Travel Insurance

HouseMartin567

Overseas holiday booked for August 2026 - travel insurance not yet arranged. Also looking to book a cruise for April 2027.

Would I be stupid to hold off on insurance until April 2026 when I could get an annual policy which would cover both trips? Or should I just suck up the extra expense and have two single-trip policies? Or is there another way around this which I haven’t considered?

If single-trip, can I cover the April 2027 trip if I book it now, seeing as it is quite a way off?

Thanks for the input!

katejo

You need insurance for your Aug holiday straight away. You could become ill between now and then and lose all your money (or at least the  deposit). I never book trips than a year ahead because of the insurance limitations but you might be able to get a single trip policy.

sheramber

If you can afford to lose any deposit should you need to cancel before April 26 then you can wait until then. 

Just make sure you haven’t only paid a low deposit but the full deposit would be chargeable  if you cancelled. 

If you do not want to lose  your deposit, or any money payable, then you need insurance now, in case something happens that means you have to cancel or cannot get insurance at a later date. 

TELLIT01

katejo said:

You need insurance for your Aug holiday straight away. You could become ill between now and then and lose all your money (or at least the  deposit). I never book trips than a year ahead because of the insurance limitations but you might be able to get a single trip policy.

For cruises it's not unusual to need to book more than 12 months in advance to get the specific cruise and accommodation you want.

HouseMartin567

TELLIT01 said:

katejo said:

You need insurance for your Aug holiday straight away. You could become ill between now and then and lose all your money (or at least the  deposit). I never book trips than a year ahead because of the insurance limitations but you might be able to get a single trip policy.

For cruises it's not unusual to need to book more than 12 months in advance to get the specific cruise and accommodation you want.

If booking more than 12 months in advance can you get travel insurance?

For the August holiday I have paid full deposit using airline points so doubt I will see them again even in the event of an insured cancellation - that’s why I’m a bit more relaxed about not having insurance for that holiday yet (but will want it sorted before payment of the balance in July).

TELLIT01

HouseMartin567 said:

TELLIT01 said:

katejo said:

You need insurance for your Aug holiday straight away. You could become ill between now and then and lose all your money (or at least the  deposit). I never book trips than a year ahead because of the insurance limitations but you might be able to get a single trip policy.

For cruises it's not unusual to need to book more than 12 months in advance to get the specific cruise and accommodation you want.

If booking more than 12 months in advance can you get travel insurance?

For the August holiday I have paid full deposit using airline points so doubt I will see them again even in the event of an insured cancellation - that’s why I’m a bit more relaxed about not having insurance for that holiday yet (but will want it sorted before payment of the balance in July).

I've never been on a cruise so never had to do a search for insurance.  I've know a number of people who have booked more than 12 months in advance so I'm assuming cover must be available.  Dr Google suggests that single trip insurance can be booked up to 2 years in advance.  That may need to be done via a broker as it's a comparatively small market.

NoodleDoodleMan

HouseMartin567 said:

Overseas holiday booked for August 2026 - travel insurance not yet arranged. Also looking to book a cruise for April 2027.

Would I be stupid to hold off on insurance until April 2026 when I could get an annual policy which would cover both trips? Or should I just suck up the extra expense and have two single-trip policies? Or is there another way around this which I haven’t considered?

If single-trip, can I cover the April 2027 trip if I book it now, seeing as it is quite a way off?

Thanks for the input!

We have annual travel insurance, part of the packaged deal offered with Nationwide via their FlexPlus current account - you might want to consider that scenario.

The cover just rolls on automatically whenever the yearly renewal date arrives - so no need to look at cruise booking made 18 months ahead.

You can 'phone the policy provider (Aviva) before deciding if the cover suits your agenda - so no need to open the account if it doesn't.

Refence cruises - standard travel insurance includes essential cover, however it does not include missed ports of call and prebooked excursions where no refunds are available.

katejo

NoodleDoodleMan said:

HouseMartin567 said:

Overseas holiday booked for August 2026 - travel insurance not yet arranged. Also looking to book a cruise for April 2027.

Would I be stupid to hold off on insurance until April 2026 when I could get an annual policy which would cover both trips? Or should I just suck up the extra expense and have two single-trip policies? Or is there another way around this which I haven’t considered?

If single-trip, can I cover the April 2027 trip if I book it now, seeing as it is quite a way off?

Thanks for the input!

We have annual travel insurance, part of the packaged deal offered with Nationwide via their FlexPlus current account - you might want to consider that scenario.

The cover just rolls on automatically whenever the yearly renewal date arrives - so no need to look at cruise booking made 18 months ahead.

You can 'phone the policy provider (Aviva) before deciding if the cover suits your agenda - so no need to open the account if it doesn't.

Refence cruises - standard travel insurance includes essential cover, however it does not include missed ports of call and prebooked excursions where no refunds are available.

When I did a cruise in 2025, I checked cover with Aviva and was told that my standard policy did not cover cruises at all, not even pre departure cancellation. I had to pay a cruise supplement in December 2024 even though the policy was due to expire in January and my cruise wasn't until March. 

TELLIT01

Not covering cruises as a default seems pretty common on packaged travel insurance with bank accounts.  Mine has it as an option but not something I've had to check price on.

katejo

TELLIT01 said:

Not covering cruises as a default seems pretty common on packaged travel insurance with bank accounts.  Mine has it as an option but not something I've had to check price on.

Mine wasn't bank one. I don't do bank travel cover because it isn't good on pre existing conditions

eskbanker

katejo said:

TELLIT01 said:

Not covering cruises as a default seems pretty common on packaged travel insurance with bank accounts.  Mine has it as an option but not something I've had to check price on.

Mine wasn't bank one. I don't do bank travel cover because it isn't good on pre existing conditions

....and Aviva's non-bank variant isn't good on cruises!

What’s not covered

Unfortunately, we can’t cover everything – make sure you’re happy with what’s not covered, including:

• [...]
• Claims will not be covered if your trip includes a cruise, unless cruise cover is specifically listed on your policy schedule

https://www.aviva.co.uk/insurance/travel-insurance/#whatiscovered