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5 Popular misconceptions about travel insurance

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Insurance of any kind can be quite a complicated thing – there are often lots of jargon terms used and understanding the levels of cover, and excesses etc, can be quite tricky. The AllClear Jargon Buster could help you here, but to help you even more, we wanted to put to rest some of the popular misconceptions about travel insurance.

Misconception 1: “If I don’t tell my insurers about my medical conditions they won’t find out”

Reality: If you do not tell your travel insurance provider about a pre-existing medical condition, then you will not be covered for any claim arising from or related to the condition. If you then need medical treatment abroad, this could work out very expensive. Make sure you get comprehensive travel insurance that includes your existing medical conditions.

Misconception 2:  “You don’t need travel insurance in Europe if you have an EHIC card”

Reality: Even if you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you’re not fully covered and should still take out travel insurance. This is based on official guidance from the FCO.

Why is that? An EHIC does not mean you are insured. Basically there are restrictions on the treatment available with an EHIC:

  • Few EU countries pay the full cost of medical treatment, even under the European Union’s healthcare arrangements. You still need sufficient travel insurance to cover healthcare costs.
  • In some countries, like Greece, the health service only covers medical treatment, and will not extend to feeding and personal care. But if you have travel insurance, this part of your healthcare will be covered by your travel insurance.
  • If you need an air ambulance home or you can’t travel home on your booked ticket, you could still face a bill of thousands. Just a simple broken ankle, for example, will often mean a medical escort home (usually required by the airline in case of complications in flight) and a first class seat for extra leg room.
  • You will not be covered if you  need extra accommodation to stay with a sick relative

    • 

Misconception 3: “I’ve got annual insurance so I’m covered for everything”

Reality: This is just not true. For example, even if you have annual travel insurance, you will only have winter sports cover if you have added it separately. This blog explains more.

You also need to check two things. First, does your policy have a limit on the number of days you can ski a year? Second, does your policy cover you for where you want to ski?

Misconception 4: “My travel insurance will cover all my costs”

Reality: Make sure you check your policy limits before you buy, as there will be maximum limits on payouts. Also, you will often need to pay an excess (The portion of a claim which must be paid by you, the policy holder). Remember to check the excesses in the policy booklet before you actually buy the policy.

Medical treatment abroad can be very expensive (particularly in certain countries like the USA) so make sure you have sufficient medical expenses cover – many will cover you for millions.

In the same way, check the maximum payout value for cancellation cover. If you are going on a luxury holiday, you may find that the cost of your holiday is more expensive than the standard payout offered in your policy, so make sure you check if you are covered. Some travel insurance providers may offer additional cancellation cover for these circumstances, like AllClear Cruise.

 Misconception 5: “I need to allow an extra few days for my travel insurance, just in case the return flight is delayed”

 Reality:  This is incorrect, you are normally covered by your travel insurance if your flight is delayed. You just need to use the actual dates of your holiday.

Remember, if you are in any doubt about what you are covered for, find out before you go from your travel insurance provider. Also, you can ask any questions below, and we will do our very best to help…

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Stay healthy on your hols!

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

We are approaching the summer school holidays, the busiest time of the year for us Brits to go on holiday. Time for lots of sun, sea, and sand.

But today, I wanted to talk to you a little more about travelling to these exotic destinations. How many times have you noticed that you get off the plane at your destination, or return home, with a little case of the sniffles. Well, that’s because, aircraft cabins are a breeding ground for cold viruses and other germs (the Times article)

So given that many of us will be jetting abroad over the next few weeks, I thought now would be a good time to let you know how to keep these germs at bay.

Unfortunately, the cabin of an aircraft is the perfect environment for lots of different bacteria and viruses that cause the common cold. Hundreds of passengers in a relatively confined space, with restricted ventilation, means it is inevitable that you end up breathing in air that has recently been exhaled by your travelling companions. Modern airliners recycle as much as 50% of the cabin air to improve engine efficiency and save fuel.

