Travel Insurance Tips for Older Travellers

Travel Insurance Check List

1. About You

Ensure that you are honest with yourself and the insurance companies by asking yourself questions such as these: Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions? Failing to declare these could invalidate your policy should you need treatment because of this condition treatment. What age will you be on the date of travel? All policies have age limits. Check you will not be over the age limit by the end of the travel period.

Consult a doctor before you travel to ensure you understand the risk associated with your travel destination – for example, what will the climate be like? Will this affect any medication you are taking? Ask your doctor for adequate medications to cover the whole trip and with some to cover possible delays as it may be more difficult to obtain overseas.

Regular exercises on flights can help reduce ankle swelling, and more seriously, the risk of thrombosis. Be prepared for long flights – make sure you drink enough water to avoid dehydration and ensure you have enough of any medication you require on your hand luggage. Angina and breathlessness can be worse at high altitude and sometimes in aircraft – it is wise to alert the cabin crew if you suffer from these conditions.
2. Where you are going?

Going to the EU? Make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It will help to significantly reduce medical bills and enable travellers to receive the same medical treatment as local residents. Is the destination country deemed safe for travel? You may not be insured if you are travelling to a country where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have advised against travel. For advice on countries not to travel to and for global information prior to travel visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel.

3. What about the small print?

Check the cancellation policy. Some insurers do not include this as standard. Likewise, check you are covered if you need to cancel your holiday because of a pre-existing condition. How much cover does your policy provide? Check the limits on what the insurer will pay for each claim on e.g. medical expenses. Do you need personal baggage cover? Many travel insurance policies do not include this as standard, but you may not need to add it if you are already covered under your home and contents policy; check the small print before you decide.

Check where valuables should be kept. Many policy conditions insist that valuables be kept in a safe place, as defined by your insurer, otherwise you may not be covered.

“As with any insurance policy, it’s important to scratch beneath the surface and check the small print to ensure you comply with your policy conditions," says Richard Mason of Moneysupermarket.com.

“Older travellers may want to consider approaching specific organisations such as Age Concern or Help the Aged for insurance, but as always it is worth comparing these quotes to check they are competitive.”