Category: Travel

Choosing a travel insurance policy is not exactly an exercise one looks forward to with excitement. You rarely find anyone who is enthusiastic about premiums, the extent of cover, and the feeling of putting pen to paper on a policy document! Most people would much rather be wistfully imagining rolling waves, endless beaches, imposing monuments and mountains of fun.

But putting effort into finding the right policy is as important as putting effort into the itinerary of your trip, especially if you travel frequently.

Why face risk?

You may be an optimist, feeling yourself impervious to danger or thinking that most hazards in strange places are exaggerated by the fearful; or you may be a pessimist, feeling sure that if the worst could happen, its bound to happen to you. Risk does not care either way. A realist realises that risks are dependent not merely on your outlook, but the nature of your trip and destination. This is why for the frequent traveller, annual travel insurance is never a waste of money. In the event of an accident, injury, mishap or loss that affects you, your family or your belongings, you will not regret having the safety net of a solid policy.

Why waste money?

Once the regular traveller realises, however begrudgingly, the need for a solid policy, attention invariably turns to money. Since it all lies in the realm of risk and potential, you should ensure you only pay for what you need. The benefit of good annual travel insurance plans is that they focus on giving the consumer plenty of options, while making sure that in light of the destination and type of trip to be taken, you’re not paying for anything you won’t need.

Why waste time?

Your travel time is precious – and so is the time taken to plan every trip. Buying a separate policy every time not only wastes money, it consumes time. This is why annual travel insurance is so helpful. Furthermore, it gives you a chance to focus even more on making the most of a short business hop to Brussels, taking advantage of a regular foray into the Amazon for an ongoing field study, or spending your cash beach-hopping around the Mediterranean.

Why not benefit?

The greatest benefit of annual travel insurance lies in the peace of mind it gives you. But you also have access to extras like free cover for children, free cover for cruises and golf gear, 24 hour contacts, and even bonus access to certain perks. This makes your cover seem less like strain and more like shopping! But all the while you should remember that you can’t put a real price on peace of mind.

Holidays used be a luxury: generations ago, the idea of crossing nations was intimidating for its expense and difficulty, while the concept of crossing oceans was only possible for the lucky few. Nowadays, packing your bags for a trip is almost an expectation for many middle-class families, and the travel industry is booming.

The need for travel insurance has grown as well and, while many travel now and then, there some families and individuals who can afford regular trips. If this is the case for you and your family, you need to consider how to make annual travel insurance work for you.

Choose the right provider

The first step is probably the most obvious. Choosing the provider of your policy comes with its own set of expectations, including reliability, efficiency, and, of course, value for money. But picking an annual travel insurance policy from the plethora of companies flooding an already bursting market can seem daunting. The key is to focus on the quality of a provider’s guarantees, matched with the openness and simplicity of their plans. Solid, small and reliable firms are usually backed up by larger insurers, and offer plans which, while simple to quote and easy to book online, always come with a clear explanation of exactly what you can expect if you plan your regular trips. Choose wisely, and whether you’re heading off to Spain on short weekend trips or have a few conventions to cover in Ireland over the summer, you know you have a policy you can trust.

Choose the right plan

Even the smallest providers will offer a range of plans. It’s not always a simple matter of narrowing down a number of annual travel insurance plans offered by a few companies and going with your gut instinct. The intelligent way to make your plan work for you is to ensure you only pay for what you need. Year-round cover varies, and whether you are a businessperson, family, couple, or individual will, along with other factors, affect the efficacy and cost-efficiency of your plan. Checking the fine print will save you from paying for things you might never need.

Choose the right extras

The nature of annual travel insurance means that it’s is based on the rather pessimistic premise of portentous injury, accidents or loss of valuables. But even if the best-case scenario occurs and you never need to make a claim, a policy can be made attractive with some potential extras. Free cover for children, cover for cruises or golf equipment, 24 hour emergency contacts and other perks can make your plan work for you all the harder even harder – and save you money!