Travel Insurance – do I need insurance for a holiday in the UK?

Don't assume that Travel Insurance for a holiday in the UK is a waste of time. It can make sense - but buy online for a bargain.

Last week my wife and I booked a two center holiday in the Scottish Isles. Seven days on Skye and then a ferry over to Steornabhagh for a further seven days on the Isle of Lewis. Wonderful scenery, plenty of walks and masses of peace and quiet. 

You could have blown me over when my local travel agent assumed that I wanted travel insurance for an additional £27.50. Not on your Nellie the Loch Ness monster, I thought. Who needs travel insurance for a holiday in Britain? The National Health Service is free and in an emergency, my son could drive up and bring us home. 

Later in the relaxing setting of my sitting room, I got to thinking …

Holiday misfortunes don't only happen abroad. So with my pessimistic hat on, I made a note of the risks: 

Some rotter might steal our luggage 

Last week I bought an all singing and dancing digital camera, especially for the trip. Got it on the Internet. I might lose it whilst away. 

If either of us was hospitalized we wouldn't want to be marooned on Skye. We'd want to transfer to our local hospital in Warwickshire. 

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My wife's parents are getting on. God forbid, but I'd have to cancel the holiday if something happened to them just before we're due to go. 

One of us could be taken ill before we depart and we'd be forced to cancel. As the ferries and the hotels were non-cancellable, we'd lose everything we'd paid. 

There may be a major delay at the ferry going over to the Isle of Lewis. Besides the inconvenience, we have to arrange an extra overnight stay on Skye. 

One of us might be called up for jury service. 

Then it struck me. If I were holidaying in Britain, my existing Home and Contents policy might cover me for loss of my camera or luggage. I dug out the policy document. Lucky I did. I was only insured for “personal possessions” if they were listed and as I'd just bought my digital camera I hadn't got round to listing it as a valuable item on my policy. 

Another aspect struck me. I'd lose my no claims discount if I made a holiday-related claim on my Home & Contents policy. That wouldn't be a good idea. I've got a ten year claims free record that policy and it still cost me £310 a year. I jotted down another note – remember, when the policy comes up for renewal, see if I could get it cheaper on the Internet. 

By now a travel policy at £27.50 for was looking worthwhile after all. 

Now my wife says I'm a bit of an old skinflint. So keep up the image! I know, get back online and check out the travel agents' policy at £27.50. Is it competitive?

Not all the websites I surfed could offer me a single trip travel policy for a holiday within the UK but within ten minutes I'd found what I wanted - and a saving of over £10! 

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Time to study the small print to confirm I had the cover I wanted. Great, all the risks I had noted were covered. The insurer would even pay out £30 if my ferry was delayed for up to 12 hours and then give me the option to cancel my trip to the Isle of Lewis and get my money back. 

Now, what wouldn't they pay for? I wasn't covered if my holiday was for less than two nights or my hotel was less than 25 miles away from home. I also had to meet the first £30 of any claim. Seemed fair to me. 

The decision was made. Simply type in my credit card details and I was insured in a CLICK. 

Peace of mind restored!

Tough Economy? Don't Waste Money on Health Insurance

Health Insurance is imperative for your daily savings and expenses. One can fall ill at any unexpected time, causing misery and most importantly, if you are not covered by any health insurance policy, it can prove to be quite expensive on the pocket.

Health Insurance is imperative for your daily savings and expenses. One can fall ill at any unexpected time, causing misery and most importantly, if you are not covered by any health insurance policy, it can prove to be quite expensive on the pocket. The economy is bad these days. Every penny saved goes towards your savings and can help you better prepare for your future. 

If ever a situation arises where you are compelled to spend this money, especially for health reasons, it can surely upset your balance. Lowering your expenses is highly important. One of the easiest ways to save money is by getting an insurance package to protect yourself and your family in times of need.

Most people often find it expensive to opt for a health insurance. They are of the notion that they would rather spend this money if ever any health issue arises. If you are an average ordinary person, consider a time in a month where you have just paid your monthly bills, had your mortgage settled out, and are just satisfied with the way things have turned out. 

But things may go wrong if you fall ill all of a sudden. Remember, we set apart an amount of money for all of our expenses except for health-related issues. It is not uncommon. People tend to save money on literally everything but just couldn’t afford to save a few hundred dollars for their own health.

Health Insurance may not be as expensive as one would think. Over the years, various health insurance companies have evolved with interesting health and medical insurance packages that are easier on the pocket, all the while providing top quality service. 

Unlike the previous days, we are provided with an opportunity to compare and select different health insurance and life insurance packages that appeal to us the most. Now for a few hundred dollars a month, you can insure your whole family against unpredictable circumstances and provide them with quality treatment facilities. Compare this to the actual costs that may be incurred during some serious illness. We are talking about thousands of dollars saved. 

