Policy terms and conditions vary widely. Extreme sports such as bungee jumping and quad biking, for example, are often excluded. And some companies will not pay out for incidents that happened when you were under the influence of drink or drugs. You should be able to find a list of “hazardous” sports that an insurer does and doesn't cover within the policy wording. If you're not sure, get in touch with the provider to double check.
How long are you travelling for?
The length of your trip may not even cross your mind when you are thinking about travel insurance. However, insurers impose a limit on the length of time you are covered. That’s why it’s vital to check this carefully and stick to it, as your policy will be invalidated if your holiday goes over the specified number of days.
Check your country is covered
When you buy your travel insurance policy, you will either have the option of buying a European policy or a worldwide one.
While it may sound obvious, double check that the country you are travelling to is actually covered, as insurers vary in their treatment of certain places such as Egypt, Turkey, the USA, Canada and the Caribbean.
Missed flights
Frustrating as it is, if circumstances beyond your control – such as transport delays to the airport – result in you missing your flight, you may not be covered.
If this is important to you, you should therefore double- and triple-check what your policy includes. Be aware too that, even if your policy does cover missed flights, your insurance company may require proof that you left yourself plenty of time to get to the airport before paying out.
