Travel insurance advice and recommendations

Travel insurance is essential for your travels. No matter what your destination or duration of your stay you must get good travel insurance.

Travel insurance typically covers your possessions and medical and legal cover. It is the later of these two that is of importance. If your bag gets stolen, lost or whatever, it is fairly easy to replace the items you absolutely need, and keep traveling. Your health is not replaceable. Becoming ill overseas can, and often is, a very expensive and unhappy situation. Having good travel insurance means that no matter what happens to you in the world, your medical and legal costs will be covered. Costs get really high if you have to be flown home, but good travel insurance covers this.

Travel insurance basics

  1. Make sure your insurance covers repatriation (being flown home if necessary). This is important!
  2. Make sure you are covered for all of the countries you are visiting.
  3. Make sure any sports you will be doing, such as skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing or mountain biking are covered in the policy.
  4. If you are traveling with an expensive camera or laptop make sure they are covered.
  5. Concentrate on the medical cover offered by the policy, possessions are much less important.

Recommended Travel Insurers

All of the quotes below are for a single adult traveler, backpacker or gap year policy, with worldwide cover, for 15th Nov 2007 to 14th Nov 2008 (1 year). All prices include tax, and are the final price to pay. This information is just a guide.

CompanyDetailsExcluding
baggage
Including
baggage
 
USA
World NomadsTravel insurance specialist$480$480
World Travel CenterSearches all major insurance providers$566$566
UK
Go Travel InsuranceTravel insurance specialist£159.80£199.75
Bupa UK travel coverLeading UK health care specialist£171.90£224.10
ClubDirectTravel insurance specialistN/A£219.82
FlexicoverTravel insurance specialist£175.00£235.00
Columbus DirectTravel insurance specialistN/A£231.39
JS InsuranceLeading UK insurer£253.50£507.00

 

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