Travel insurance for Europe when going away for an indefinite time

unajude

My husband and myself are going sailing around Europe soon and have no plans to return to the UK for a year or two. We need to buy medical insurance and would like some advice please??

ThinkingOutLoud_2

Ok so as you have identified this is not going to be a regular travel insurance solution. These will normally focus on trips with a defined end and few cover more than one year at a time.


A few key questions affect your options, I think:-

Will you not come back to the UK at all during that time? E.g. Xmas?
How old are you both?
If you fell very ill - would you be happy to be treated and recover wherever you were or want to be repatriated to the UK?
Will you be UK residents before and at the end of your adventure?

Then there is a question you cannot answer - what will Brexit bring in terms of
how the reciprocal health agreement i.e. Will the EHIC still work?

unajude

We are 55 yrs old and will be happy to receive treatment abroad if covered by insurance. We still will heave a Uk address and will cone back to the UK at least a year

ThinkingOutLoud_2

Ok so I think the return to the UK annually or more makes things easier.

There are I believe not many travel insurance policies that will issue for a trip period of two years. You should look but you may find your policy ends if you return to the UK and also their premium may be higher.

OR you can buy a long duration single trip policy for the first out of UK period. You return and that policy ends. Then you can buy a new/second trip policy and enjoy cancellation cover until you travel back out and then trip cover until your next return.

Repeat ...

Of course, this also means you can adjust you plans as you go, but be aware you will need to declare any health conditions before buying each policy.

Your insurer would have the option to bring you home for any serious illness. But if that occurred, you might want that. That said so long as your were being treated under the EHIC - they might be less worried as costs might be lower than that repay and happy you stay aboard and so they don't have a curtailement and repatriation claim to pay.

Lots of options - search long stay travel insurance
http://www.money.co.uk/travel-insurance/long-stay-travel-insurance.htm

But read the health and other required declaration and cover details carefully!!! You will be relying on this policy for a long time. So also consider the insurer's reputation as well as price.

ThinkingOutLoud_2

One angle to add - make sure your kind is sailing is covered. Some policies only cover certain activities.

Some may have restrictions if you are crossing the open med rather than skirting the coast, for example.