What Holiday Insurance Does Not Cover

Before you go on a holiday this year, it’s important to get travel insurance to ensure adequate protection if you need to cancel your trip or require medical care during your trip abroad. And many things can go wrong, especially at present, with so many risks and uncertainties due to Covid-19.

In response to the current pandemic, many travel insurers provide flexible, standard cover for medical emergencies, trip cancellation, and lost luggage while you’re away. While the type and suitability of holiday coverage will vary depending on your needs and situation, certain circumstances will usually be excluded. Holiday insurance companies generally include specific conditions on their travel policies that may prevent you from being able to make a claim.

So, it is always a good idea to take the time to read and review your policy documents to ensure that your holiday insurance is suitable for the trip before buying. Below, we’ve listed some of the most common circumstances that may not be covered by a standard holiday insurance policy.

Undeclared pre-existing medical condition

Health is one of the major concerns for most travelers, which is why people choose to buy travel insurance when traveling abroad. It is also the biggest reason why travel insurance policies get expensive as we get older. Although senior travelers are more likely to get ill or have pre-existing medical conditions, this is not always the case because it can happen to anyone at any age.

Regardless, it is always a good idea to include any pre-existing conditions or medical issues in your travel health policy before leaving on your trip. This is done to ensure that the travel insurance company is aware of your medical conditions in the event that you need to file a claim for medical needs that are specified in your travel policy. If you do not, your travel insurer may deny your claim for any unknown medical care and expenses incurred during your trip.

Lost or theft of personal belongings that were left unattended

Loss or theft of personal belongings can happen at any time and any place while going on holiday abroad. Most travel policies will protect against lost or stolen passports and baggage as standard and up to a limit depending on the type of travel cover required. However, you might not be able to make a claim if your personal belongings were left unattended or without reasonable care when they got misplaced or stolen.

Travel insurers also expect you to take reasonable caution when traveling abroad. So, you should always keep your luggage, passport, and any valuable items with you, in a safe and secure location, or with someone you know. It will be much easier to make a claim for lost, stolen, or damaged possessions if you need to.

Participating in high-risk sports and activities

Any leisure activities and sports you wish to participate in during your trip abroad will have varying levels and types of risk and hazards. And travel insurance companies generally classify different activities and sports into different grades or categories. So, a standard travel policy is usually not enough to provide adequate insurance cover for high-risk sports and activities such as bungee jumping, canyoning, rock climbing, etc. You will likely have to purchase specialist travel insurance or extend your policy to protect against any injuries and loss or damage to your possessions as a result of high-risk sports and activities.

Traveling to high-risk destinations against FCDO advice

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date travel information and advice to UK citizens traveling abroad. It also advises against visiting international destinations where there is an ongoing conflict or health concern, as these are deemed to pose a high risk to UK travelers and citizens.

While you can still travel against FCDO advice, it is generally not recommended unless it is an essential trip. Hence, most travel insurance companies will not provide travel cover or void your policy when traveling against FCDO advice. This is usually the case with Covid-related trip cancellations and illness while you’re away. So, you will likely have to get a specialist travel policy or holiday insurance with covid cover if you need to travel against FCDO advice.

Deciding not to travel because you changed your mind

Holiday insurance will usually provide pre-departure cover in case your trip gets canceled due to unforeseen circumstances such as unexpected accidents and illness, or if FCDO advises against travel to your destination. However, it will not cover trip cancellations for personal reasons, for e.g., if you changed your mind or forgot your passport at home. Although, if you recently purchased travel insurance, you can cancel your travel policy for any reason within the 14-day cooling-off period.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to get holiday insurance that provides travel cover for any type of trip cancellations within reason. In this case, you might want to consider ‘cancel for any reason’ travel policies, which provide you complete flexibility to cancel your trip if you change your mind or need to cancel your holiday abroad.

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Read: What You Need To Know About Travel Insurance