Global Tour, Touring, Cruise Insurance

Going global? Then you need international country-hopping cover

There are many ways to see the world, cruises, touring, organised tours. However you plan to travel, taking the holiday of a lifetime requires some organisation and the correct type of travel insurance policy to cover you for the trip.

International Travel Insurance

Where in the World...?

The level of medical insurance cover you need depends on -

1. Your destination - near or far away?
2. Your state of health - do you have a pre-existing medical condition?
3. Your attitude to risk.
4. What you'll be getting up to when you're there
5. Your destination - where are you going?

Some destinations are well dodgy. Check out the Know Before You Go section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) for advice on no-go areas.

If you're heading for remote areas of underdeveloped countries - Peru, say - where medical treatment isn't on tap, will your insurance meet the cost of getting you back home if you fall ill or get injured . . .? If you travel against Foreign Office advice, it's unlikely that your insurance will pay out.

Travel Advice

Travel advice is available from the following websites -

• MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad)
• Fit for Travel
• BBC Website
• UK Travel Health Site
• Travel vaccines/health (SPMSD.co.uk)

For up to date travel warnings/advisories check out -

United Kingdom - Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Your State of Health

If you have a medical history of any kind - high blood pressure, kidney problems, angina, breast implant, AIDS - whatever - then you have a pre-existing medical condition.

This means that the bog-standard insurance policy you buy from the travel agent along with your holiday needs to take this into consideration.

If you don't declare your condition to your insurer beforehand and you have problems as a result of that condition while on holiday, then your travel health insurance policy isn't worth the paper it's written on
More on pre-existing conditions.

As far as health is concerned, remember that:

• You need vaccinations for particular countries.
• Your GP or local travel clinic can advise on what's needed.
• Some vaccines need to be started about 8 weeks before travel, so arrange anppointment with your GP surgery or local travel clinic as early as possible to ensure you're protected.
• You may also require malaria medication/tablets some time before travel and mosquito repellant protection

Your Attitude to Risk

You might not give a damn, and think insurance is for sissies.

Alternatively, you might want to look into other avenues where you could already be covered.

For instance, some household contents insurance policies temporarily cover personal possessions ie, luggage, taken outside the UK.

If yours covers you for this, you won't want to pay twice. Consider ditching it from your travel insurance package.

Discounted Insurance

Some insurance companies will give you a discount if you dispense with personal possessions and personal money cover.

Nationwide, for instance, give a 12.5% discount on your travel insurance premium if you exclude personal possessions and personal money cover.

Your bank card or credit card provider - Access and Visa, for instance - offer travel accident insurance as part of the deal, but check the exact level of cover.

Often you're only covered for accidents while travelling to and from your destination - nothing else.

So don't whatever you do rely on the travel accident insurance that comes with your credit card.

It's unlikely to be full travel insurance and cover will fall short.

You'll still need to buy extra cover to provide the same level of protection as a standard travel insurance package.

One good thing about taking your Visa card abroad - it's accepted in over 20 million establishments and 630,000 ATMs in most countries throughout the world.

Take out a Visa card through Abbey National, for instance, and you can enjoy up to £100,000 free Travel Accident Insurance.

Use your card to pay for travel tickets in full and you'll receive free insurance cover against accidents whilst travelling to and from your destination.

What will I be doing?

Taking in the rays on the beach?

No problem, mon.

Your bog-standard holiday travel insurance policy will cover you for the basics.

But give the standard one-size-fits-all travel insurance package you buy from the high street travel agent a body swerve if you're likely to take part in activity pursuits such as

• jet skiing
• scuba diving
• mountaineering

Activity pursuits

Activity pursuits are excluded from many basic i.e. cheap insurance policies so if you're planning adrenalin-pumping stuff in France, Cyprus, Switzerland, Australia or wherever then you'll have to arrange specialist cover before your departure.

Adventure Holidays

Luckily adventure holidays are mega business nowadays.

There's no famine in the high street when it comes to suppliers so it's not difficult to organise cover for all the activities you'll take part in. It's a buyers market.

Did you know . . .?

• Almost 60 million foreign trips are made by UK citizens each year
• Of these, 1 in 5 don't take out medical cover
• According to the Association of British Insurers 2003 saw over 400,000 claims by UK travellers
• A recent survey showed that 20% of people visiting Europe took out NO medical insurance