How to find travel insurance that actually covers what you need

Travel insurance is one of the many holiday essentials that we often purchase quickly without looking beyond the price tag.

However, choosing a travel insurance policy that doesn’t adequately cover your individual circumstances or holiday plans can prove to be a costly mistake if something goes wrong while you’re away.

With an abundances of differing polices and insurers available to choose from, comparing them all can often feel overwhelming.

To help you make a more informed decision for your next holiday, we spoke to Alex Cross, chief customer officer at Tesco Insurance, who explained all the factors to consider and key details to look out for to ensure you find the right one for you.

Pick between a single trip or an annual travel insurance policy

One of the first decisions you will need to make is the type of travel insurance that you need.

“Customers have the choice to insure a particular trip or alternatively get annual travel insurance which covers multiple trips in Europe or across the world, depending on what policy you purchase,” explains Cross.

“I would definitely encourage people who are doing multiple trips a year to get an annual quote because sometimes it can be almost the same price as getting a single trip one. So, make sure you consider all your options as you go through that quote process.”

Declare your full medical history

Withholding information about pre-existing conditions can invalidate your policy.

“Every insurer will ask you questions around your medical history and your current health, so it’s really important that customers answer those honestly and completely,” stresses Cross.

“In the event of a claim, insurers will typically look at medical records and history to check there’s no pre-existing conditions that would have affected the claim.”

Make sure you declare every medication that you are on.

“There might be medication you’ve been taking for a long time that you might think is quite benign and not relevant to your insurance, but insurers will expect that you declare all the medication you’ve been taking,” says Cross.

If you’re unsure about what details to include, he recommends phoning up the insurer to double check.

“There’s often quite a lot that won’t actually affect the premium as long as you declare it, so it’s always worth having a honest conversation with the insurer,” says Cross.

“There’s nothing worse than having a protracted claim or issues at the point of claim with things that haven’t been disclosed.”

Consider the value of travel possessions

“One important area that travel insurance covers is around your luggage and possessions, so lost and stolen luggage and belongings,” says Cross.

However, travel insurance policies vary significantly in baggage coverage.

“If you’re only taking away your flip flops and some swim shorts, there’s no point in paying for a policy that covers thousands of pounds’ worth of baggage cover,” says Cross. “However, if you are going away for a long trip and are planning to bring lots of expensive clothes with you, it might be worth considering.”

Look at the cancellation cover

“It’s also important to think about the cost of the trip,” says Cross. “Another area that travel insurance covers is around the cancellation of your trip due to factors that are outside of your control.

“Cancellation cover will normally have a cap to it – such as £5,000 or even £20,000 – so make sure that you’ve got enough cover to be able to return what you paid for the holiday, but equally don’t pay too much for cover you don’t need.”

Read the exclusions

“Take some time to read through the policy documents and the summaries that the insurers provide because a really cheap level of cover might have some quite significant exclusions,” advises Cross, “For example, cover for baggage might be zero.

“There might also be exclusions around the types of event that you’re doing. Therefore, if you doing anything slightly out of the ordinary, like off-piste skiing, paragliding or trekking in Columbia, it’s worth looking at the documentation to make sure you are covered for that.”

Don’t solely focus on price

“I would always encourage customers to shop around because price is important. However, I think it’s also important to be aware that a really low premium is often too good to be true,” warns Cross.

“It might provide you with a very basic level of cover for medical emergencies, but will probably cover very little else.”

Look at reviews

“Look at reviews and feedback from previous customers,” recommends Cross. “Things like Trustpilot scores can be really useful to look at because ultimately with travel insurance the critical point is getting the right support and getting paid out when you’ve got a claim.

“Being able to get some assurance that other people have been through a really good process has value in itself, and the cheapest will not always be the best for that.”