What is Travel Insurance? 

When you go away the last thing you expect is for something to go wrong, but the unexpected can happen at any time. Travel insurance is there to help you if the unexpected happens, which can include helping you get medical treatment if you fall ill or you have an accident while abroad, providing you with reimbursement if your baggage is lost or stolen as well as offering you valuable protection against trip cancellation if you can’t travel. 

An accident or illness abroad could leave you seriously out of pocket if you don’t have travel insurance cover in place. It could save you from having to pay medical bills which could easily run into thousands of pounds, especially in countries known for their high medical costs like the US. 

Not all insurance policies offer the same levels of cover it is therefore important that you check the insurance meets your travel needs.

How much Travel Insurance cover do I need?

How much travel insurance cover you need will depend on what you would like to be covered. 

When selecting a travel policy there are many things to consider including how much your holiday costs. Do the cancellation cover limits cover the cost? What baggage you plan to take on your trip and whether the baggage limits will cover the cost of replacements if it were to be lost or stolen. 

It is also important to check that you have cover in place for any pre-existing medical conditions you or any of your travelling companions may have, as well as ensuring any sports and activities you are planning to take part in while you’re away are covered.   

It is very important to check the limits of the travel insurance policy to be sure it covers what you need. It is also worth remembering that the travel insurance limits are per person, per claim basis. 

Should I buy a Single Trip policy?

If you are only planning on going on one trip during the year then selecting a Single Trip travel insurance policy can often be the most cost effective option. This will cover you for the entirety of your journey until you return back to the UK. We offer three single trip travel insurance products Bronze, Silver and Gold which offer different levels of protection depending on your needs. 

Columbus Direct Single Trip travel insurance products offer 

• Cover available up to the age of 85. 
• Up to £15 million emergency medical cover with our Gold policies
• Up to £5,000 cancellation cover with our Gold policies 
• Up to £2,500 baggage cover with our Gold policies
• 150 sports and activities covered as standard on all single trip policies 
• Optional Winter Sports cover available to cover you when skiing or snowboarding. 
• Optional Gadget cover available to protect your smartphone, tablet or laptop from theft, damage or loss while you’re away. 

Get a quote online for Single Trip travel insurance to see all the cover our policies offer. 

Should I buy an Annual Multi Trip policy?

If you are planning to travel a few times throughout the year, then annual travel insurance might be the best option to ensure you are covered for all your trips. 

An Annual Multi Trip product allows you to go on holiday as many times as you like throughout the year, provided the duration of each trip does not exceed the trip limit of your policy and you start each trip in the UK and return to the UK. Columbus Direct travel insurance policies enable you to choose from 31, 45 and 60 day trip limit depending on your travel plans. Once you have purchased your policy your maximum trip duration can be found on your policy schedule.  

We offer three Annual Multi Trip travel insurance products Bronze, Silver and Gold which offer different levels of protection depending on your needs. You also have three destination options to choose from when you buy your policy depending on where you’re planning to go on your travels.

You can choose Europe cover which enables you to travel to any destination within Europe. You can opt for Worldwide cover which will allow you to travel to anywhere in the world, or alternatively you can choose Worldwide excluding USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Regardless of the cover selected your policy will not cover you for travel to countries or specific regions that either the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or the World Health Organisation has advised the public not to travel to. Please refer to their websites for the latest advice.

When selecting an Annual Multi Trip policy cover begins on the policy start date, so if you’ve paid for your flight and or accommodation we recommend starting your policy right away to make sure you have cover for cancellation should you need to cancel your trip due to an unexpected event such as falling ill. 

Columbus Direct Annual Multi Trip travel insurance products offer:

• Cover available up to the age of 74. 
• Up to £15 million emergency medical cover with our Gold policies
• Up to £5,000 cancellation cover with our Gold policies 
• Up to £2,500 baggage cover with our Gold policies
• Children go free on all Annual Multi Trip policies. 
• UK holidays covered if you’ve pre-booked accommodation in the UK for 2 nights or more. 
• 150 sports and activities covered as standard on all Annual Multi Trip policies 
• Optional Winter Sports cover available to cover you when skiing or snowboarding. 
• Optional Gadget cover available to protect your smartphone, tablet or laptop from theft, damage or loss while you’re away. 

Get a quote online for Annual Multi Trip travel insurance to see all the cover our policies offer.

Do I need to declare pre-existing medical conditions on my travel insurance?

As with any other travel cover, you should let us know of any pre-existing medical conditions that you are aware of. Failing to declare the conditions could invalidate your cover, and you could be unprotected for any directly or indirectly related claims arising from the condition.

A pre-existing condition would be any condition where you have received any medication or attended for treatment, surgery, consultation or investigation within the last 12 months.

It is important that you let us know of any conditions, and we can then inform you whether we can include it in your cover. In some cases, you may be required to pay an additional premium to add the condition to your policy.