of staff, and the destinations they go to.
  • We offer a wide range of policies - as brokers we can cover students on their gap year, annual family holiday, long stay abroad. Age is not usually a problem - we can cover oaps for up to 18 months if they are under 70 and for up to four months if older (no age limits). We also can cater for many pre-existing medical conditions and frequently offer normal terms if their has been no recent hospitalisation.

If you want an online quote for travel insurance with immediate purchase option click here


UK Insurance: B Portwood Home Page

Covers that a  travel insurance policy might contain
Section Description Typical Value Comments
Cancellation Pays out the amount that a travel agent might retain should you have to cancel your trip close to the departure date £1,000 - £5,000 per person
  • Usually has an excess
  • Not every reason is covered - usually death, illness, redundancy, damage to property
Curtailment Pays out if you have to cut your trip short Same as cancellation
  • Usually in the same section as cancellation
  • Usually the same excess
  • Usually the same reasons
Travel Delay Extra costs should your travel departure be delayed from the airport due to many reasons £20 after 12 hrs - £10.00 after each 12 hours thereafter to £100
  • No excess.
  • Designed to pay the extra costs for food etc whilst waiting for the flight to leave.
Abandonment pays out if you decide to abandon your holiday after been stuck in the airport due to a delayed departure. £1,000 - £5,000 per person
  • Usually has an excess.
  • Policy limits same as cancellation
Medical Expenses Pays out or reimburses hospital or medical expenses occurred in travel abroad £2,000,000 - £10,000,000
  • Usually has an excess.
  • The excess may be deleted if the cost of treatment is reduced using an E111
  • An E111 is no substitute for medical expenses cover under a travel policy
  • (For your information the E111 ceased to be valid on 31.12.2005. From 1.1.2006 you need the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) details available from the post office, the department of health www.dh.gov.uk or the contact line on 0845 606 2030)
  • May exclude dangerous activities
Personal Accident Pays out  a fixed amount if the person is injured or dies due to an accident on the holiday £10,000 - £25,000
  • No excess
  • Age Limits will apply for children/ old people
  • Excluded for dangerous activities and maybe under influence of drugs/ alcohol
Personal Liability Pays out for claims made against travellers whilst on holiday for their actions £2,000,000 - £5,000,000
  • Probably has an excess - 
  • Excess may be increased for damage to rented accommodation
  • Will exclude dangerous activities, business or professional activities
Legal Expenses Will cover the cost of making a claim against someone who caused injury or death to the family on holiday. £10,000 - £50,000
  • An excess may apply
  • Many policies will NOT cover claims against tour operators/ travel agents
Missed Departure Covers the additional costs for the family to get to their destination if they miss their flight. £1,000 - £5,000
  • Usually specific reasons apply e.g.
  • Failure of public transport
  • Breakdown of vehicle - provided serviced and sensible time given to get to airport
Personal Possessions Covers the baggage and possessions taken on the trip £1,250 - £3,000
  • An excess will apply
  • See below for additional comments
Probably more information is needed about personal possessions cover and ignorance is found than any other section of a family holiday travel policy.
  • Cover is NOT normally 'New For Old' - a deduction will in most cases be made for wear and tear
  • There will be a LOW level of cover for Valuables (typically £100 - £200) and for any SINGLE article limit
  • We thus usually recommend that expensive items such as valuables be insured under a house contents policy under the all-risks section.
  • Theft of unattended articles is often excluded - unless force is used to break into a room - so be vigilant at airports.
  • Many policies require notification to the police within 24 hours of discovery of loss - even if there is no chance of recovery.
Delayed Baggage Your travel policy covers the cost of emergency purchases if your baggage ends up at a different location £100 - £200
  • Usually no excess
  • Please remember to keep receipts
Personal Money Covers loss of money - including travellers cheques when you travel £250 - £1000
  • Cash is usually covered to only half the money sum insured.
  • An excess usually applies
Passport Covers costs incurred in obtaining a replacement passport if the original one is stolen when you travel £200 - £500
  • we suggest you take a photocopy!
Hospital Benefit Pays a small daily allowance if you are hospitalised when you travel £10 per day to £1,000
  • Called 'Lucosade Money' by one agent!
Mugging Pays a fixed amount if you are unfortunate to be mugged (robbery with violence) when you travel £100.00
Hijack Pays a daily amount if your plane is hijacked! £50 per day
Catastrophe Pays an amount to cover relocation if your travel accommodation is rendered uninhabitable
Domestic Pets Pays additional costs if your return is delayed, to cover cattery/ boarding expenses

Winter Sports Cover  

Benefit Comments on benefits paid by a travel policy
Sports Equipment Pays an amount if your own equipment is stolen
Hired Equipment Pays an amount to cover hired equipment
Piste Closure Pays a daily amount if the piste is closed - to get you to another piste
Avalanche Pays a daily amount if access to the runs are closed due to avalanche

You should always be aware of which winter sports the policy covers! Many policies that are not specialist winter sports policies may not cover some of the more dangerous activities such as : off-piste, tobogganing, sledding, solo skiing, ski jumping, ice skating, competitions, snowboarding, heli ski-ing. Always tell us, or your broker your specific demands and needs for winter sports. You will be glad you did should you need to claim on your travel  policy

Please call us on 0870 0345503 or, if you get no reply, our Gateshead office on 0870 0345502 for advice for a range of travel policies covering single trip, annual or multi trip and backpacker. We will make a personal recommendation for your demands and needs - or complete the contact form.

B. Portwood & Co Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the arrangement and administration of non-investment insurance contracts - you may check this by looking at their website http://www.fsa.gov.uk/firmcheckservice/index.html

Links to lists of our other main policies

B Portwood & Company Insurance Home Page - an overview of the site and types of policy on offer.
Travel insurance and holiday insurance - annual family holiday, multi trip, student GAP year insurance, winter sports, ski-ing