Last week my wife and I booked a two centre holiday on the Scottish Isles. Seven days on Skye and then a ferry over to Steornabhagh for a further seven days on the Isle of Lewis. Wonderful scenery, plenty of walks and masses of peace and quiet.

You could have blown me over when my local travel agent assumed that I wanted travel insurance for an additional £27.50. Not on your Nellie the Lock Ness monster, I thought. Who needs travel insurance for a holiday in Britain? The National Health Service is free and in an emergency, my son could drive up and bring us home.

Later in the relaxing setting of my sitting room I got to thinking.

Holiday misfortunes don’t only happen abroad. So with my pessimistic hat on, I made a note of the risks:

Some rotter might steal our luggage

Last week I bought an all singing and dancing digital camera especially for the trip. Got it on the Internet. I might lose it whilst away.

If either of us were hospitalised we wouldn’t want to be marooned on Skye. We’d want to transfer to our local hospital in Warwickshire.

My wife’s parents are getting on. God forbid, but I’d have to cancel the holiday if something happened to them just before we’re due to go.

One of us could be taken ill before we depart and we’d be forced to cancel. As the ferries and the hotels were non-cancellable, we’d lose everything we’d paid.

There may be a major delay at the ferry going over to the Isle of Lewis. Besides the inconvenience, we have to arrange an extra overnight stay on Skye.

One of us might be called up for jury service.

Then it struck me. If I were holidaying in the Britain, my existing Home and Contents policy might cover me for loss of my camera or luggage. I dug out the policy document. Lucky I did. I was only insured for “personal possessions” if they were listed and as I’d just bought my digital camera I hadn’t got round to listing it as a valuable item on my policy.

Another aspect struck me. I’d lose my no claims discount if I made a holiday related claim on my Home & Contents policy. That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’ve got a ten year claims free record that policy and it still cost me £310 a year. I jotted down a another note — remember, when the policy comes up for renewal, see if I could get it cheaper on the Internet.

By now a travel policy at £27.50 for was looking worthwhile after all.

Now my wife says I’m a bit of an old skin flint. So keep up the image! I know, get back online and check out the travel agents’ policy at £27.50. Is it competitive?

Not all the web sites I surfed could offer me a single trip travel policy for a holiday within the UK but within ten minutes I’d found what I wanted – and a saving of over £10!

Time to study the small print to confirm I had the cover I wanted. Great, all the risks I had noted were covered. The insurer would even pay out £30 if my ferry was delayed for up to 12 hours and then give me the option to cancel my trip to the Isle of Lewis and get my money back.

Now what wouldn’t they pay for? I wasn’t covered if my holiday was for less than two nights or my hotel was less than 25 miles away from home. I also had to meet the first £30 of any claim. Seemed fair to me.

The decision was made. Simply type in my credit card details and I was insured in a CLICK.

Peace of mind restored!

Michael Challiner
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/travel-insurance-do-i-need-insurance-for-a-holiday-in-the-uk-10612.html

It’s a fact: skiing and snowboarding holidays carry with them significantly higher risks than beach holidays or city breaks – which explains why insurers offer separate policies for winter sport getaways. Yet despite the obvious risks, countless Brits continue to hit the slopes without insurance cover, exposing themselves to exceptionally costly medical bills.

A number of things can go wrong on a skiing holiday – the most severe being serious injuries – or, in the worst case, death. But a serious injury isn’t the only thing that can halt the fun on your skiing and snowboarding holiday. Extreme weather issues – such as blizzards and avalanches -  could also result in your trip being cancelled; or, you may find yourself the victim of theft. And with expensive equipment like skis, snowboards, and other wintersport gear, theft without insurance is sure to put a damper on anyone’s holiday.

Erik Nelson at insurer Norwich Union told the Independent: “Winter sports is a high-risk activity so you need insurance to cover all eventualities – especially expensive medical costs, which can escalate quickly. For example, a broken leg would incur between £3,500 and £7,000 in medical costs in Europe, but in America this would be £13,000 to £16,000.”

