The 5 Most Expensive Mistakes People Make With Travel Insurance

I think most of us would agree that travel insurance is pretty boring!

There are all those long pages of terms and conditions to read, clauses regarding all sorts of things you wouldn’t necessarily think of – it’s not exactly exciting!

Travel insurance suddenly becomes important when you need to claim on it!

In this article, we look at mistakes that may cost you money and offer easy, useful tips on what to look for when choosing your insurance policy.

Mistake #1: Buying the Cheapest Available Policy

It might look like a bargain – but it might lack some important cover you need.

• Make sure the policy covers your needs, and essentially, has specific cruise cover.
  • Standard travel insurance policies may not cover cruises at all.
• It should also cover travel delays and cancellations, as well as your valuables.

You don’t want to be stranded in another country if something were to go wrong.

Don’t already have a policy? Here are my quick recommendations (these are comparison websites, so will show you multiple quotes):

USA Recommendation (affiliate):
Aardy
UK Recommendation (affiliate):
Compare Your Cruise Insurance

Mistake #2: Not Claiming for Everything You’re Owed

People forget or don’t realise they can claim for things like:

• Missed ports.
• Flight delays.
• Baggage delays.

Small claims can add up, and you’re entitled to claim them.

Insurers certainly won’t chase you to remind you to make a claim!

Mistake #3: Not Declaring Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

You need to tell insurers about pre-existing medical conditions. If in doubt, ring and tell them. Otherwise, your whole policy could be void, and they won’t pay out.

• “Mild” conditions still count. Think:
  • Asthma
  • Blood pressure
  • High Cholesterol
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Mobility Impairments
  • Even HRT treatment.

Far better to be honest and upfront to avoid problems if you ever have to claim.

Mistake #4: Leaving It Too Late

As soon as you book the trip, think about insurance, would be my advice.

• Don’t book the trip, and forget the insurance.
• If something happens before you buy it, you will have no coverage if you cancel or can’t travel for any reason. Your money will be lost.
• Buy insurance as soon as you book your cruise.

If you travel at least twice a year, consider buying an annual travel insurance policy.

This can save you money, and you won’t have to worry whenever you book a new cruise!

Mistake #5: Thinking Nothing Will Go Wrong

It is easy to get blasé, thinking you have never needed to make a claim, so you never will.

• Just because you have never claimed, doesn’t mean you never will.
  • Accidents happen, travel plans get delayed, and you need to be covered.
• Medical bills, cancellations, or even lost bags can cost you dearly.
  • Even basic medical care in a ship’s medical centre can run into thousands of dollars.
  • If you are ill and have to be airlifted off a cruise ship, the cost could bankrupt you!

Find out about disasters that cruisers have had when they had no. or inadequate travel insurance here:

5 Cruise Nightmares Caused by Not Having The Correct Travel Insurance (Real-Life Examples)

Other Handy Tips

Here are some other handy tips that you might want to think about:

• Use a comparison website to get the cover you need at the best possible price.
  • Don’t assume that the policy offered by the cruise company is the best option. You could get more for your money by buying it independently.

Find out more about that here:

Should You Buy Your Travel Insurance Through The Cruise Line or Directly from an Insurance Company?

• Use personal recommendations where possible.
  • If you know someone who has claimed on their travel insurance and the process has been easy and trouble-free, it may be worth considering that company.
  • If not, read online reviews to see how others have fared with the insurance company you are considering.

Read my step-by-step guide on finding the right travel insurance for you here:

Cruise Travel Insurance – Why You Need it and How to Get It: (Step by Step Illustrated Guide)

Check the price of an annual policy and an individual policy. An annual policy may be far cheaper if you travel more than once a year.

If you are travelling as a family, consider a group policy rather than buying individual policies.

In most cases, individual policy members can also travel on their own and still be covered. Of course, check the T’s&C’s of your policy to confirm this.

Other Things To Look Out For:

• Trip length
  • Some policies only cover trips of up to 14 days – you may need longer.
• Policy Excesses
  • Some policies have an excess, which means you have to pay a certain amount of the claim -similar to a car insurance policy.
  • It may be worth paying a little extra to get rid of these excesses.
    • Otherwise, you might find yourself in the situation where you can’t claim your missed port cover, because by the time you have paid the excess, you won’t get any money back anyway!
• Bank Account Insurance Policies
  • May not cover cruises, or pre-existing medical conditions – check if you are relying on a bank account travel insurance policy that it does.
  • You may be able to have these elements added at an extra cost.
• Make sure that the policy has adequate coverage for the cruise line’s requirements.
  • P&O cruises, for example, require you to have a minimum of £2 million in medical and repatriation cover.
  • Check the requirements for the cruise company you are travelling with before you take out the policy.

Don’t already have a policy? Here are my quick recommendations (these are comparison websites, so will show you multiple quotes):

USA Recommendation (affiliate):
Aardy
UK Recommendation (affiliate):
Compare Your Cruise Insurance

Before You Go

Find out about travel insurance for river cruises here:

Do You Really Need Cruise Cover for a River Cruise? Here’s What You Might Not Know!

Find out what happened when my suitcase was left at Venice airport by the airline here:

My Suitcase Was Left Behind – Here’s How I Knew Before Everybody Else – and Got It Back