Travel Insurance Article Discussion

rrpescott

I need to pay a significant deposit on an independantly booked ski chalet. Should I take out single trip insurance policy for the trip in February before paying the deposit? Will it be covered if we have to cancel for a reasonable reason (e.g. death in the family?) or is there no way such a deposit would be covered.
Thanks

janine.bidmead

Hi did anyone reply to your message?

Woodyrocks

Hi Guys,

I am wondering if there is any special insurance I should be looking out for if I should be staying in any one place in excess of a month. I see that some insurance state the time parameters whilst other mention nothing, not even in the keyfacts which I have read.

I would hate to get stung! I am not a back-packer and would be staying up to 60 days at the most...

haddock22

Does anyone know which travel insurance company covers travel insurance for my greekk boyfriend who lives in uk with me as we are going on a 2 week cruise to carribean?

Mrs_Scrooge_2

My husband had a coronary angioplasty and stent insertion just 4 weeks ago (his first, having developed mild angina in October). He is also hypertensive, but the insurers knew that, and he was not excluded from insurance by that alone. As we are planning a worldwide trip late in 2012, we told the insurers (one of those bank package insurances) and they will exclude anything cardiac from the insurance, but continue cover for anything else. I've tried some other companies, including one that professes to be able to insure people after stenting, but getting the same response.
Is it a bit soon yet (4 weeks)? Would we do better to wait a bit and let the stent prove its worth (he has been symptom-free since it was inserted)? I know we will need to be insured BEFORE we book anything, but we don't need to do anything just yet. Anyone had similar experiences or can suggest a company to try - and if so, should we leave a time interval before trying again - and how long?

slimmillipede

I just had a look at the Direct Travel Annual Policies with a view to getting one for my family. The problem I have is with sporting activities.

They say that they cover a lot of leisure & sporting activities but they don't say which ones, you have to contact them to ask if your particular activity is covered before you buy your policy. If you already have the policy and want to do something you must contact them to find out if it is covered or if you need to pay an extra fee for coverage, and their approval must be in writing (they do offer email contact).

It seems to me that this makes the policy pretty much useless, I have no idea what activities we might come across while on holiday in the US next summer so I can't clear them in advance and I'm not going to contact my insurance company about something I or the kids might want to do on the spur of the moment.

From the feedback I have seen they sound ok but if they decided to follow the letter of their policy wording (and why else have policy wording?) they could refuse to cover just about any claim.

Water_rat

I agree Slimmillipede - I've just found the same thing!
I don't think Direct Insurance as recommended in the article is quite as good as it looks in terms of price if you are doing sports or activities or in terms of their transparency. Their full policy detail booklet does not list any of the sports or activities which it covers - you have to email to ask and only sparse information is provided on what is covered and what attracts an additional premium. On the phone they suggest you buy the insurance first and then request the additional cover - a bad idea when you find out trekking is 50% extra! Its a pity they weren't upfront with all the information as it gives annoys me that they are wasting my time and the basic policy looked good. Time for a seperate "sports and activities" recommendation?

luci

Direct Travel have a list of included activities on their website

http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/faqs/what-sports-and-activities-are-covered

Water_rat

Thanks luci. Their booklet only instructs you to email for info.

slimmillipede

luci wrote: »

Direct Travel have a list of included activities on their website

Thanks Luci, very useful.

It does look like a lot of activities are either not covered or would require an extra premium. Horse riding is one activity we all enjoy but would require an extra premium.

I think I will have to look elsewhere for a suitable policy.

Has anyone got any recommendations for an annual policy suitable for a reasonably active family?