Travel services

Travel Insurance

We know, we know, talking about travel insurance and fine print and all that is the cheapest sleeping pill on the market. But if you're going to travel, you need to play it safe and get yourself some holiday insurance. We all get a little careless but we really don't want you to end up in debt for decades because you got a little sloppy on a scooter in Rome.

Travel insurance is available from travel agencies, student travel organisations and general insurance companies. You should be able to find cheap travel insurance - unless you're aiming for North America, where your premium will skyrocket. Get squinty and really scour that fine print before you sign.

With any luck, you'll get through your travels suffering from nothing worse than blisters or chronic embarrassment. But you never know. Buy a policy with medical cover up to USD$1,000,000 and shop around for a policy with a low excess (ie the amount you'll have to shell out before the insurance company picks up the tab). Make sure that it covers repatriation (evacuation to your home country rather than the nearest regional medical facility) and that repatriation means being flown home and not to the country where you bought the travel insurance. Speaking of geography, check you and your travel insurance company agree on exactly which countries are included in the continents you'll be covered for. What do they understand by Europe, for instance? Are Turkey and Russia included?

Check whether your policy obliges you to pay on the spot and redeem the money later, or whether the company will pay the providers direct. If you have to claim later, hang on to all documentation. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, make sure you're covered. It's usually no problem if your condition is diagnosed and stable, but all policies vary.

With any travel insurance policy, it's very important not to visit a country that your government authority has advised against travelling to - if you do, it could invalidate your travel insurance. Some insurance policies will still pay out if your visit is within seven days of your destination being named - others won't.

Feeling sporty? Not so fast! Have a look at the list of sports and activities you're covered for. Often you'll be allowed one or two bungee jumps within a policy but will have to pay twice as much if you want to do something more risky, like gliding. Snowboarding and scuba diving are often not included at all.

Finally, is your policy flexible? You may well be having such a fantastic time you want to stay longer. Make sure you can extend your policy while you're away rather than having to take out a fresh policy for your extended time.