Travel Insurance

A good travel insurance policy will ensure that any unexpected medical bills are paid and that you can get home in an emergency. Even routine surgery such as an appendectomy costs around £7,500 in Europe, according to insurer esure, increasing to £25,000 in some parts of America. It may also meet the cost of new baggage if your luggage is lost or stolen, and compensate you if your trip is cancelled, your travel delayed, or you miss your departure.

With 1 in 5 visiting a doctor or hospital abroad, a quarter of Brits travel abroad without insurance (for younger travellers its nearly half). Will you be caught short?

Jargon Buster

• Adult — a person over the age of 18
• Annual Multi Trip — travel insurance policy that will extend for one year (365 days) from the date of issue
• Child — a person under the age of 18
• Claims Handler — appointed by the insurance company to handle claims arising under the terms of your travel insurance policy
• Close Family Relative — mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, civil partner, son, daughter (including fostered/ adopted son or daughter), grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws (parent, son, daughter, sister, brother), step (parent, child, brother, sister) or legal guardian
• Cooling Off Period — within 14 days of receipt of your documents you can cancel your policy in order to receive a full refund. Note: as long as no travel has taken place and no claims have been made
• Couple — couple (including same sex) in a common law or married relationship who cohabit at the same address
• Date of Issue — the date the premium was paid and the insurance issued
• European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) — if in Europe this will entitle the holder to the same medical treatment that local citizens are entitled to (either free or discounted) . It's free and valid for up to five years
• Excess — this is the amount that you will be asked to contribute towards the cost of a claim
• Exclusion — a provision in a policy that excludes the insurer's liability in certain circumstances or for specified types of loss
• Family — a single parent or two parents travelling together with their child or children for whom they are the legal guardians and who all reside together
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) — the UK's financial watchdog, the FCA regulates the financial services industry, including insurance companies. The FCA can advise you on making a complaint against an insurance company
• Hazardous Activities — any sport or activity where there is an increased risk of injury or accident
• Limits/ Level of Cover — the maximum limit that will be paid out in the event of a claim
• Medical Assistance Company — company appointed by the travel insurer to provide services including making suitable medical arrangements and the transmission of emergency messages
• Period of Insurance — commences when you leave home in the UK to start your trip and ends when you have returned to your home in the UK
• Personal Liability — legal liability for accidental injury to a third party, and/or accidental damage to property belonging to a third party
• Policy — a document detailing the terms and conditions applicable to an insurance contract and constituting legal evidence of the agreement to insure
• Pre Existing Medical Condition — medical conditions that existed before applying for travel insurance
• Schedule — the part of a policy containing information peculiar to that particular risk
• Travelling Companions — people you have arranged to travel with
• Undiagnosed Condition — a medical condition that has not received a diagnosis by a medical practitioner