HSA or Health Savings Account is another option of saving money on health insurance. HSA lets you gain the full advantage of health insurance plans, and also provides you with competitive tax benefits. HSA is more like a savings account, where you are required to invest a few hundred dollars monthly. You will get a fixed interest on this money, and the money being invested in HSA is absolutely tax-free. 

Also, there is nothing known as the maturity of the insurance plan, and you can withdraw any amount of money for your medical expenses from your HSA anytime you want. All you will need is to pay off the deficient amount in the subsequent monthly payments. Health Savings Account is just another reason to save money for your extra needs.

Compare HSA plans that are suitable for you and that is quite affordable to accommodate your daily expenditure and savings. Research is the major part of saving money on insurance. It is always important to look up the various rates and packages of health insurance providers, and they provide you with an easy to use interface to research and select free quotes from some of the top-notch health insurance companies.

It would also be worthwhile to keep a regular check and update the health insurance rates of the present day market. You wouldn’t want to end up paying extra, especially at times when the economy requires you to save as much money as possible. For this, you could re-evaluate your insurance rates and packages every six to twelve months, or you can also go in for short duration insurance packages.

 Either way, never ever forget that you have a health insurance package, and take care to avoid any defaults. Insurance companies usually associate a “*” along with their terms and conditions which states that you are supposed to be making payments at prescribed intervals, or you lose all the benefits. Pay your premiums on time and stay protected anytime and anywhere.

Understanding Your Auto Insurance Claim

If you are involved in an accident it is important that you know the proper procedure for filing an insurance claim.

You will most likely need to deal with one or more adjusters who will determine the insurance salvage. Follow these simple tips to make sure you have taken all the necessary steps to collect the correct information and follow the correct procedure.

Do your self a favor and prepare in advance. Know the laws and the reporting requirements of the state you live in and drive in. Always carry an accident package in your car. It should contain paper, pen, and accident reporting form which are available online free from the DMV.

If an accident occurs to remain calm and stop your car. If there are injuries do what you can to make the person or persons comfortable. Call the EMT to treat any injured parties and call the police.

If you smell gas or if the car is on fire clear all persons away from the area. Do not move seriously injured people unless it is a threat to their lives to leave them where they are.

If the accident is minor and there is only property damage and no injuries, put your hazard lights on and drive both vehicles to a safe location at the side of the road. Set up a flare or reflective triangles in the rear and side of the cars to ensure other motorists are aware of your location.

Both drivers need to exchange car insurance information. You also need to exchange the names of the drivers, all passengers in the vehicle, and any witnesses. As well as names you should obtain complete addresses and telephone numbers.

Next, you will need to contact your insurance company and if you feel you need to contact a lawyer now is the time to do so.

Your car insurance company will need to collect all pertinent information. They will need the year, make, model, and license plate number of the other car. They will also need the driver's name, address, telephone number, date of birth, and his or her driver’s license number as well as the issuing state.

If the other driver is not insured obtain as much information as you can then notify the police. Both the police and the insurance company will want the full names, addresses, and phone numbers of all witnesses.

If the police attend the accident scene request a business card from the attending officer that gives his full name and how you might reach him.

If you have a digital camera handy take plenty of photos. These days many people have a digital camera built right into their cell phone which is very convenient.

As soon as you are able, write down all details pertaining to the accident. Information such as weather conditions, pavement conditions, visibility, and lightning could all become very important in determining who was at fault.

You also need to record the estimated speed of both vehicles. As well do a sketch of the accident scene marking the direction each driver was traveling. Make notes of things such as stop signs, traffic lights, other vehicles on the roadway, and any obstacles.

You should also record all damage to the car and any other property as well as all body injuries no matter how minor they appear.

Whatever you do, do not discuss who is at fault with the other driver. Insurance companies recommend you do not engage in conversation about fault. Give the police officer an account of the accident but in privacy away from the other driver.

Remember no one can force you to give details of the accident or admit blame. You always have the right to consult a lawyer before answering any questions.

Let’s hope you never have to file an insurance claim. But if you are well prepared should an accident occur you will be much more likely to record the necessary information to ensure that your claim proceeds smoothly.

Travel Insurance: Prevention Is Better Than Bills

It is really fun going on a holiday trip. You will be so busy strolling around, doing what you do not usually do, like skiing, windsurfing and other activities worth spending your holiday with. The outdoor trip is really fun and entertaining. You are enjoying snowboarding but suddenly you broke your leg. We don’t know when accidents may happen. It is just practical to get a travel insurance plan.


It is really fun going on a holiday trip. You will be so busy strolling around, doing what you do not usually do, like skiing, windsurfing and other activities worth spending your holiday with. The outdoor trip is really fun and entertaining. You are enjoying snowboarding but suddenly you broke your leg. We don’t know when accidents may happen. It is just practical to get a travel insurance plan.

