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Cheap Travel Insurance
When looking for cheap travel insurance the minimum cover you need
is for medical expenses, loss of luggage and documents, cancellation,
accident, legal expenses and personal liability.
If you are backpacking, you may not wish to have baggage cover but
you still need a clause to cover the cost of replacing something
such as a stolen passport.
Some items, such as loss of money, may be covered by your household
insurance policy. So you could save costs by excluding this from
the travel policy.
Don't just accept any insurance package presented by your travel
agent when booking a holiday. Just like any other insurance, it
pays to shop around.
Supermarket giants such as Sainsburys and Tesco as well as Boots
and the Post Office have all entered the travel insurance market,
offering lower prices than those available through most high-street
travel agents. Promotional material is available in their stores
and the insurance can be bought by telephone or online.
Medical expenses abroad can be frightening. A serious illness
in somewhere like the USA can cost a fortune.
The cost of insurance depends on where you are going and for how
long. Apart from the very elderly, age makes little difference.
Costs have come down drastically in the last few years as increasing
numbers of insurers, including supermarkets and the internet-only
providers, have entered the market offering competitive premiums.
Travel insurance is said to cost around 40% more from travel agents
than it is from these newer providers.
Generally, insurance will cost twice as much for travel to North
America as it will for Europe. Other destinations lie somewhere
in between.
If you go away more often, then look at annual travel policies.
These cover any overseas trips, including winter sports, up to 31
days at a time.
If backpacking, and away for several months, then you will need
a special policy to cover yourself. Policies by STA Travel and Insure
& Go offer good value for money.
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