Travel Insurance Tips – Understand the limits, excesses and exclusions to avoid huge bills and get the best price.
By Bethanie Ashley
Travel is a 'must' for anyone going away whether on holiday or for business so it is wise to check that the you take out is relevant to the type of cover you need. The last thing you want is a huge bill after your trip, medical or otherwise, because your policy did not cover you for what you thought.

There are many different areas to take into consideration when you buy travel insurance. If you don’t make sure the travel is right for you, you may not be covered, so follow these simple tips to help ensure you get the right travel for your needs, what to look out for, and how to compare travel prices for when you buy travel insurance.

A standard travel package should normally provide compensation for a range of holiday and travel mishaps such as:

* Cancellation or curtailment of your trip
* Medical emergencies and repatriation
* Loss or damage to personal possessions
* Loss or theft of money
* Personal liability
* Compensation for permanent disability or death

Often these areas of cover can be subject to limits, excesses and exclusions so do check your policy carefully so you know what you may or may not be covered for.

If you are the energetic or adventurous type, check that dangerous activities such as snowboarding, skiing, white water rafting or journeys to remote areas are included in your policy – you may need a special type of or an endorsement to cover your needs. Expenses caused by a terrorism event may be excluded or an expensive item of luggage or equipment may need to be insured separately. Some insurers do not cover people over the age of 65 or 70, and if you have any existing medical conditions, these also may not be covered.

It is true that your household will offer cover for personal items and you may be able to remove these from your travel cover to save you money. Also your credit card providers may offer some limited cover. A European Health Card will entitle you to reduced-cost or sometimes free



medical treatment in the European Economic Area countries, but will not normally cover rescue costs or repatriation. If you are travelling for business your employer may offer some travel cover.

So where do you go to find the most suitable travel for you? You can buy travel from many different sources, travel agents, tour operators, banks, the post office, credit card providers or direct from companies. The easiest and quickest method is online and Gatwick travel offers a comprehensive service which is easily accessible.

In short, if you follow these steps, you can be sure that you have the right cover for you and that you have not paid over the odds for this peace of mind.

* Consider what cover you need
* Consider where you are going and what you are going to do
* Take into account the cover you may already have
* Tell your insurer all the relevant facts i.e. your age and any existing medical conditions
* Shop around and compare travel prices
* Check your policy carefully

When you go to buy travel insurance, you want to make sure you have got the right price for the cover you need. One way to do this is to use an online travel Gatwick Airport price checker, where you can compare travel prices online. The best travel Gatwick airport price checker that I have found to compare travel prices is www.gatwickinformation.co.uk. This website also provides lots more information and suggestions as to where to buy travel insurance.

Finally, before you go away on your trip, make sure you take a copy of your policy and a note of the telephone number in a safe place, and of course, take good care of yourself and your belongings whilst you are away.

You can now look forward to your trip safe in the knowledge that you have done everything necessary, and that if anything were to go wrong, you would be fully covered. But of course we all hope it won't and thankfully the majority of the time it doesn't – but you should always be prepared!
Bethanie Ashley is a frequent traveller keen to pass on time and money saving advice to others. Further useful information such as how to get to the airport, public transport, Gatwick parking, Terminal facilities, Airport security, Airlines, destinations, and for booking and paying for airport lounges, car rental, airport parking, travel insurance and foreign currency, can be found on the Gatwick Information website.

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