The half that is recycled passes through microfilters designed to remove airborne particles.  But viruses are tiny and some inevitably slip through even when the filters are working at peak efficiency. Older airliners may circulate fresh air, but these means bigger costs, and more fuel usage, to condition this air. However, research doesn’t seem to back the widely held belief that the cost-cutting behind air recirculation in modern planes is putting passengers at greater risk of infections. One study compared infection rates in people flying on planes that use recycled air compared with those using only fresh air. Researchers from the University of California followed more than 1,500 travellers on the two different types of aircraft and found similar reported rates of colds in the week after the trip — 19% on the planes that recirculated air; 21% on those that didn’t.

So catching a cold on a plane doesn’t seem to be a risk of air conditioning. However, regardless of the mechanism behind catching a cold on a plane, it appears to be an unavoidable complication of sitting in a confined space with hundreds of other people.

So what can you do to try and protect yourself from catching these colds?

There is very little that you can do about picking up airborne viruses. You could try using nasal sprays containing zinc, but trials suggest that, if they do help, the protective effect against colds is likely to be very small.  

However, while you be able to do little about air-borne viruses, good basic hygiene can reduce the risk of picking viruses or bacteria up from contaminated surfaces such as armrests, door handles, taps and flushes. Wash your hands carefully after using the toilet and before eating, and pack alcohol-based hand sanitisers in your hand baggage. You can also carry antibacterial wipes and use these to clean the plastic armrests and tray-table.

So before you go jetting off on your holidays, just remember these few tips that may help (and some more here), and make sure you have travel insurance to cover you, just in case of a more serious illness than a cold.

But the important thing to remember is that, once that plane journey is finished, you then have that lovely holiday to look forward to! So all that remains to say is, if you do have a holiday booked over the summer holidays, I hope you have a fantastic time.

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Do you know how to keep yourself safe in the sun?

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
travel in the sun travel insurance

Do you know how to keep yourself safe in the sun during your holiday?

With all the rainy weather we have been having in the UK, you might not have been worrying too much about the sun. However, today was still the first official day of summer and if you have a summer holiday planned, you will likely be packing your sun cream, so it is something that you can ‘t really avoid. Sun, like so many other things that we enjoy (cakes, chips and sleeping to name just a few) is good for us, but in moderation. The problem is, this is often something we forget when we expose our pasty bodies to those 2 weeks in the sun!

So, first of all the good stuff about sun. Sunlight is a source of natural light and energy. It helps our body produce Vitamin D, which is vital for our general health and well being. 

And now the bad stuff. Excessive exposure to the sun’s rays is a health hazard due to the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation on the skin.  A sun tan is effectively the visible damage to the skin from ultraviolet rays.  The sun emits two types of ultraviolet rays:

UVA -  these penetrate deep into the skin and can trigger allergies and cause premature ageing and wrinkling.

UVB – these affect the upper layers of the skin, triggering the production of melanin which causes tanning.   Excessive exposure to these rays can cause burning, freckling and thickening of the skin.  They can also cause skin cancers.

Ok, so we know all this, when the sun is blazing down in the Mediterranean, but here are some of the times when we are less likely to think about the sun, and why it still matters.

  • UVA and UVB are both present whenever the sun shines and can penetrate through cloud.  So even if you are unlucky enough to have an overcast day or 2 on holiday, the sun can still cause damage. Sun damage can also occur when reflected from sand and water, so remember this if you are on a cruise, even if it is breezy.
  • The sun can cause damage when you are actually in a really cold environment, or even when there is snow. For example, when you are skiing or hiking up a mountain. This is for 2 reasons – the snow reflects the sun, and at high altitude the intensity of the light increases as the sun’s UV rays are more concentrated. For each 300 metre gain in altitude, the sun’s intensity increases by 4%.
  • Being under water can be deceptive – you are still not protected from the sun.  The sun’s rays penetrate water and are effectively magnified, and in shallow waters the rays reflect off a sandy floor.  Snorkelers should always cover up with a tee shirt to prevent burning to their backs.  Scuba divers are generally OK due to their protective clothing and the fact that they are normally too deep for the UV rays to penetrate.