Many Brits turn to their European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) for cover, which entitles holders to free or discounted medical treatment on the same terms as all nationals in EU states. However, cover is provided solely on a medical basis and is basic – so it excludes things like air ambulances or repatriation. Moreover, because EHICs are only for medical purposes, they don’t cover things like trip cancellations, loss of baggage or personal liability – which can turn out to be extremely costly.

For this reason, <a href=”http://uk.insurancewide.com/insurance/travel/”>ski travel insurance</a> is vital for anyone who’s planning to hit the slopes. Specialised winter sport cover will cover all the aspects of a ski trip that regular insurance and EHICs won’t. And given the high risks and high costs associated with ski trip mishaps, it simply makes sense to secure a policy that caters to your ski trip.

With countless policies available on the market, it can be difficult to determine which level of cover is right for you. But industry specialists recommend about £2m for medical expenses, £1m for personal liability, £3,000 cancellations, £1,500 for baggage cover and £250 for lost or stolen cash.

However, a spokesperson at the Ski Club of Great Britain urges skiers and snowboarders to shape their insurance cover based on what they plan to do on their holiday. She said: “Some policies do cover advanced skiers for off-piste runs but they might not insure beginner skiers who try tobogganing or dog-sleighing. So you need to be sure you are fully insured.”

Harvey McEwan
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/hitting-the-slopes-without-ski-travel-insurance-why-take-the-chance-724848.html

What country are you in? Unless you say that how do you expect people to advise you?

Life is full of unexpected events- this is the basic principle which drives the insurance industry. One doesn’t really know what will happen next year, next month even tomorrow. Life is especially more riskier for people who frequently travel, and a travel insurance can really be a good thing to have. It will at least leave something for oneself, ones family and loved ones in the case of unfortunate events during traveling.

One might be skeptical in getting travel insurance simply because he thinks that it is a waste of money which can be used for something more urgent or important. However, we can never really say what will happen and it is good to be insured. In the events such as accidents, trip cancellations and lost luggage, insurance policies can really be handy. Getting vacation insurance is the first step that should be taken when planning a trip.

Types of Travel Insurance Policies

Travel insurance is availed by people who are concerned about the events that may unfold during a trip. Its not a sign of paranoia, its a mere sign that one faces the reality that he doesn’t control his life and the events that may happen.

Package

Travel insurance packages are usually designed to cover single trips. This type of insurance policy is very ideal for tours, cruises, air trips, renting vacation homes, whether they are for business or personal traveling in foreign or domestic areas.

These travel packages are usually pre bundled by the insurance companies and they provide travel coverage such as cancellation of trips, interruption of flights, delays of travel, lost of baggage and personal effects, delay of baggage, emergency evacuation, assistance for travelers and medical expenses. One can also avail optional policies which will cover accidental deaths.

These packages are usually rated against three factors ones age during application, the cost of one’s trip and the duration of the trip.

Medical

Travel insurance plans can also be designed to cover ones medical expenses if needed during the trip. There are also group health insurance plans which can be availed by a group. However, most of the insurance plans available today will only cover medical expenses in trips which are done inside the ‘coverage areas.’ It’s best to be able to ask the insurance provider regarding these things before availing a medical travel insurance policy.

Accidental death during flight

Many insurance providers give accidental flight death insurance as a part of their insurance policies. Sometimes, they give it as an option.

Listed below are some tips on how one can go about availing quality and suitable travel policies for his trips.

1. Before getting a new travel insurance policy, one should double check his existing insurance policies. There might be some coverage with regards to traveling in the existing policies that one possess and it would be a waste of money to pay for something that has already been covered.

2. Know what is the best type of insurance is best for the trip. Getting a travel insurance is really dependent on the situation of the destination and the other factors that come into play such as one’s age and health conditions.

3. Know the policy. One should know whether things like international coverage, emergency evacuation, accidental death, remains repatriation and family travel insurance are covered by the policy..

