With fuel prices now beginning to quietly climb down from their lofty prices they’ve been set at for the past few months at least now we can look forward to petrol being under £1.00 for the first time in a long time. But whilst we may be able to afford our journeys in our cars the same cannot be said for airlines of which many have folded or gone bankrupt forcing many holiday makers to be left in the lurch.

A number of high profile cases of airlines in America and the UK folding under the pressure of raised fuel costs has left many people either without a flight to go on holiday or worse, stranded at the airport trying to get a flight home. One such case was the recent collapse of popular budget airline XL Holidays, who folded under the pressure at the end of the summer holidays with many customers still on holiday and unable to get home.

Whilst this was a terrible thing to happen at the end of your holiday (or a good thing if you didn’t want to come home!) many people were left with no replacement flight as they had booked their flights independently through cheap flights websites where they pick and choose their flights and are subsequently not covered by ATOL agreements that come with package deals which would cover your flights even if your provider were to collapse.

With the outrage over the recent events it’s becoming abundantly clear that optional extras like fully comprehensive travel insurance policies are essentials for future holidays. Whilst UK travellers are covered to some extent for medical costs when travelling in the EU it would not cover the closure of your chosen flights company. A dedicated holiday insurance policy would cover this as well as other mishaps like delayed flights (leading to late hotel check ins) and lost luggage.

Some companies cover more than others and so some companies may cover activity holidays where some may cover ski holidays too, it’s advised that you compare travel insurance policies of most insurers to make sure you get the right amount of cover for your particular holiday.

Don’t make the mistake many people have and travel uninsured, remember that cheap holiday may quickly become the most expensive one you’ll ever have if the airline closes up shop when you’re away or weeks away from jetting off.

Shane

Although standard travel policies often take numerous situations into account, there are some applicants or situations that they will either charge vastly inflated premiums for or simply not cover at all.

The following are some examples of this -

Those who are not physically or mentally fit

Those who are not aged 18 to 50

Those that are planning on engaging in any “hazardous sport”, this includes the majority of extreme sports

Those that plan on being abroad for an extended or unusually long period of time, backpacking is a good example of this

Within these situations the applicant is likely to require “specialist cover”, two of the most popular of which are outlined below.

Over 50’s

Nearly all standard policies have an “upper age limit”, which is usually 50 or over, with some providers this is 65. Travellers over this age limit will find their premiums a lot more expensive to their younger counterparts, especially in terms of medical cover.

Seniors obtaining a quote may find they have to answer more questions than usual; this is so the insurer can get a clearer picture of any pre-existing medical conditions.

Extreme Sports

With the popularity of extreme sports such as snowboarding, scuba diving, parasailing and skiing soaring in recent years, insurance policies have been adjusted to reflect these changes.

As with over 50’s, those participating in extreme sports are likely to find that the “standard” medical policy will not suffice. With most not covering any injuries incurred as a result of participating in extreme sports.

As well as providing more reasonable travel insurance premiums, a specialist provider is also likely to cover both rented and personal sporting equipment, which is often very expensive to replace.

Obtaining cheap travel insurance for the situations outlined above isn’t that difficult as the number of applicants has increased considerably over the years. A quick search online is generally the best method for comparing the travel insurance market.

Florence