You’ve booked the flights, sorted the accommodation and started counting down the days. That’s the admin sorted, right? Not quite. Travel insurance should be the crucial final step of your holiday planning.
When you’re fitting your holiday around long shifts and on-call rotas, travel insurance can sometimes end up as an afterthought. But leaving it until the last minute is one of the most common mistakes people make when booking holidays.
Read on for our breakdown of how travel insurance works and the common mistakes to avoid when choosing it, so you can get back to looking forward to your trip.
For most travellers in most situations, yes, you do need travel insurance. Although not all countries legally require you to have travel insurance as part of their entry requirements, many specify that you must have it – and for good reason.
Travel insurance covers you in the scenarios that you hope never happen: holiday cancellations, injuries, illnesses and emergencies. If something happens that means you need to cancel your trip, come back early or receive medical treatment while away, your travel insurance can help cover eligible costs. Without it, you could end up in a difficult situation that comes with added financial strain.
Still unsure of why travel insurance is so important? The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office offers helpful examples of certain medical expenses abroad. Breaking your leg in Spain without travel insurance can cost as much as £25,000+. Meanwhile, getting a stomach bug or infection in the USA, with possible medical repatriation (getting sent home for treatment), could cost an enormous £150,000+.
Unless you feel completely comfortable taking on the financial risk of becoming unwell abroad, travel insurance is highly recommended.
Many people assume that travel insurance only kicks in when they land in their destination. In reality, a comprehensive policy covers you from the day you take it out – meaning you’re protected even if something goes wrong before you leave.
For Blue Light Card members, plans can change at short notice. A sudden illness, injury, unexpected shift change or emergency can upend a holiday that’s already been paid for. Flights, hotels and package deals often aren’t refundable, so if you don’t have insurance in place by the time you need to cancel, you may not get that money back.
The solution is simple: make travel insurance part of your holiday booking process rather than a last-minute purchase.
Travel insurance covers a range of situations, depending on the specific policy, destination and activities you have planned. Here’s a breakdown of the main areas to look out for:
If you need to cancel your trip before you go or cut it short once you’re there, your travel insurance policy may be able to help. Often, reasons for cancellation such as illness, injury or bereavement are covered so you can get money back on non-refundable costs like flights and accommodation. Not all policies cover curtailment, but those that do can support with costs if you need to leave your holiday early.
Medical treatment abroad can be extraordinarily expensive – especially in the USA, where a single ambulance trip can cost hundreds of pounds, and hospital stays can cost tens of thousands. Even in European destinations, costs can add up fast. Having solid medical cover in place means you won’t face those bills alone should anything happen.
Lots of people travel to Europe from the UK thinking their Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC, which replaced the EHIC) acts as travel insurance. This is a common and potentially pricey misunderstanding.
In one case reported by the ABI, “GHIC paid for 80% of the cost of treating injuries from a fall in France, but this still left £16,000, including return to the UK on a stretcher. These costs were covered by the travel insurer.”
The GHIC gives you access to state healthcare in the EU and select other countries at the same cost that a local resident would pay. That's useful, but it doesn't cover the cost of repatriation, private treatment or cancellation or curtailment costs. It's best to think of GHIC as a complement to travel insurance, not a replacement for it.
Missed departures, significant delays and cancellations are all situations where your policy may help by covering alternative transport, accommodation or other unexpected costs that arise.
Lost, stolen or delayed baggage is covered under many travel insurance policies, though limits vary. If you're travelling with expensive equipment like a camera, laptop or specialist kit, it's worth checking whether those items are covered or whether you need to declare them separately to get the full cost of them included in your policy.
If you accidentally injure someone or damage property while you're away, personal liability cover can protect you from claims made against you.
Every travel insurance policy is different, so make sure to check what’s included carefully before choosing your insurance. If you already have insurance, make sure you’re familiar with the inclusions and exclusions on your policy.
The biggest travel insurance mistake is not taking out any cover before travelling, as the potential costs can be extremely high should anything happen. Other than forgetting to get covered, here are some other common travel insurance mistakes to avoid:
Leaving it until just before you travel means you won’t be covered for anything that happens in the meantime – including the scenario that you need to cancel your entire trip.
Skipping disclosures on pre-existing medical conditions is one of the most common reasons for claims getting rejected later down the line.
This is especially worth noting for frontline workers – even if you have physical or mental health conditions related to work, they still need to be disclosed, whether that’s an anxiety diagnosis, hearing loss or a repetitive strain injury. Don’t be hesitant to share your condition. Not declaring it could leave you without cover when you need it.
If you're unsure whether something counts as a pre-existing condition, declare it anyway and let the insurer decide. It takes a few extra minutes when you buy the policy, and it could save a lot of stress if you ever need to make a claim.
Don’t assume everything is covered, as policies vary. Even if you’ve taken out similar insurance with the same provider in the past, you still need to read through your limits, exclusions and documentation to make sure everything you need is included.
If your trip includes activities such as skiing, cycling or water sports, check that these are explicitly covered in your travel insurance policy. Many insurers offer optional add-ons for winter sports or adventure activities. It's usually a modest extra cost, but without it, any injury sustained during an excluded activity may not be covered.
Once you understand the types of cover you need, the next step is to see how your options compare. Travel insurance policies vary depending on your destination, the length of your trip and the level of cover you choose, so prices and inclusions can differ between insurers.
With your Blue Light Card, you can get access to member offers with selected travel insurance partners – explore travel insurance deals to find out more.
If you only go away once a year, a single-trip policy is usually the most straightforward option. But if you take two or more trips in a year, an annual multi-trip policy often works out cheaper overall and involves less admin.
Annual policies typically cover an unlimited number of holidays per year up to a set duration of days per trip. If you choose multi-trip travel insurance, you just need to ensure that all the holidays you plan to take are covered by the policy inclusions.
It’s usually best to buy travel insurance as soon as you book your trip. In many cases, cover begins immediately, meaning you’re protected if you need to cancel before you travel.
Travel insurance can cover cancellations, medical treatment abroad, travel delays, lost or stolen baggage and personal liability. The exact cover depends on the policy.
Areas that may not be covered by travel insurance include hazardous sports and activities (which may be added to the cover as extras), drug or alcohol-related accidents, certain high-risk destinations and scenarios such as natural disasters.
Yes, many policies include cancellation cover if you need to cancel your trip due to illness, injury or other unexpected events, provided the policy is in place beforehand.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Blue Light Card has commercial relationships with some travel insurance providers and may earn a commission if you take out a product through our links, at no extra cost to you.
