There is nothing worse than going on an amazing holiday only to have your luggage lost or worse than that you’re stuck at an airport and need to fork out for accommodation for a night or two. It’s an unfortunate mishap that you can’t control but you can take precautions.

Why is it important to have travel insurance?

By taking out travel insurance you are essentially covering yourself against travel risks such as lost or stolen luggage, cancellation cover (should you not be able to travel due to unexpected medical reasons) and most importantly, unexpected medical costs abroad.

Considering that the cost of a small medical emergency abroad could deplete ones entire holiday budget it offers you peace of mind. Something routine, like a visit to a GP in the UK, could cost upwards of £150 ($300 NZ Dollars) with hospital bills easily running into the tens of thousands.

Travel insurance also provides a level of protection against currency fluctuations as, although one’s policy is paid for in local currency, all claims are incurred in foreign currencies.

What does a travel insurance policy cover?

A comprehensive travel insurance policy will provide:

• Emergency medical cover
• Losses incurred due to unforeseen cancellation or having to cut your trip short
• Death and disability cover
• Personal liability cover
• Luggage cover

Various other inconvenience benefits, like for instance costs incurred when being forced to extend your stay due to adverse weather.

Please don’t try and hide any pre-existing medical conditions, declare everything! There are too many horror stories of insurance companies wriggling out of claims whilst people are laid injured & untreated in hospitals.

I would have to say don’t risk it….. especially if you have children, buy travel insurance not only for peace of mind but for the worst case scenario.

There are plenty of insurance companies out there with different packages and remember you get what you pay for, we brought a 90 day policy through STA Travel (Allianz) and it took over 2 months for them to even get back to us for a broken laptop screen.

Previously we have used New Zealand based insurance companies like 1Cover and NZTI with no issues what so ever, so please check out any reviews you can find online such as the ones you find on google before you purchase.

Safe Travels.