When going away on holiday you may be going to somewhere completely new and different from your usual day to day life. There are new dangers and risks whether it’s the beaches of Spain or the Rainforests of the Amazon, there are many things that you may take for granted but in reality are extremely costly.
One example is the typical family holiday to Florida, water parks and theme parks are everywhere but if you or a family member were to hurt themselves and need an air ambulance back to the UK then it would cost 35,000. Obviously no one can afford these expenses hence the necessity of travel insurance.
The trouble is that getting travel insurance is like getting any kind of insurance; you can get turned down for it. People that get turned down for travel insurance are normally those who have pre-existing health conditions such as heart disease. People who try applying online may be turned down simply for mentioning they have health concerns but that doesn’t mean that they are excluded from getting travel insurance, some companies may simply require extra paperwork to confirm that you are safe to travel.
There are specialist travel insurers who offer travel insurance for people with health concerns; these unfortunately come with an extended premium which can vary from only a couple of pounds for something like Asthma to a substantially larger amount for terminal cancer. Another reason you may be turned down for travel insurance is your age, 97% of travel insurers impose upper age limits on their policies and so you may find it harder to find an insurer if you’re in your later years.
Policy holders that are 85 and older are eight times more likely to make claims on their insurance than under 35 year olds but fortunately there are specific insurers like Saga that have no age limit and also cover a large amount of health conditions too.
It’s not just the old and frail that may struggle getting travel insurance, if you plan to engage in some extreme sports there is a long list of insurers who won’t go there such as Norwich Union and Marks & Spencer. It is important that when you apply for insurance that you disclose all the activities that you are likely to engage in so you don’t risk voiding your insurance policy.
Whilst again, there are specialist insurers available you will find that even they won’t cover some death-defying feats such as base jumping and free-style skiing. Overall make sure you’re suitably covered for your holidays this year and you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and money whilst having a great time!
