A recent study by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has revealed that more British holidaymakers than ever are opting to take the risk of travelling without any insurance cover at all. The age group least likely to take insurance for holidays in Europe or beyond is the 18-34 age group, with 31% of them heading off to the airport without EHIC cover or a travel insurance policy in place.
Read moreNobody wants to think about having an accident or being ill on holiday, but every summer sees a spike in holidaymakers who have recently been overseas making claims for accidents or injuries they have suffered on holiday. Travel insurance will often pick up the cost of any treatment, and if you have done the sensible thing and sorted out your EHIC cover before leaving home, any accident shouldn’t leave you too much out of pocket. Knowing what the most common accidents are might help you take measures to avoid them.
Read moreOn June 23rd the UK will go to the polls on the key question about whether the country should remain a member of the EU or leave. You can’t switch on the TV or radio without hearing a politician or celebrity explaining their point of view on the matter, and giving reasons why we would be better or worse off after the vote. It’s a confusing picture and it’s easy to think that a lot of the arguments about the London financial markets or immigration aren’t relevant to our daily lives. If however you are one of the thousands of UK residents who seek medical attention every year in Spain, France, Germany or the rest of the EU using your EHIC cover, the results of the referendum could be very relevant indeed.
Read moreThere’s a big summer of sport coming up, with the Olympics in Rio in August and the European football championships taking place in France through June and early July. England, Northern Ireland and Wales have all qualified for the competition, and thousands of football fans from the UK will be crossing the channel to support their teams. Most will have taken out insurance to cover the obvious risks such as missing a flight or having their passport stolen, but nobody likes to think about falling ill on holiday and often medical cover is an afterthought. Is EHIC cover enough, or should football fans be taking out comprehensive travel insurance instead?
Read moreIt’s drummed into us by travel experts, people who sell holidays and airlines. If you travel out of the UK, you need to take out insurance. Insurance is one of those unusual products which we buy in the hope we’re never going to have to use it, but which gives us peace of mind that someone else will pick up the tab should we break a leg in Budapest or have our passport stolen in Prague. Most travel insurance claims are very straightforward and are settled quickly. There are however some very important exclusions which you have to be aware of.
Read moreAll of the major high street banks are now offering packaged current accounts. The deal is usually that you pay a small monthly fee to the bank for your account, and in return they offer you a variety of incentives such as insurance for your mobile phone or cashback on deposits. One of the big attractions for many account holders is the offer of free travel insurance, but is this as really as big a benefit as it’s made out to be?
Read moreMost of us are well aware of the need to have proper travel insurance for holidays, to cover cancellation, lost baggage or a medical emergency while overseas. There is a lot of confusion about when you should apply for a EHIC or take out travel insurance – and many people get it wrong.
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