Whether you are going backpacking round the world or going on a family holiday for two weeks, travel insurance can offer you essential cover. When selecting a travel insurance policy you should check the following:

Minimum excess
Some policies may offer you a cheap quote but very high excess in the event of a claim. Make sure you are happy with this before taking out the insurance.

Maximum sum insured
Always check the maximum limit you are insured for so that it covers your requirements.

Dangerous sports
If you're going on a sports holiday, such as skiing, scuba diving, abseiling, you need to check that your policy covers you. You will probably have to take out specialist cover if this is the main purpose of your holiday.

Medical conditions
If you have any special medical conditions, you should notify your insurer as some may be covered by your policy, but others may require specialist cover.

Special restrictions
Always check your policy for specialist restrictions, which severely limit the effectiveness of your cover, according to the type of holiday you are taking.

Annual travel insurance benefits

Is it worth buying an annual travel insurance policy rather than one for each trip abroad?
For frequent international travellers making two or more trips a year an annual travel insurance contract is likely to be more suitable than purchasing individual cover for each journey. Annual policies provide cover for an unlimited number of trips as long as no one trip exceeds the stated limit. If any of these trips are for Wintersports, the insured should check the cover carefully as some annual contracts do not automatically cover for Wintersports. In this instance, a more dedicated policy should be purchased. Annual policies are available from Options with or without Wintersports cover.

Why do I need travel insurance?
People buy travel insurance for the same reason they purchase any insurance policy: to cover them when things go wrong. The British population may not be very impressed by the National Health Service but remember, not every country has a free health service meaning that illness abroad can lead to extremely high medical bills, not life threatening but are still very stressful - such as lost luggage, cancelled flights and so on. The bottom line is that it makes sense to take out an insurance policy unless travellers are prepared to find themselves out-of-pocket as a result of any holiday mishaps.

What can I expect from a travel insurance policy?
A travel insurance policy should at the very minimum cover medical expenses, personal liability, cancellation and curtailment, and loss and theft of baggage. The most important aspects of the cover are the medical expenses to cover the cost of any emergency medical treatment that may be required and personal liability. The level of cover for each of these categories obviously differs from policy to policy, generally the cheaper the policy, the lower the cover. Some policies offer a range of value-added services, such as replacement vehicles, house-watching and so on. It may also be worthwhile choosing a policy that includes an international help line, particularly when visiting a country where English is not the main language.
Options' international help line is provided by Inter Group Assistance Services. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, operators are specially trained to assist with a whole range of emergencies. Inter Group Assistance Services can boast a wide variety of languages spoken fluently by their operators including Arabic, Polish and Bulgarian as well as the more common languages such as French and Spanish.

Why do I need to buy special insurance for my skiing holiday?
British skiers have something of a reputation on the slopes! It seems Britons have a tendency to ski just a little too fast for their own good! Statistically, it is far more likely an accident will happen whilst skiing, or indulging in some other hazardous sport, than sitting on a beach reading a book. This is why most basic travel insurance policies exclude hazardous pursuits. It is therefore important that you should make sure you are covered. As well as the basic travel insurance cover, a Wintersports policy should include mountain rescue costs (if you need to be carried off the mountain); the cost of prepaid expenses such as ski passes and equipment; and expenses incurred as a result of delays caused by avalanches.

What type of cover should I be buying?
This is determined by whether your travelling independently or as part of a group. If insurance is required for more than one person a joint policy will often be better value than separate policies for each individual. When buying travel insurance you may not necessarily have to fill in a detailed application form. It is possible to arrange cover with a simple telephone call. However it should be remembered that there will still be policy exclusions and you should not withhold any information about anything that could potentially affect the holiday, such as medical conditions or plans to try skydiving for the first time!
Medical conditions in particular should be made known to the insurer. Many providers, including Options, are unable to provide cover for any condition in existence prior to purchase of the policy. In this instance, specialist providers such as MediCover are available.