Travel insurance plan is a way to minimize the considerable financial risks of traveling. These risks include accidents, illness, and missed flights, canceled tours, lost baggage, emergency evacuation and getting your body home if you die.



Each traveler’s risk and potential loss varies, depending on how much of the trip is prepaid, the kind of air ticket purchased, your state of health, the value of your luggage, where you’re traveling, what medical coverage you already have and the financial health of the tour company or airline. For some, insurance is a good deal; for others, it’s not.

What are the different types of Travel Insurance?

1. Interruption insurance and trip cancellations. It covers financial penalties or losses you encounter when you cancel a prepaid tour of flight for an acceptable reason. These might include you and your family members who can’t travel because of sickness.

It might also include your business partner or airline that goes out of business or can’t perform as promised. It is also possible to cancel if you have a family member who is sick. For a good reason such as a car accident or inclement weather, you miss a flight or need an emergency flight. In other words, if you or your travel partner breaks a leg a few days before your trip, you can both bail out and neither of you will lose a penny.

And if, a day into your tour, you have an accident, both of you will be flown home and you’ll be reimbursed for the emergency one-way return flight which usually costs far more than your economy round-trip fare and whatever portion of the tour you have not used.

2. Medical insurance cover medical and dental emergencies. Check your health plan before getting a medical insurance because you may be already covered by it. Search for benefits and deductibles and the procedures for reimbursement of the emergency expenses.


3. Baggage insurance is included in the most comprehensive policies but is rare to buy separately. This actually the insurance for your items such as jewelry, eyewear, electronics and photographic equipment. If the airline checked your baggage, it is already covered by the airlines. Homeowners’ insurance is cheaper and you’ll have coverage even after your trip.



4. Flight insurance is crash coverage, is a statistical rip-off that heirs love. It's basically a life insurance policy that covers you when you're on the airplane. Since plane crashes are so rare, there's little sense in spending money on this insurance.

5. Comprehensive travel insurance it covers all, airfare, car rentals, tour etc. it depends on your age. This can be a better deal for travelers with less of the trip prepaid because coverage is the same regardless of the premium you pay. Some comprehensive policies also cover collision damage, which allows you to avoid paying your car-rental company for collision damage waiver CDW insurance.

Never buy travel insurance from companies with no names. Not all insurance companies are licensed. You do not have a case if you claim problems with a licensed company with no license. Most of the licensed insurance companies are open 24 hours.

Getting travel insurance is as good as securing your family’s health. It is making sure that everyone is properly protected, including the loss of your passport, money or luggage, travel delays, missed departures and incurring legal expenses. It is like you are sure you are having a safe trip.

Travel Insurance – Is It Necessary For A UK-Based Holiday?

Just over a month ago, my boyfriend and I decided to visit the beautiful city of Edinburgh for our 5 year anniversary. We live in Dorset, so we didn’t want to spend the whole time traveling. To make the trip easier on ourselves, we decided to fly there and used a travel agent to organize the week-long holiday. Imagine my surprise when I saw an additional £27.50 on the quote for travel insurance! We were only going to Edinburgh, not Pittsburgh!

Just over a month ago, my boyfriend and I decided to visit the beautiful city of Edinburgh for our 5 year anniversary. We live in Dorset, so we didn’t want to spend the whole time traveling.

To make the trip easier on ourselves, we decided to fly there and used a travel agent to organize the week-long holiday. Imagine my surprise when I saw an additional £27.50 on the quote for travel insurance! We were only going to Edinburgh, not Pittsburgh!




I was offended that they thought we would be so stupid as to get travel insurance for a trip within the UK. They have hospitals in Edinburgh, and it really isn’t very far away. But later on, over a cup of hot chocolate, I put some more thought into it.

Holiday disasters can happen anywhere, not just abroad - so I made a list of what could feasibly go wrong:

· One of us could fall ill before we depart, we’d have no choice but to cancel the trip. The flights and the hotel were non-refundable, so we’d have to pay anyway.

· My Grandfather has been ill lately, if he got suddenly worse then I wouldn’t be able to go on holiday. Again, the trip would have to be canceled.

· Either of us could be called up for jury service at any time.

· Flights are delayed and canceled all the time. On top of the inconvenience, we may need to arrange an overnight stay near the airport.

· Anything could happen to our luggage, airlines lose suitcases all the time.

· My boyfriend bought me a wonderful digital camera as a present, if I lost it, it would be very expensive to replace.

Hang on a minute, what about our Home & Contents insurance policy? I bet that would cover us for loss of luggage or my camera as long as I was in the UK. I found the policy and read the small print. No such luck, only ‘personal possessions’ that were listed on the policy counted, so everything in the luggage wouldn’t be covered, and I’d need to make a phone call to get the camera included on the policy.


