Resources: Travel Insurance
An expense that can save you
Here's my list of travel insurance companies. I have never had to make a claim, thankfully. But met plenty that have. As each company seems to offer policies based on age, journey length and so each costing will be a little different.
I will give an outline of what each provides, and anything I might have heard about them through my own research into getting travel insurance. At the end of this page I will give some tips on what to look out for and how not to spend too much on this expensive travellers companion.
Travel Insurers
World Nomads (clicking here will open up their site)
Probably one of the best known, I have yet to hear a bad word about them. They are pricey though, but what you get may be what your after. They cover laptops, gadgets and of course health. Another huge plus for the long term backpacker is that you can extend!
World Wide Insure (clicking here will open up their site)
Affiliated to a AXA Insurance UK they offer an extend start anywhere policy, and a fast easy to use site, not heard anything much about them though.
Insure and Go (clicking here will open up their site)
A lesser known, reliable and cheapish travel insurance company. They offer many policies covering various options. The lowest being the most basic, the highest being quite comprehensive and pricey.
World Travel Center (clicking here will open up their site)
They are a little pricey and the site is a bit complicated if you are searching for a bargain. Lots of policies, from disaster, kidnapping to health. Renewable health policies. It just takes ages to go through them all, and each one has different Terms and conditions.
What I found was that their link through BootsnAll to International Medical Group, is easier to use. You'll be giving BootsnAll an affiliate tip too. Here's the Link (clicking here will open up their site)
International Health Insurance danmark a/s (IHI) (clicking here will open up their site)
A member of BUPA, a well known british medical insurer. It's a slow site offering only heath insurance. But they are cheap and offer options for preexisting conditions.
Columbus Direct (clicking here will open up their site)
Another establish insurer, a little pricey offering the basics.
Globe Link (clicking here will open up their site)
A nice low cost insurer. the site is user friendly and they offer up to 18 month insurance.. discounts are available to some. Policy extensions are available for UK nationals only.
What if it all goes wrong?
Holiday Complaints (clicking here will open up their site)
If you have been on a package tour or even had an accident abroad you might want to know your legal rights! holidayclaims.com offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Important Tips about taking out travel insurance:
I strongly advise anyone getting travel insurance to read the terms and conditions of the policy before buying it. Here's an example why. Let's say you are from the Australia and just arrived in Brazil after one year of travel. Your current policy runs out, and you buy a new policy from the internet. They will take your money. Two months later you break your leg. You claim. They say you are not covered. In the terms and conditions you must be a UK national.
Another pit fall is residence. A lot of the insurance companies insist you are living in a country for 6 months before you are covered, they will take your money either way. HEre's an example of what to look out for in the policy.
"Residence limits: You must have lived in the United Kingdom,
Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the
Republic of Ireland for at least six of the last 12 months before you
bought your policy."
It can take a long time and a lot of searching to find the right policy. But it's important you do find the right one. Paying the hefting rates, having an accident or making a claim only to find out you are not covered is not good.
Once you buy the policy. Print it out, photocopy one for your backpack, and one for your person. Scan in the policy and email it to yourself. Give your family the details too. All this will only take an hour, but if the need arises, can save you a lot of trouble.
If you have any experience with the above insurers, or know of any other, do please let me know!
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