Holiday Insurance Guidance

By Author: Caron Fontelroy
Total Articles: 10
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Although perhaps not first on your shopping list, having a good holiday insurance policy in place before you embark on your vacation is as essential as booking the right accommodation. Here are a few things to bear in mind with regards to holiday insurance policies.

Number One: Read the small print! Perhaps not the first thing to spring to mind when you are making sure that you have enough Factor 50 to take with you, it is essential to have a good idea of exactly what you are - and are not ? covered for by your holiday insurance policy.

Be aware of the terms of the cover that you have in place regarding the theft of your possessions. It may seem like common sense to some, but it is worth mentioning that most policies will replace stolen goods only in the event that you have taken reasonable care of them, and this means reasonable security precautions.

In practice, this means securing small valuables like video equipment in a safe, and not leaving anything lying unattended in your room while you are out. Take it with you if there is no safe, because most times, items left unattended in hotel rooms are ...
... not covered against loss through theft.

Be aware of the level of cover provided for valuables, as most holiday insurance policies fix an upper limit on the value of the single items that are covered by the policy. If you are bringing expensive items like a laptop on holiday, check that your holiday insurance policy is adequate to cover such items, and be prepared in many cases to have to pay more to separately cover expensive items.

Check the terms that apply regarding excess when you claim on your holiday insurance policy. Excess is a regular feature of most insurance policies, including holiday insurance, but the way that it is invoked can differ between otherwise similar polices. Some policies apply excess for each and every insurable item claimed for, even if the damage or theft occurred during a single incident. For example, if you are knocked over and several items in your bag break, you may find excess payable on each item broken.

Moving on from this point, the accidental cover you receive will be similar to the theft cover in the respect that the insurance company will expect you to take reasonable precautions to avoid accidental damage. This applies to accidents that happen due to the influence of alcohol; accidents sustained whilst inebriated are rarely covered.

When you shop online for a holiday insurance policy, make sure the site you are looking at conforms to the standards set by the various established providers, like Go Travel, where you will find the small print of all the various policies offered included on the website. Remember, avoid buying holiday insurance policies before reading the small print! Caron Fontelroy never travels without a good holiday insurance policy.