If you are thinking of travelling abroad this summer, you’ll need holiday insurance. When comparing travel insurance, it is important to ensure you start the policy when you purchase your tickets and not the date of travel otherwise you may not be adequately covered.
The options are endless, so we will try and break it down for you. There are several different options available when you search for “travel insurance Ireland”.
The key main types differ between insurers and for this article, we have reviewed the following.
- Single-Trip
- Annual Multi-trip for individuals/family, Europe/Worldwide
- Sports
If you are going on one holiday this year then a single-trip travel policy should suffice.
If you are planning a few trips, you can purchase an annual policy, and this may extend to the whole family. This removes the need to purchase cover each time you plan a trip and could save you money. You can take a number of trips up to a maximum number of days depending on the insurer and can be purchased for Europe, and worldwide. Sometimes you can choose to exclude the USA and Canada for a reduced premium.
If you are going on a holiday, where you will take part in extreme or dangerous sports activities then you will need to look into searching for the best travel insurance with sports cover. If you are going skiing, you can choose to add winter sports to your policy for an additional fee.
If you have a medical condition, you should notify your travel provider when you are looking at quotes. Unfortunately, any pre-existing conditions are excluded if not declared to insurers prior to purchasing cover. Some travel insurance providers have a medical screening helpline to call or a questionnaire that you can complete prior to taking out the cover.
Travel Insurance typically covers medical insurance. This cover is vital especially if travelling outside of Europe where medical insurance does not come cheap!
On the advice of The Department of Foreign Affairs, they remind us that “not all policies are the same, and the cheapest one might be cheap for a reason. Make sure your policy covers all the activities you plan to do on your trip.” DFA website April 2022. They recommend that you purchase a policy that provides a minimum medical cover of €1 million. Know Before you Go- DFA
Along with medical cover, travel insurance will usually cover trip cancellation, curtailment, baggage and personal belongings.
As mentioned above consumers should be aware that travel insurance should be purchased from the day you book your flights and accommodation, not on the date of travel.
According to The Independent, 28th June 2023 “One-third of all insurance claims are made before the policy even starts.”
Cancellation cover for example starts on the date the holiday is booked – and ends as the insured leaves home to begin the journey.
For holidays booked and insured in advance, travel cover could be in place for months before the trip takes place depending on how far ahead you book your holiday.
Curtailment kicks in when the insured leaves home to commence their journey and applies until the homebound journey has been completed. So curtailment cover is only applicable for the duration of the holiday.
We have compiled a list of helpful Travel Insurance tips that could save you time and money!
- If you have health insurance, tell your travel insurance provider before you take out the policy as you may be entitled to a discount.
- If you have a household policy, this may provide better cover for personal belongings abroad. In the event of a claim, it may be more beneficial to claim from your home policy for these items.
- If planning more than one trip a year and travelling with children, an annual multi-trip policy could be more cost-effective.
- Always check the travel advice of your destination prior to your trip. If the advice is not to travel, then your policy may not cover you.
- Bring your insurer’s international emergency helpline number with you. In the event of a claim abroad, you should call them within 24 hours to report any claims. They will advise you on how best to proceed.
- If you need to report any incidents or losses, always make sure to take a copy of any police reports or claim forms as your insurer may need these to process your claim.
At Mike Murphy Insurance we have carefully selected our travel partners to provide our customers with great-quality travel insurance at affordable prices
So make sure you are fully covered before you travel. Click here to find the right travel cover to suit you or your family!
Key Benefits
- Emergency medical expenses, including 24/7 assistance, up to €10 million.
- Cancellation- up to €6,000
- Missed Departure-up to €6,000
- Travel Delay – up to €300
- Personal Baggage-upt0 €750
- Legal Costs and Expenses – up to €30,000