I remembered something else – we had over 4 years of no claims discount on our Home & Contents policy. If we had to make a claim, we’d lose the no claims discount. Our premiums would go sky high after that, they were already high enough as it is, at £305 a year. I realized that I really should look for a cheaper Home & Contents policy at the time of renewal, and promised myself to do that in future.

After the investigations I had made so far, I realized that £27.50 for a travel policy wasn’t actually too bad.
I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels though. I might have decided that travel insurance was a good idea, but it didn’t mean I was willing to accept the price quoted by the travel agent.

I went online to get some more quotes. The first two or three sites I looked at couldn’t give me what I wanted, but 10 minutes later, I struck gold. I found a single trip travel policy for the UK, and it was a good £10 cheaper than the travel agent’s quote.

I read the small print, no point signing up without knowing all the facts. I was pleased to see all the points I had listed were covered.

Now the exclusions – was it all too good to be true after all? Phew – no need to worry. If the holiday was less than 25 miles from our home address, or for less than 2 nights, then we wouldn’t be covered. No problem there. Otherwise, the only downside was that we’d have to pay the £30 if we needed to make a claim. Fair enough.


Happy with the policy I’d found and with the decision that we did need travel insurance, after all, I bought the travel insurance policy there and then.

Online Car Insurance Businesses: Buying Through The Internet

Nowadays, insurance has become a necessity in life. Why?

Imagine your house being blown to pieces by a hurricane. Grasp in your mind that you were involved in an accident and requires hospitalization or expensive surgery. Think what will happen if your parked car was smashed into bits by a ten-wheeler truck.

Who would pay for these damages? If you have a relatively low income, you cannot afford to pay for all of these alone. These kinds of disasters, man-made or cause...

Nowadays, insurance has become a necessity in life. Why?

Imagine your house being blown to pieces by a hurricane. Grasp in your mind that you were involved in an accident and requires hospitalization or expensive surgery. Think what will happen if your parked car was smashed into bits by a ten-wheeler truck. 

Who would pay for these damages? If you have a relatively low income, you cannot afford to pay for all of these alone. These kinds of disasters, man-made or caused by nature, can cause financial ruin or bankruptcy to people. 

So how will you deal with these unforeseen accidents without spending too much money?

The answer to that question would be insurance.

It is a fact that our lives and properties are always in danger in every single day of our lives. Whether it is caused by nature or by man, disaster is always lurking around the corner waiting to strike. 

The point is that no man’s life is perfect and we do not know what the future will bring us. How do we prepare for such disasters? We prepare our security by buying insurance.

Many people buy insurance to ensure them security with their lives and property. It is a fact that buying insurance is practical nowadays and could save you from financial and emotional frustration.

There are many kinds of insurances. There is insurance for homes, businesses, health, automobiles etc. Each offers the same basic principle; they all promise reimbursements in the case of loss. Insurance is a form of risk management, usually to help people in case of financial loss.

One of the most commonly purchased insurance is the automobile insurance or car insurance. 

Who wouldn’t buy car insurance? We all know how expensive these machines can be. Many people invest a large amount of money to their cars. No person wants to lose his or her investment easily

You may probably say a crazy one. Car insurance companies usually cover some or all damage expenses in an event that your car is involved in an accident or stolen.

The car insurance businesses is now getting bigger and are now expanding their services to keep up with competitors. Some car insurance businesses are now offering their services through the internet. 

It is now possible for people to shop for car insurance on the internet. What this means is that people can now shop for car insurance right in the comforts of their home. It also means wider means an opportunity to choose the best and applicable car insurance for your own unique situation.

The first thing you have to consider when buying car insurance online is the price. Prices are different by the company, and it is wise that you first compare prices before you buy a policy. 

Also remember that the price of car insurance policy vary depending on what kind of car you own, for example; insurance policies usually cost more if you own a sports car than your average family car.

Another way to get an idea of how much your car insurance policy will cost is the area you live in. If you live in an area where accidents and auto theft are high, you will get a higher cost of insurance policy. 

The price can also be affected by your driving record, if you have a police record that states that you have been involved in several automobile accidents, car insurance companies usually give you a high priced policy and some will reject your application for car insurance.

Also, always remember that the more often you drive the more you are exposed to accidents. Therefore, insurance policies will cost more. 

To apply for a car insurance policy online, you will need the following:

• Driver’s License – to rate every resident that lives in the same household on the policy.

• Insurance Declarations Page – This document contains all the information about the policy that you need for the online quoting website. Every time you renew your policy, this document will be mailed to you.

• Car Registration Card – This provides the vehicle identification number. It will also include the safety features installed in your vehicle. Safety feature will give you a discount.

If you plan to buy car insurance policy, always remember that you should buy an insurance policy suitable for your needs and not one that will cost you your life savings.