Types of travel insurance

Backpacker Travel Insurance

travelBackpacking has become more mainstream in recent years, and many policies will cover people from an age of 17 or 18, through to when they are 60.

Policies can be for up to a year or 18 months, and are intended for people wanting a break from their career, prior to their retirement. Some policies will include an option to return home a few times, for a limited period during this length of the policy.

Personal Accident Insurance

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Personal Accident Insurance

Personal Accident Insurance is a type of insurance policy widely used both domestically and when travelling abroad for any reason.

It can normally be used in conjunction with a travel insurance policy, but it is important to understand the differences between the two.

A personal accident policy is designed to provide benefits in the event of death or serious injury to the policyholder or their family.

This usually includes :

  • Accidental death
  • Permanent disability by way of accident
  • Temporary disability by way of accident
  • Loss of various limbs by way of accident
  • Loss of use of certain parts of the body temporarily
  • Cash payment relating to staying in hospital ( usually own country only)

These benefits will all have specific cash sums allocated to them, and there will be very specific exclusions to the policy which normally include the following :

  • Any type of illness or sickness unrelated to any accident that might have happened
  • Any type of self-harm or self-inflicted injuries
  • Anything that constitutes dangerous or reckless behaviour, including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Professional sports, as well as a lot of what is considered dangerous sports, which the policy would spell out.
  • Any type of pre-existing condition

These exclusions are meant to make it clear in one sense that these benefits are different from what might be expected under a normal travel insurance policy.

They are designed to be of value to the policyholder purely in the event of an accident, to provide some financial help in what could be an overwhelming emotional situation.

Some travel insurance policies will include some or all of the benefits normally associated with a personal accident policy as part of their standard benefits. Others will offer them as an additional option to purchase

Types of Travel Insurance Policy

For many people travel insurance used to be one of those last minute emergency things that they did before they went on a trip, like checking their passport was still in date and making sure they had cancelled the milk.

Covid has changed all that, in ways that are likely to stay with us all for many years to come. The uncertainty that Covid created in the world order, has made travel insurance a key element of peoples freedom to resume travelling, and explore the regions of the world in a safe and secure manner.

Understanding how travel insurance works, its different elements and how it affects different types of traveller has become a really important part of the preparation for any travel trip, whether it be a week, a year or a new life altogether.

There are two or three main types of travel insurance, with numerous different add-ons, additions and different ways to make sure the insurance cover is appropriate for someone’s needs.

Single Trip Travel Insurance

Annual Travel Insurance

Backpacker / Longer Stay Insurance

Specialist Travel Insurance Holidays and Trips :

There are various other types of travel insurance policy available, either as stand alone policies or as additions to one of the above types.

These normally include things like cruise insurance, winter sports insurance, sports and activities insurance, notably golfing trips, overseas weddings insurance as well as travel insurance for people over a certain age, normally 65/75-85.

There are also policies available for people based in the UK who live abroad for a certain amount of the year, although these are more health insurance policies than travel insurance.

The main ones are listed below :

  • Business Insurance
  • Credit Card Travel Insurance
  • Travel Insurance Comparison Sites
  • Nurses
  • Age Related Travel Insurance
  • Travel Insurance for Cruises
  • Backpackers
  • Expats
  • Children
  • Working Abroad including TEFL
  • Travel Insurance for Moter Cyclists
  • Anyone with a disability
  • Travel Insurance for people who are pregnant
  • Students
  • Golfing holidays
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Winter Sports
  • Extreme Sports