While it would be nice to hear that one cheap holiday insurance package is good for everyone, the truth is that this is far from the case. As travel insurance providers are essentially working out the odds of anything going wrong when working out the price of insurance, it stands to reason that a beach holiday in Blackpool will not carry the same level of risks as backpacking through Africa. Here is a rough outline of the situations when you will need more expensive travel insurance in ascending order, though bear in mind that a longer stay will be more expensive, so in extreme circumstances a less risky activity (a stay in Paris) could be more expensive than a very risky one (off piste skiing) if the former is significantly longer than the latter.
Cheap Holiday Insurance for a UK Break
Naturally at the very bottom of the scale you've got travel insurance for those who aren't planning on leaving the country. Although you may wonder why there's significantly less risk is staying in the UK than hopping across to France, the answer can be summed up in one word: transport. Without needing to cross international waters and borders, the potential for things to go wrong is greatly diminished. There's no risk of cancelled flights, no risk of losing your passport and no foreign medical expenses to deal with. In general, everything runs a lot smoother, and subsequently the cost involved is low.
Slight less Cheap Holiday Insurance for Europe
Moving one step up the ladder, we have trips to Europe. As mentioned above, the risks of transportation and a foreign climate push this up, though not drastically – you're still in an environment not dissimilar to the UK's, there are few exotic diseases, dramatically different climates, good health care and less distance to travel. The risk is a little higher, and so the price is too.
Moderate Travel Insurance to America
Although America ticks many of the same boxes as Europe in terms of its danger, the expensive health care and long distance travel means that travel insurance to cover you across the pond are more expensive. You'll be glad of the travel insurance if you fall ill through – doctors are not cheap!
Costly Travel Insurance Beyond Europe and America
At the top of the scale, for destinations you have Asia, South America, Africa and Oceania. With dramatically different climates and environments to the UK, less developed areas and a whole range of natural dangers (make sure you get your vaccinations!), worldwide travel insurance providers tend to charge a premium for these destinations. Add to this the fact that flights are rarer and more expensive, and you'll understand clearly why the costs involved are much higher.
Expensive Travel Insurance for Dangerous Activities
Then of course, at the very top of the scale we have dangerous activities. Usually you'll need to get these as add ons to your travel insurance, so it will be cheaper or more expensive depending on where in the world you're taking part in your thrill seeking. What do I mean by dangerous activities? Sports, skiing, backpacking – anything where there's a higher risk that usual of things going wrong. Beware that most worldwide travel insurance companies won't cover injuries from the most extreme of extreme sports like bungee jumping or white water rafting, so check your policy carefully to ensure you have the cover you need.
Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey's Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore (http://insuremore.co.uk) offers cheap holiday nsurance and offer a quick and easy online claims feature.
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