Staying safe in the sun tips

  •   Avoid exposure to the sun when it is at its highest point in the sky and UV levels are at their strongest,  generally between 10am  and 3pm
  • Always use a high factor sun screen.  Apply liberally 30minutes prior to exposure and reapply frequently particularly after swimming and vigorous exercise. Remember the re-application of a given factor does NOT mean that the protection time is doubled
  • Cover up with a wear a wide brimmed hat to protect the head and face, long sleeved shirts and sunglasses.
  • Children are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of sunlight.  Babies under 9 months of age should never be exposed to direct sunlight and young children should always have a high SPF waterproof sunscreen applied.
  •  Take time to acclimatise to high temperatures, drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids and don’t do anything too physically demanding.

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Middle-aged are grumpy because happiness is U-shaped

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
travel insurance for the elderly

Our happiness follows a u-shaped curve, dependent on our age. Are you happy?

 

Just approaching middle age? Already there? Happiness follows a U–shaped curve during a person’s lifetime, according to research showing that middle–aged people are the unhappiest.

Satisfaction with life starts to drop as early as a person’s late 20s and does not begin to recover until well past 50, according to this article.

While young adults are carefree and full of hope for the future and the over–50s have come to terms with the trials of life, the research indicates that those in the middle feel weighed down by the demands on them. The ageing population means an increasing number of middle–aged adults are caught between the responsibilities of raising their children and looking after their elderly parents.

The conclusions come in a study of how people perceive their wellbeing. This research was presented at the Royal Economic Society annual conference at Royal Holloway, the University of London, this week. Although, happiness does return with age, according to the research, older people do not actually recapture the spirit of their youth. They simply learnt to be satisfied with their lot.

Studies around the world have shown that happiness tends to dip in midlife, he said, and that this was not just a phenomenon confined to the Western world.

Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology at University College London, said happiness could peak as late as 80. This is due to an easing of the responsibilities of middle age, maturity and an increased focus on the things we enjoy.

According to a study by the American National Academy of Sciences, based on a survey of 341,000 people, enjoyment of life begins an upward trend in the late 40s and does not peak until 85.

Older people today can benefit from better health and opportunities than previous generations, and research also suggests that our command of language and ability to make decisions increase with age.  Our capacity to concentrate on the parts of life and activities we enjoy, while cutting out things that we dislike, is also said to increase with age.

Ok, so a bit of a dreary post if you are coping with middle age, but quite positive if you have passed middle age – you have lots to look forward to! But if you are middle-aged, now is probably the time to book some holidays to cheer yourself up! Don’t forget your travel insurance!

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What is the secret of a long life?

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Elderly travel insurance

Do you know the secret to a long life?

No, we have not stumbled onto the plot of a Harry Potter-esque book, and are talking about a magic potion. Instead, we are talking about things that are a little more mundane, but could still be the secrets behind us living longer.

Walter Breuning, who was the world’s oldest man, has died aged 114, but he has left some tips for his long life.

He said keeping your mind busy, eating just two meals a day, working hard and always being open to change were his secrets to his record-breaking life.

Now we think that  holidays and exploring new parts of the world are probably another good secret to a long life. But what do you think? Do you agree? What are your tips??

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Worried about strikes?

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

We all know the feeling, you have your holiday booked, you have been looking forward to it for ages, and everything is paid for, and then you hear the awful news – there is a strike that impacts on one of your travel routes.

For example, there has been a lot of talk about potential BA strikes at Easter. So here we give you some hints about what you can do if you get caught up in a strike…

  • Travel Insurance: Make sure that you have travel insurance to protect yourself against any potential strike action from a plane, train, coach or ferry company. This will then cover you against potential losses should your flight or travel plans be disrupted. Make sure you check the small print that your cover includes industrial action. Remember, you will not be covered for strike action if the strike was already announced before you get your insurance – so it is always advisable to book your travel insurance as soon as possible.
  • Before travel: Make sure you have provided up to date contact details for your airline or other travel mode, as they may contact you if strike action takes place.
  • Check the law: If your flights gets cancelled altogether because of a strike, you should be entitled to a full refund or a reroute under EU law.

For further information  on the possible BA strikes check out http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/mar/29/ba-strike-passengers-buy-travel-insurance and  http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/apr/03/ba-easter-strike-ready-take-off?INTCMP=SRCH

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Do you need some sunshine in your life?

