Honesty - Why It Matters With Family Travel Insurance

Most family travel insurance providers ask you a standard series of questions about yourself and the other members of your party. But why is it that some people intentionally put down false information? What do they think they will gain from doing so and what will they actually stand to lose because of this misinformation?

What are the more common questions?

Let’s start with the questions that group and family travel insurance providers often start with. These will typically cover:

• Age of all participants• Destination of the trip• Date of the trip• Length of the trip• Accommodations • Venues to be visited • Activities to be undertaken • Pre-existing medical conditions

These questions are not asked for trivial reasons. All of them will affect the premium you will need to pay. Medical coverage will be determined by the age and existing conditions of the participants. The destination will determine whether you will pay less due to pre-existing health coverage agreements (like the EHIC for EU states) or more if the coverage is not there. The date and length of the trip will determine the costs of cancelling, while your accommodations will determine your exposure to the risk of crime or disease. And, finally, the activities you will undertake during the vacation will determine if you will need to add coverage for hazardous activities.

Why lie?

Simple: people lie so their costs will be cut down. Some think that shaving years off their age reduces the risk factor, while hiding luxurious accommodations will give the illusion that they don’t have a lot of money and will thus be charged less. Some even fail to mention pre-existing conditions or the riskier events and activities they plan to undertake in order to shave off the expenses. The problem here is that these folks can end up paying a lot more when they find out that the protection they were hoping would protect them just isn’t there.

What are the costs of lying?

Let’s clear this up: family travel insurance providers are very, very specific about what they will and won't cover. These providers are institutions that work within the rule of law, not friends or family that can be emotionally won over to cover for the mistakes you make. Even the most generous provider that fulfils all its obligations in good faith will protect you only from the threats that you pay for – nothing else. You can bet they will scrutinize every claim that comes their way with a fine-toothed comb. They will find out whether that broken leg was due to a horse-riding accident that you didn’t mention on your itinerary, or that trip to the hospital was due to a heart condition that you failed to bring up.

This is why lying to your provider during the screening process is never a good idea. Omitting crucial information is just as bad, especially since you can’t use ignorance as an excuse in cases like this. It is much better to answer as clearly, honestly and concisely as you can when you are screened.

Oh, and one last thing: this goes both ways. You need to read the fine print before paying and then signing an agreement so you know exactly what you are covered for. This is especially true if you need more comprehensive group or family travel insurance to cover all bases on your holiday.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including family travel 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.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.