Holiday insurance

In general terms, travel insurance protects all holiday costsagainst adverse events such as cancellation and interruption andalso reimburses medical expenses, the loss or damage of propertyand transit delays. Travellers are compensated if they have tocancel or interrupt their travel, they will also be coveredshould they need emergency medical treatment, medical evacuationand other situations.

Many millions of travellers and holiday makers every yearpurchase some form of travel insurance, but few people knowreally what it is and how it can be defined. If you know what isincluded, and what is not you will be able to make the most ofyour protection, and get reimbursed fairly

There are four primary categories of travel insurance:

1.Health and Medical reasons

-Medical evacuation: This provides emergency transportation toeither a local hospital in the event that the traveller isunable to get there by themselves or back to a hospital near thetraveller's home town. If family members are covered on the samepolicy they can travel back home also.

-Medical and health reasons: This reimburses medical andemergency dental costs. Almost all travel insurance plans workby reimbursing the traveller after they have paid locally fortreatment. Claims are usually paid within 7 - 10 days.Pre-existing conditions are covered by most policies if thepolicy is purchased within (at the most) 21 days from the datethe traveller made the first payment or deposit.

2.Delays and cancellation - including curtailment

-Delay: This reimburses travellers for hotel, food or clothingexpenses in the event of a flight delay. Some plans also covercosts associated with catching up with a cruise should anotherdelay cause the traveller to miss embarkation.

-Cancellation: Re-imbursement comes into effect if travellershave booked and paid for a holiday, but are unable to embarkbecause of personal illness or injury, death (of the individualor of a family member), adverse weather conditions,transportation strikes, terrorism, bankruptcy, suddenunemployment, jury duty or by sustaining serious damage to theirhome causing it to be uninhabitable due to fire or flooding.

3.Death:

-Accidental death - covers death or dismemberment at any time ofyour trip. Usually provides the lowest amount of coverage due toa higher risk -Air Flight accident - this covers death ordismemberment during an air flight only. Usually provides thehighest amount of coverage due to fairly low likelihood of thisoccurring. -Common carrier - Covers death or dismemberment whiletravelling on public transport such as a plane, ferry, train busor taxi.

4.Loss or damage of personal effects:

-Baggage loss - reimburses travellers for lost, stolen ordamaged personal items. This coverage is usually restricted tothe duration of the trip and not confined to baggage damaged orlost by the airline. There are two policy limits, total claimand per item maximum. Some policies also place limits on thetype of items that can be claimed for - such as preciousjewellery, laptops and sporting goods -Rental Car damage -Reimburses travellers for damage or loss to a rental vehicle. Itis designed to allow the traveller to decline collision damagewaiver (CDW) coverage offered by the car rental companies.Liability coverage should still be purchased through the carrental company. Rental Car Damage coverage is also oftenincluded with the credit card used to pay for the car rentalwhich is often matches the coverage provided in the policy.-Assistance services - provides a 24-hour collect telephoneladvice and assistance service to travellers. This service can beused anytime a traveller needs advice. Make sure you don't leavehome without it.

To conclude

Travel Insurance is the one product in the modern risk averse,insurance-saturated world that really is essential. You will notregret taking it out, because not being insured for your travelmishaps is a source of huge regret for far too manyholiday-makers every year.

get travelinsurance from Holiday Insurance Web

About the author:Daisy Evans is a copywriter working in London