Buying the right travel insurance policy is essential before you go. You need to know how to choose travel insurance, make sure you have the right policy and know what is in your travel insurance policy before you are going on holiday or business trip.

The cost of Repatriating a sick or injured person by air ambulance to their home country would seriously affect most family´s life style and may even mean selling the family home to cover the cost! That has to be a compelling reason for not travelling without reliable travel insurance. If you need to be returned to the UK in an emergency it could cost you or your family a fortune. Just take a look at these estimates

If you are planning to travel abroad, you need insurance, but it is not something you should be sorting at the last minute as not all policies are the same and you should always read the small print. For example, is cash and indeed any of your valuables are covered? This is often not the case on very cheap policies. Also how much excess will you need to pay in the event of a claim? Economy type policies are fine for the important health aspect, but don't expect to have your £500 camera covered without additional payment.

The importance of taking your travel insurance documents with you cannot be overstated as they contain very important information about what to do if things go wrong. They will provide you with an Emergency Assistance telephone number. This service is available to you 24/7 and will have multi lingual experts ready to provide immediate advice and assistance. They will arrange for medical treatment, contact relatives, ensure that you are receiving suitable hospital care, or arrange for your repatriation. They will also arrange for your early return home in the event of an unexpected situation occurring at home. It is essential that you contact the Emergency Assistance Service, Do not try to find your own solution as you may inadvertently cause your travel insurer to invalidate your claim.

Every year thousands of people think about taking an extended holiday.

School leavers and recent graduates make up the majority of people taking extended holidays, but many professionals also consider taking a career break to explore the world.

Only the most seasoned travellers realise the many potential problems they may encounter on such an adventure and take out a suitable travel insurance policy. Recent research has shown that as many as 25% of gap year travellers jet off without adequate insurance protection!

Many younger, less experienced travellers are likely to embark on an expedition without realising the potential problems that may occur or without taking suitable precautions to protect themselves against them.

Planning your vacation, do not forget to purchase travel insurance as it may prevent you from spending extra money in case of an emergency and will let you feel yourself protected during your trip.
Before buying an insurance policy try to find out everything about the company you are going to arrange your cover with,  what services it offers to the clients and coverage of it’s polices.

The real cost when things go wrong

An emergency abroad can be extremely expensive. If you need to be returned to the UK it could cost you thousands of pounds, unless you are adequately insured:

• £35-45,000 - air ambulance from USA’s East coast
• £12-16,000 - air ambulance from the Canary Islands
• £15-20,000 - scheduled flight, stretcher and Doctor escort from Australia

Figures supplied by FirstAssist Services Ltd.

Remember: the British Embassy or High Commission will not pay for this.

What’s the EHIC?

You should apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before you travel – it gives the holder rights to healthcare that becomes necessary during a temporary visit to EEA (European Economic Area) countries or Switzerland.

The EHIC does not cover 100% of treatment and does not cover the cost of repatriation or other associated costs.

The EHIC replaced the E111 form in Jan 2006. The E111 form is no longer valid