A typical Travel Insurance Policy

Travel insurance policies vary in the maximum amounts they will pay out should an event occur. They also differ in the excess you will have to pay should you have to make a claim - and it is a truism that the cheaper the policy the higher the excess. The travel insurance policy you find here for example only has a £35.00 excess (and you can delete it altogether) whilst some internet policies have an excess of £50, £75 or £100. These policies also may not include all of the example sections below - and if you are buying online it would be up to you to check if the policy you intend to buy has the appropriate sections.

Typical policy sections (A brief description and possible limits are available if you click on the link

• Cancellation

• Curtailment

• Travel Delay

• Abandonment

• Medical Expenses

• Personal Accident

• Personal Liability

• Legal Expenses

• Missed Departure

• Personal Possessions

• Delayed Baggage

• Personal Money

• Passport

• Hospital Benefit

• Mugging

• Hijack

• Catastrophe

• Domestic Pets

• Winter Sports

Typical exclusions

• Pre-existing medical conditions

• Late stages of pregnancy

• Hazardous activities

• Manual work abroad

• Under the influence of drugs OR alcohol

• Travel following a terminal prognosis

• Travel in order to obtain treatment

• Air travel unless as a passenger in a licenced aircraft

• Travelling on a motorcycle exceeding 125cc

• Travel against advice of  the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

• Terrorism (some policies cover medical expenses after an attack, some do not

• Winter Sports (unless premium paid)

• Theft unless from a locked room or safe or glove compartment of car

In addition we suggest that if you are thinking about travel insurance you should consider

• What is the definition of a 'trip'? Does it mean 'front door' to 'front door', 'front door' to arrival back in the UK, or 'Departure from UK to Arrival back in the UK? Claims have been turned down because connecting flights from one UK airport to another were missed and the definition of the trip meant cover ceased when back in the UK

• Have you any pre-existing medical conditions or are you pregnant?

• What is the Excess - online travel insurance policies have higher excesses than policies a broker would usually recommend as they are sold on price.

• What is the definition of a family? For instance if you take your son's best friend with you she may not be covered under a family travel insurance policy. Also check maximum number and ages of children

• What dangerous activities may you do? With some companies jet-skiing is a dangerous activity. If you go scuba diving what is the limit and are there restrictions on when you can dive?

As you may have now gathered travel insurance is not a simple product. We have supplied a competitive online product for you with a leading insurer to cover single, annual multi trips, winter sports, long stay, student backpacking gap year and cover for the elderly senior citizens or pensioners over 65, over 70 or over 80 BUT if you have any queries please feel free to contact us on 0844 8262617 or, if you get no reply, our Gateshead office on 0844 8262618 as we are always willing to discuss your needs for travel insurance.