Travel Insurance for Terrorism

Rednaxela

I've spent the last hour going through the small print of dozens of travel insurance companies trying to find cover that would support claims as a result of terrorism and/or airspace closure.

I can't find any!! I found an old list of insurers that cover this sort of stuff in the UK, and they all now list it as a general exclusion.

Can anybody help me? I don't particularly want to pay loads and loads for my week long holiday either!

Thanks in advance.

meer53

Most of the travel insurance companies have a FAQ section which covers this.

Alan_Bowen

I very much doubt you will find any general policy that covers terrorism or fear of it as a grounds to cancel. If you book a package holiday and the advice from the FCO is not to travel, your tour operator will offer a refund or an alternative holiday. If you do it yourself, as some have to go to Egypt, you may find the airline will refund but the hotel will not on the basis that your room is still waiting for you.

Insurers are there for the unexpected but only if they can assess risk. They know how many 55 year olds will fall ill on holiday and require repatriation, they know from statistics how many people will fall ill before they travel and seek a full refund. It is the nature of terrorism that it is impossible to predict and for that reason, most will not touch it.

Rednaxela

Thanks, but I'm not so much bothered about it being cancelled ahead of time, just if I get trapped while I'm on holiday and have to pay for hotels etc...

According to some articles I've read a few years ago many insurance companies would cover air space closure etc, but I suppose they've all changed their minds!

Alan_Bowen

If you are prevented from travelling whilst you are abroad, providing you are travelling with an EU based airline, they have a legal obligation to look after you until you can fly home. Tour operators would do the same I suspect so if airspace closure is your concern, it probably shouldn't be

worried_jim

I was in Sharm last year and delayed for three days and no one in our party had any issues claiming through our insurance and we had at least four different companies used by various members of the group, if anything it was easy as the bombing so so well publicised- you called the insurance company and they were all geared up for it.