Thursday, April 23, 2015

Get Value For Money When Buying Family Holiday Insurance

So you've made the decision to get family holiday insurance before your next big getaway? While it is the right decision, it is also just the start of the process. The challenge now is what policy you are going to get and if it is going to suit the specific needs of your family. It may seem like an overwhelming minefield, but the key is identifying what you need and comparing that to what various companies offer.

Understand the Details

There are some travellers who are worried only about medical emergencies, especially if they are travelling with children. Meanwhile, others are more concerned about trip cancellation. Most companies will cover you for basic needs and a good policy should typically cover trip cancellation, baggage loss, and emergency medical assistance. However, this general coverage may still vary when it comes to the details. For example, companies may further specify the reasons for trip cancellation in what they will cover. Whether it is due to inclement weather, personal reasons, or the airline's fault, make sure that you know all the possible scenarios so that if your flight does get cancelled, you will know if you are covered or not.

Know What is Typically Not Covered

Just as important as knowing the details of what is covered in your family holiday insurance, understanding what is not included is also crucial. The tricky thing about this is that there are some people who assume things not listed in the policy are included but just too obvious to point out! Not true. To be on the safe side, and to prevent you having to shell out money in specific emergencies, it is better to know what you are not being covered for - and, again, the devil is in the details. For instance, while most insurance companies offer medical assistance in case of accidents during your holiday, this health benefit does not cover pre-existing conditions. Another example would be coverage for missed departure for direct flights but not on connecting flights.

Find Out If You Can Tailor Your Policy

Once everything is crystal clear as to what is included and not included in your family holiday insurance, it becomes easier to further tailor the policy to fit your family. If any family member has a medical condition that needs special attention, you may be able to specify it in the policy and perhaps forgo other items that are not concerns. Not only can it be easy to add and remove items in the policy according to your family's needs, this process also allows you to allot a budget properly and avoid unnecessary expenses.

So, while getting insured for your trip is a wise decision, you still need to pay attention to the details in order to get your money's worth.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including family holiday insurance, annual, multi-trip and single-trip insurance. For all your travel cover needs, Insuremore can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.