The SPICE! Guide to Travel Insurance

Buying travel insurance should be like buying a holiday, because just as the right policy is as important as the right holiday, the wrong policy can ruin your annual two or three weeks in the sun. Leave it to the last minute and you will probably end up paying a lot more for your policy. While no one likes to think that things will go wrong, sometimes they do. You could miss your flight, lose your luggage or money, or, perhaps worst of all, become
ill or injured while you are abroad.Travel insurance will help you deal with all of these, allowing you to continue your holiday, and if illness does strike, there is the reassurance that medical help will be available and, if necessary, you will be returned home.
Cooling off You don’t have to take the insurance offered by the travel company, but if you do, insist on a cooling-off period to shop around to compare prices and benefits and exclusions, excess costs, etc.
If you travel more than once a year, consider an annual policy.

Credit Cards
Contrary to what some people believe, credit cards do not offer medical insurance.
Your needs and exclusions Examine your needs as they relate to your destination, and then look at what is included and excluded in the coverage.
Most policies exclude or invalidate
your coverage if you participation in “extreme sports or spontaneous, dangerous
activities.” Please note: these definitions
can vary from company to company.
If you think you might take part in a dangerous activity, tell
the insurers and know their policies’ limitations and exclusions.
Travelling to remote areas where rescue will be difficult must also be declared
in advance because an airlift may be the only way back to civilization.
Medical cover
Travel agents and Internet sites do not often ask about your current health status or whether you have any pre-existing conditions that could affect
your claim and/or could lead to your buying inappropriate insurance.
Tell the insurer of any medical conditions you have like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or epilepsy.
Hospitalisation from an undeclared, pre-existing condition will invalidate your insurance, leaving you to pay the entire treatment costs and repatriation. Compared to other countries, Thailand provides hospital treatment at a relatively reasonable cost, but the fees soon mount up and a week or two in hospital after a heart attack, motorbike accident, or even a bout of diarrohea can be expensive.
Payment
Make sure you know if you have to pay for medical treatment up front and then claim reimbursement on your return home, or whether the insurance company
pays the hospital directly. Does your policy cover the considerable cost of ambulance transfers and repatriation?
What excess fees do you have to pay? The more expensive and comprehensive
the policy is, the lower the excess fees.
24-hour help-lines
Check that the insurance coverage includes a 24-hour, international, free help-line that has knowledgeable, caring, multilingual operators who are capable
of answering your or your doctor’s questions. Carry a copy of this help-line number with you at all times, along with a photocopy of the policy clearly showing the policy or membership number.
Cancelled holidays
Cancellation of or shortening of your holiday because of ill-health is part of the coverage of a good policy. If you need to cut short your holiday, do not make any flight changes before you have informed the insurers and they have agreed to pay for the flight changes.
Death
Sudden death is distressing whenever it occurs; even more so abroad, where you do not know the local laws. For example, in some countries cremation is not possible,
in others it is required. Repatriating a body to its home country can prove costly, a good policy will cover this cost and that of any accompanying relatives or friends. Your embassy or consulate must be immediately informed of the death as they can provide invaluable help.
Driving
Tell your motor insurance company if you plan to drive abroad so that it can arrange appropriate cover and provide legal advice on traffic laws in the country you are visiting. Check that the policy includes third party cover and also has a provision for legal fees and costs. Obtain an ‘International Drivers Permit’ before you leave your country.
Can the over 60’s get travel insurance?
One of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry is travelers 60 years old and over. There have been instances that a person’s age can affect both the ability to get insurance and the price of it but most countries have organisations that lobby for the interest of the more mature and often provide competitive insurance too.
Where to start?
Visit your country’s Foreign Office or Department of State website. You can read travel advisories that usually have information on insurance, etc.
Bottom Line: Put as much effort into choosing travel insurance as you do when planning your holiday will pay dividends and could be a life-saver.
Travel Insurance Check List:

Does the policy you are considering:

• Provide sufficient cover for any medi cal eventuality, and repatriation? Look
at your government’s foreign office/ state department’s Advice to Travellers website for more information.
• Provide a 24-hour, emergency service/ assistance?
• Fully refund your costs if the trip is cancelled or cut short for any reason?
• Cover cancellation immediately?
• Cover all the activities and sports that you might do? Many policies do not cover various activities, particularly “extreme sports” such as bungee jumping and sky diving.
• Cover personal liability in the event that you are sued for accidentally causing injury or damage to others
and/or their property?
• Offer reimbursement of legal expenses incurred if a damage claim needs to be made?
• Limit compensation for stolen, lost, or damaged possessions, or does it cover sufficiently what the items are worth?