Ok, so let’s face it, when you buy travel insurance, you often don’t really expect that you will actually get ill while you are on holiday, and you certainly don’t anticipate falling ill before you go, having saved your money, prepared for months, and used up all of your remaining annual leave. But unfortunately this sometimes happens – no matter how prepared you are, you may end up falling ill abroad, or possibly beforehand, and need to cancel your trip. So we have put together some little hints and tips that should help if the worst happens, including how to go about making a claim from your travel insurance company.
Holidays aren't always all sun and fun...
> If you are feeling ill while on holiday, try to write down the symptoms. If you are familiar with the symptoms, use any suitable medication that you have with you –see the AllClear 4 you site for more information on travelling with medication. If the symptoms persist, seek medical help as soon as possible and notify your travel insurance company’s claims line immediately. If you fail to notify them on time, there might be delays in receiving the appropriate support from your insurers.
> While seeking medical treatment, inform your close relatives back home about the situation if you are travelling alone.
> It may be that you would rather travel home for further medical treatment. You should still be in touch with the claims line, as they can ensure all your travel arrangements back home are taken care of
> If you are hospitalised abroad, ensure you collect all the medical documents, bills etc from the hospital before you are discharged. Ensure you submit these documents as soon as possible to your Insurance company for claim reimbursement. Without adequate travel insurance, the costs for emergency medical treatment and repatriation could result in a hefty medical bill running into many thousands of pounds
> Always check with the Foreign Commonwealth Office for information regarding your holiday destination that may affect your health – for example a heat wave or cold snap
> Make sure your travel insurance covers you for cancellation and curtailment in case an unexpected medical condition, or another situation, arises causing you to cancel or cut short your holiday
> If you plan to participate in adventurous activities on your trip, make sure you have read your travel insurance policy wording beforehand to check you are actually covered to do these
> The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) may entitle you to free or discounted medical treatment in a European Union country but remember it’s no substitute for travel insurance as it does not cover repatriation or cancellation
> Given this information, it is a good idea to take some time exploring the many holiday insurance options, and that doesn’t always mean the cheapest. For example, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, it is important to check that your travel insurance policy covers them in case you fall ill abroad – take a look at AllClear for more information. Also, you should consider whether it is better to purchase single or annual multi trip insurance – annual insurance is often better value if you’re a regular traveller and travel more than once a year.
We hope this blog provides some useful information for you about your travel needs. If anyone has any additional information they would like to add, or have a question that is not answered, please do so in the comments box below.
Tags: AllClear, AllClear4you, EHIC, pre-existing medical conditions, Travel Insurance, travel insurance claims