Important Aspects to Consider For Family Travel Insurance

Travelling is an extremely personal experience, so is naturally customised from the flight details right down to what kind of food one prefers while abroad. Planning a holiday is imperative if things are to run smoothly and, especially for families who are on a budget, even small details are crucial to its success.

One of the most important components in the planning stage is figuring out what type of family travel insurance you need. While there are myriad options to choose from, this doesn't automatically make the process easier - on the contrary, it might even cause confusion to some when searching for the right policy. This is why it's so crucial to ask the right questions, starting with the following.

Do Pregnant Women Get Automatic Coverage?

When it comes to family travel insurance, pregnant women are considered high risk - especially those who are already in their third trimester. But being pregnant doesn't necessarily mean not being able to travel at all - it just means that you may need to observe more caution. (The rules, of course, vary depending on insurance providers.) If you've already purchased an annual family policy, if you're pregnant you might be able to get at least partial coverage (such as basic medical assistance) in select destinations. However, for a more thorough coverage, it's still best to update any existing policies and include flight cancellation or, if possible, comprehensive healthcare service abroad in case the baby comes early. Naturally, it might be a little more expensive than normal rates, but given the situation, getting a good policy is imperative.

Can You Cancel or Postpone For Any Reason?

This is one of the first questions that need to be cleared up. Basic family travel insurance may have coverage for flight cancellations due to inclement weather or terrorist threats in the city or country destination; however, there are many more possible reasons why you may need to cancel or at least postpone flights, and these possibilities need to be addressed accordingly. For instance, if a family member (especially a child) suffers a medical emergency on the day of the flight, everybody's flights would need to be cancelled as well. While perfectly understandable, there are some companies that will not refund the entire cost of the plane tickets. Specifying this possibility before buying your policy could at least ensure a partial refund in the event of cancellations for any reason.

Does Your Policy Include Collision Coverage?

Some people think that travelling to another country means mainly public transport or walking everywhere. This might be true for short trips and relatively short distances between towns in some countries, but when planning a month-long holiday with the entire family, it often makes more sense to rent a car in order to be able to get around conveniently. This is where the collision coverage comes in handy in a family travel insurance policy. However, as much as it offers convenience, driving abroad also has its risks. Getting cover for any vehicular damages due to collision is a great idea, however this needs to be on top of an already existing medical policy covering any injuries sustained.

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.