These are some tips on how to avail travel insurance. The point is life is unpredictable and it’s better to have insurance especially for travel purposes. Insurance is a real must when traveling.

Michael Contaro
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-basics-of-travel-insurance-67823.html

Recent research has shown that the average 65 year old will face a huge premium rise when they reach 66. Worse still, once over the age of 70 a similar leap in price can be expected according to moneysupermarket.com.

Insurance companies express the shared opinion that this is due to pre-existing health problems being an important factor.

Because of this, it is becoming increasingly difficult for those belonging to the over 65’s age group to find cheap travel insurance . This can be seen to be due to the fact that, like any insurance policy, it is a matter of risk assessment. Physically a person of this age is more likely to have a health condition or develop one during the length of cover and so a higher policy price is inversely created.

An increasing problem seen in relation to this is the ability of some travel insurance brokers to supply policies without gathering enough relevant information. This can allow pre-existing health factors to be overlooked on drawing up the policy and leave a claimant wide open when this is discovered at a later date.

This can be particularly relevant as certain companies offer “one size fit’s all” type policies with a standard price and coverage.

To conclude, I would say it is important when applying for holiday insurance to be as honest as possible and give all relevant information to the company. Specify any existing health problems so they do not create a loop hole at a later date and notify the policy issuer of any changes during the life of the policy. Avoid purchasing a package in a retail environment that is not generally tailored to travel and may not be able to supply the help and advice you may need.

A good deal can still be had, but a little more time and effort may be required to find it.

chris rowlands
http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/is-travel-insurance-penalising-the-over-65s-132795.html

Taking that adventure vacation has its risks and dangers. The adventure travel insurance help give you that peace of mind. The adventure travel insurance that you decide on should cover you for the particular sport or activity you will be undertaking. If you have decided to go kayaking or mountain climbing you will need to make sure you adventure travel insurance covers those activities, so you do have the required coverage incase an accident occurs. You may also add or get options added to your adventure travel insurance to include similar activities.

Imagine we are in the UK to go snowboarding and to do some skiing as well. You should probably consider adding an option to your adventure travel insurance to include the Channel Islands and the beautiful Northern Ireland and distinguish whether your policy is annual, less than a year or whether for a specific time frame you had in mind. Additionally there are two tiers or levels of adventure travel insurance while visiting the UK. The level you select will be dependent on your needs and budget considerations.

You will need to consider purchasing adventure travel insurance when visiting countries in Asia. Don’t overlook or avoid this. If your trip happens to include some courtiers in Asia such as Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam and your sports may very well include rock climbing or scuba diving; it really is in your best interest to purchase adventure travel insurance. Because if something happens you could be overwhelmed when dealing with unfamiliar Health Authorities in a foreign country.

Even when you are traveling in the USA, your adventure could turn nasty. Make sure your adventure travel insurance covers you for all those activities that you want to undertake that involves a high level of risk. These high-risk activities normally wouldn’t be covered under a normal travel insurance policy. Generally speaking most US insurance companies will ask you for the type of activities that you will be doing while on your vacation so they can be added to your adventure travel insurance policy. Based on this information they will give you a quote for your adventure insurance policy.

Normally insurance companies that do offer adventure travel insurance can also take care of all your other travel needs, no matter where you decide to travel to in the world. Adventure travel insurance can include hundreds of different activities or sports.

Regardless of how dangerous or risky the adventure you decide to go on, a study has shown that travel insurance companies have paid out more for accidents that occurred in hotel rooms. Please remember that taking out an adventure travel insurance policy is in your best interest and will give you that peace of mind.

Kangaroo Jack
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-tips-articles/what-will-adventure-travel-insurance-will-cover-377663.html

http://www.holiday-travel.tohelpyou.info/leisure-travel/index.asp

It just takes a few minutes and some money.

Added:
If you need to apply for a Schengen visa a health insurances is compulsary. Asker mentions being a resident of the USA, not a citizen.