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

travel insurance for the elderly

How much do you enjoy the sunshine when you are on holiday?

‘After 70 years of age all is trouble and sorrow,” observed Robert Burton in his 17th-century treatise The Anatomy of Melancholy (read more here)

Now that might be a bit of an exaggeration nowadays, but one thing that we can notice as we get older is age-related disturbances of body rhythm – particularly the pattern of sleep and waking. How many older people do you know who get up incredibly early in the morning for example, even though they are retired, or don’t go to sleep until 2am – or are you one of those people?

Well there is some treatment for these disturbed sleep patterns, according to a report in the Archive of General Psychiatry . This is Bright Light Treatment. Just three weeks’ worth of light treatment produced a significant improvement in mood, comparable to that achieved by drugs, along with an increase in ”sleep efficiency’’. This form of treatment, he suggests, “provides a viable alternative to those who refuse, resist or are unable to take antidepressant medication”.

An interesting idea. Or maybe we all just need lots more holidays in the sunshine instead!? Remember, AllClear can provide specialist travel insurance for the elderly or if you have any existing medical conditions.

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Are you really happy?

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

 

travel insurance for the elderly

Do you know how to be happy?

Are you really happy? Do you know how to make yourself happy? Well, a new organisation called Action for Happiness wants to spread the message of how we can change the world for the better.

Now a lot of the tips are pretty obvious…

  • Exercise is a key factor in health and wellbeing

But some make you think a little more:

  • Thanking people each evening for the good they have done you during the day serves as a protection against mild depression.

For much of the past century the best route to happiness was thought to be economic growth. Yet for all the new technological developments we see every day, innovations in things are not always likely to make us happy. Instead, your happiness is likely to be most affected by a holistic childcare centre for children or a hospice for the very old, a reading group or a bicycle hire scheme or an urban farm.

The problem is, according to this article, there are thousands of brilliant projects to improve happiness, but there is no clear system in place to decide which products get funding or support and can be scaled up enough to make an impact.

However, this idea of increasing happiness through social innovations has interested the government here, and in countries such as France and Canada. Barack Obama now has a small office for social innovation in the White House. Big corporations are also considering these new measures for happiness.

There is rising confidence in these social innovation ideas. For example, the award of the Nobel peace prize to Muhammad Yunus for his Grameen Bank is a classic example of a social innovation, providing small amounts of credit for poor women in rural Bangladesh.

Another factor is the changing shape of the economy. The industries of “wellness” look most likely to dominate the economy in 10 or 20 years time, as opposed to cars or steel or ships. Health is already a dominant sector in most societies and the one most guaranteed to grow.

There are also some good examples of business engagement in social innovation. For example M-Pesa, which uses mobile phones in east Africa to provide an entirely new banking system for poor people. This is a social innovation that promotes happiness, but is being run as a commercial operation.

Now ageing is a really good example of how to we need to think about improving our happiness. Life expectancy is rising by around three months every year and the evidence suggests that many of the most powerful factors determining how you age come from what you do, and what you do with others: whether you work, whether you play music, whether you have regular visitors – basically your level of social support.

So one thing to consider here is holidays, which can be a great chance to experience new cultures and meet new people as we get older. One problem here though – unfortunately, a lot of elderly people often find it difficult to get the comprehensive travel insurance that they need for their holiday. So, if you are looking for travel insurance, make sure you use a specialist provider, so you can get the insurance you need and go on your holiday, so improving your own happiness! All sounds good to me!

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How old are you??

Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Medical travel insurance

Our average lifespan is getting longer

You may consider that a bit of a rude question, but there is actually a very scientific reason for asking it. Basically, people have been living longer since 1800 – this makes sense with things like improved nutrition, medical care, technology, education and general quality of living.

I mean, check out this incredible stat: Every day the lifespan of the average British citizen increases by between five and six hours. That means that babies born today will life five or six hours longer, on average, than those who were born yesterday. So basically, if you were a baby born 2 weeks later than your due date, you could have an average lifespan a few days longer than other babies who would have shared your birthdate. Wow!

