It has always been essential to buy the right travel insurance to provide enough cover when things go wrong. Now that includes Covid cover.
What you should ensure your policy offers
While the over-50s may have received their Covid-19 vaccination, it is possible that people such as travel companions, children, grandchildren or possibly a family member they are planning to stay with abroad, may not have been vaccinated.
For this reason, it is essential that anyone booking a holiday buys a policy that offers protection should anyone on the policy, or whom the holiday depends on, contract Covid-19 and mean the trip is no longer able to go ahead.
With the toughening of border restrictions and the requirement for those entering the UK to provide proof of a negative Covid test, holidaymakers will need to may sure their travel insurance policy covers them for unexpected costs, such as accommodation or food expenses, should any of their travelling party test positive on their return home and need to isolate abroad.
Cover for failed Covid-19 pre-departure tests
The British government recently introduced a new ‘test to release’ scheme requiring arrivals to the UK to provide proof of a negative PCR or rapid antigen test, taken less than 72 hours before departure.
The scheme came into force on Monday 18 January and is starting to become a major concern for those hoping to book a holiday after the travel ban is lifted.
The worry of failing a test and being stuck abroad is enough to put anyone off booking a holiday. So, in an attempt to save Brits post-Covid escapes, Holidaysafe has announced that it will provide additional cover to passengers if they fail their pre-departure Covid-19 test and are denied boarding on their return.
Travellers will be covered for additional accommodation and return transportation costs should they need to stay overseas in the country they had been visiting for an extra 14 days to isolate, as long as they did not travel against government or medical guidance.
Holidaysafe has also partnered with PCR test provider Rightangled, allowing holidaymakers who buy their insurance through the brand to receive a discount on their PCR test.
Be aware of what Covid-19 cover is NOT available
Remember the majority of travel insurance providers do not offer cancellation cover as a result of changes in government advice related to Covid-19.
This means that travellers will not be able to claim for lost costs due to their holiday destination being removed from a travel corridor, or their home region being put under regional restrictions, preventing them from going away.
So, anyone planning a holiday should book through a provider that has flexible terms and conditions, so that should new restrictions be imposed, holidaymakers can either receive a full refund or be able to change their trip to a later date.
Declare any new, previous, or existing medical conditions
Many people fear telling their insurer about medical conditions as they worry that it will cause their premium to increase. However, what many people don’t realise is that the price of a policy doesn’t always go up as a result of declaring a condition. It is crucial that any existing or previous medical conditions are declared to travel insurance providers, no matter how big or small, as failure to do so could cause a delay in receiving treatment, or worse, prevent holidaymakers from being covered at all – leaving them with a hefty medical bill to foot themselves.
