Family Holiday Insurance Tips
|It’s summer, meaning that we’re in the middle of peak times for holidays. Our family likes to have a little getaway at least once every summer, but before we go, we always make sure that we have the right holiday insurance policy for our clan. It may seem like a small detail, but having coverage has helped us out quite a few times, even for incidents as small as having lost luggage.
I get loads of questions about our holiday insurance, from how we decided on a plan to how to claim for an accident abroad, so I decided to put together a little explainer to cover some of those questions.
Travelling is stressful enough, but that stress is compounded when you’ve got little ones along on the journey. That was our biggest reason for getting holiday insurance; we wanted to be covered in case an accident ever happened. And with our policy, we have coverage that would help us in the event of hospitalisation or a flight cancellation (or other itinerary change). It’s also useful if one of us is involved in an accident that ends in damage to someone else’s property. None of us want to think about anything going wrong on holiday, but it’s a relief to at least know that we’re protected financially if something does happen.
But first, you have to sign up. We started by looking for an annual holiday plan since we like to travel year round. We also asked about extra coverage for overseas holiday claims in case we want to travel Europe. If you’re not a big traveller, you can find a family plan just for one holiday, but getting a yearly plan is more cost effective if you and your family get bitten by the travel bug.
When you sign up for a plan, make sure to disclose all of your health information, especially any medical conditions that you or your children may have, as this may affect your coverage. And if you plan to do certain activities associated with adventure tourism, such as kayaking, white water rafting or horseback riding, you should ask if you need extra coverage for these activities.
Lastly, don’t forget to look for ways to make your coverage less expensive. (You’ll have more money to spend on holiday!) For example, you may be able to save money by finding holiday insurance online. And if you have homeowner’s insurance or auto insurance, check for provisions that cover you while you’re on holiday, such as compensation for lost or stolen items or medical coverage while on a road trip.
Family holiday insurance may not be the most fun part of planning your next holiday, but it could end up being the most useful. Save your family–and your next trip–by researching your options now.