This trend is likely to continue every day this year and possibly for the rest of the decade. In 10 years, the average British lifespan will have risen more than two years. Compare this to 1800, when the average UK lifespan was 40. Today it stands at 77.7 for men and 81.9 for women.

The change in UK lifespans has depended on several factors. In the early decades of the 19th century it was mainly due to improvements in civil engineering: sewage works, clean water supplies and better housing. These reduced people’s exposure to deadly bacteria and viruses.

Then, at the end of the 19th century, provision of the first vaccines began to protect people from illnesses such as smallpox. And finally, after the second world war, the availability of penicillin and other antibiotics saved millions of lives and continued that lifespan rise. These developments prevented large numbers of people from dying in youth or middle age – a common occurrence before 1800.

But what about the future? Will this lifespan increase reach a plateau? Well, not yet, it seems….

This discovery is crucial. Some scientists had argued that our bodies are programmed to die at a given point, a process that would ensure populations would not be clogged up with the old and infirm. The relentless rise of lifespans has dispelled this idea.

However, most experts doubt rises can continue at the present rate. If they did, the average UK lifespan would be 100 by the end of this century and 120 by the next. In particular illnesses, like diabetes, which are linked to rises in obesity, are likely to have an effect on average lifespan. According to Dr Lynne Cox, expert on ageing processes, lifestyle choices can be a massive factor here – whether young people choose to change their ways, and become healthier adults in the future.

Ok, well here at Globebloggers we like to talk about holidays, so what does this relentless increase mean here? Well, basically if we are all living longer, we will hope to have more time to go on holidays, especially once we are retired.

But although our life span may be getting longer, we are still going to be at risk of developing various diseases as we get older (and this will particularly be dependent on our lifestyle choices, as Lynn pointed out).

So an important consideration for holidays is travel insurance for the elderly, especially if they have medical conditions. Difficulty in finding travel insurance shouldn’t be an obstacle to enjoying our holidays. However, unfortunately, a lot of elderly people, or those with medical conditions, often find it difficult to get the comprehensive travel insurance that they need. If you are looking for travel insurance, make sure you use a specialist provider, so you can get the insurance you need and travel with complete peace of mind. And remember AllClear Options is the first comparison site for medical travel insurance, so you can get a range of quotes here, and make sure you get the travel insurance that suits you.

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Families pay more for holidays

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
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Booking a half term break for the whole family, but what about the price?

 

I am assuming that this title above doesn’t surprise you – we are all aware that unfortunately, holidays that are during the school holidays cost more. Given that it was the Half Term school holiday for a lot of people 2 weeks, this issue could have been larger than life for you, as you tried to enjoy a short break.

In fact, according to this article, families are being charged up to 269%  more to go on holiday over the half-term break. On average, trips for the week of February 19 to 26, when most British schoolchildren were off, were 53% more expensive than going two weeks later.

It means a family of four, going to some of the most popular destinations including Florida, Lanzarote, Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Crete, will have to pay an average of £1,132 more. One four-star resort in Lanzarote was charging half-term guests an extra £4,619. Packages with flights departing from London airports had the biggest price increases – on average 67% more expensive than the same flights two weeks later.

And choosing to go abroad outside half-term is often not an option – parents risk large fines and children miss out on their schooling.

So what other options are there to try and reduce the cost? You might think waiting to book holiday extras until the last minute could save money, as the tour operators will be more desperate to sell. But that thinking would also be wrong. Car parking, travel insurance, currency and car rental could also add an additional £632 to a family holiday.

 Consumer adviser and Daily Express columnist Jasmine Birtles, from Money Magpie said: “Travel companies are trying to scoop money wherever they can. They have had a difficult past year, with the ash cloud and the financial situation, so they are just trying to get as much money where they can. They are picking on people who don’t have a choice.”

At AllClear, we agree with Jasmine Birtles, it is a real shame that holiday prices are on the increase for families, but unfortunately travel insurance are a necessary part of that expense, particularly if you need cover for medical conditions. However, at AllClear, we are trying to do our best to help you save that little bit on your holiday, with AllClear Options, the UK’s first medical travel insurance comparison site. With AllClear Options, you can get a range of medical travel insurance quote, and choose the one that suits you, at the price that suits you.

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