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Family Travel Insurance
While going on a trip, most families usually opt for family travel insurance or family holiday cover to insure their family or get a protection cover to protect them against unpredictable holiday mishaps like accidents, lost items, and other accidents they can be met with during their holiday. Also getting family travel insurance, saves you the stress of having to get separate policies for each of the family members and also saves you costs.
Typically, family travel insurance usually covers one or two adults who share the same address and a maximum of eight children up to the age of 18 or below who live permanently in the same address as the two adults.
However, even if you have a simple family and your family seems to meet the above criteria, be sure to read the travel policy before signing up for it as some insurance may offer different policies. Some policies may not cover family members who intend to travel separately or even children going on holiday without a family member. Also, check the policy provision for children who do not live in the same address permanently.
What is Family Travel Insurance?
Family travel insurance is a type of insurance policy that provides coverage for families travelling together. This insurance offers protection against unexpected circumstances that could occur during a family trip or vacation. A family insurance policy often gives coverage for various situations like; trip cancellation, medical emergency, lost/stolen luggage, and any other vacation troubles. Also, the policy always covers all members of the family travelling including parents, children, grandparents and other relatives that are travelling together.
Benefits of Family Travel Insurance
Having travel insurance may seem intangible but the importance can not be overlooked. Besides the fact that it saves cost as it will cover the whole family rather than an individual policy. It also provides peace of mind and covers you while you are on holiday, especially in a foreign country.
Also, by getting family travel insurance, you get access to the following.
- Free Cover: Some family policy offers free cover for children within a certain age bracket.
- Additional Benefits: Some policy offers enhanced coverage for baggage, alternative accommodation cover, and cancellation cover.
What does Family Travel Insurance Cover?
- Cancellation: If at any point you need to cancel or cut short your holiday, your insurance will cover this need however, to cancel your holiday, and get a cover, it needs to be a reason your policy can cover. Depending on your policy, you could cancel your holiday due to a missed departure flight, delayed flight, cancelled flight, or accommodation.
- Medical Expenses: While during your holiday you or any family member requires immediate medical attention, most travel insurance offers medical cover which will cover some cost of your medical expenses.
- Personal Liability and Legal cover: This will cover for any damage, injury or accident you cause while travelling and also cover the legal expenses if required for whatever mishap you cause.
- Lost or stolen Luggage: Depending on your insurance policy, it could cover the value of your travel possession if stolen.
What won’t family Insurance Cover?
- Personal Liability accidents or damages caused as a result of alcohol influence won’t be covered.
- Medical expenses as a result of pre-existing medical conditions unknown to your provider will not be covered by your travel insurance.
- Children travelling without adult supervision. Most family insurance doesn’t cover children travelling alone, it only covers children travelling with their parents.
- High-risk activities like extreme sports will not be covered by your insurance.
- Travelling against the government instructions. Going against the instructions of the FCDO (Foreign Commonwealth, Development Office) advise against will not be covered.
Pre-Existing Medical Condition
If you are a traveller with a pre-existing medical condition, keep in mind that your travel insurance is liable to be more expensive. However, ensure not to mislead your insurance provider about your condition as this could lead to your claim being rejected during your holiday. When you declare a medical condition through our website, you will be presented with different insurance options from different providers with no exclusion.
What are the Types of Family Travel Policies I can get?
The family travel policy you want depends on the type of holiday you want with your family. Tailor your policy coverage to match your holiday needs.
- Annual Multi-Trip: This policy coverage can benefit families that tend to travel frequently within the year as this policy covers 12 months.
- Single Trip: This policy is mostly suitable for a one-time family travel or families that do not travel frequently. It usually covers a three-month period which can be best used during the summer holiday; kids are definitely on break.
- Long Stay Trip: Provides coverage for up to 18 months. Suitable for long holidays that involve multiple destinations in a single trip.
But keep in mind that when opting for a family travel policy, ensure that the policy also covers the country you are travelling to. These include;
- The UK
- The Europe
- Worldwide
Europe: Having family travel insurance for Europe could be the right decision no matter how close you are to home anything could go wrong like lost luggage or flight cancellation. And having a travel policy reassures you a good holiday experience without worries. Europe family travel insurance covers countries like Bulgaria, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, Monaco, and France.
The UK: While it may seem unnecessary to get travel insurance for a holiday in the UK, and have little to worry about as you are in your home country, keep in mind that there are some mishaps you have no control over even in your country. These include; cancellation or theft which can be difficult to recover. But with insurance, you can cover these even in your home country. However, ensure to check if internal flights are covered in the policy you are opting for.
Worldwide: Opting for worldwide travel insurance covers you in any part of the world. Worldwide insurance is divided into two categories; including or excluding. Including the USA, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean or excluding them. If you do not intend to go to any of the countries, then opt for a travel policy that doesn’t include them. Also, keep in mind that healthcare in the included countries is more expensive compared to other countries.
How much does Family Travel Insurance Cost?
The cost of your family travel insurance varies for different families depending on what you want in your policy. However, certain factors determine the cost of your family’s travel insurance.
- Pre-existing medical condition: Some medical conditions aren’t covered as a standard to most travel insurance. However, to get coverage for it, you might have to opt for premium policy insurance which could cost you more.
- Who you are travelling with: The cost of your travel insurance usually increases depending on the age of your family members. If you intend to have older adults on your holiday, then you have to pay more to obtain travel insurance.
- Your Trip Length: The length of your trip can also influence the cost of your insurance. The longer your trip, the more expensive your insurance will be.
- Where you are travelling to: The destination of your holiday can also influence your insurance cost. For illustration, if you are travelling to a country like the USA, Mexico, or the Caribbean then be prepared to pay more for your insurance compared to if you are travelling to Spain or Switzerland because healthcare in some countries is more expensive in some countries than in the European countries.
- The type of insurance policy: Family travel insurance is in different categories which are single trip, annual trip or long stay. And depending on whichever you opt for. Single trip insurance is the cheapest but if you think you will be travelling more than once in a year then you might want to opt for annual trip insurance compared to taking out single trip insurance for every holiday.
- Additional Coverage: There is a range of additional coverage you can include in your travel insurance to expand your coverage for certain situations or activities. While adding this coverage will give you better coverage, it also means you have to pay for your insurance.
- Activities you plan to engage in: The activities you intend to engage in during your holiday can also influence your cost. For activities like skiing, snowboarding or extreme watersports like jet skiing or parasailing, you may need cover for them for peace of mind.
Does Family Travel Insurance cover individuals?
While it’s not the standard, some family insurance policies may provide coverage for individuals travelling without the rest of the family. However, there are some limitations to this as not all insurance providers offer such coverage. For illustration, single-family travel insurance will not offer coverage to a lone traveller as it is only provided for family travel. An annual multi-trip travel policy could extend coverage to parents travelling without the children.
How Can I Get Cheaper Family Travel Insurance?
There are several ways to get cheaper family travel insurance without compromising on your holiday coverage. Here are some ways to get cheaper family travel insurance.
- Compare Quotes and chop around: You can make use of online comparison tools or websites to compare prices and coverage from different insurance providers. Various providers offer different policies and covers.
- Choose the Right Policy Type: Insurance policy types also vary in cost. For illustration, if you intend to go on holiday once or twice a year, a single trip will be the best policy to opt for and will save you costs instead of opting for an annual multi-trip.
- Book your Insurance early: Purchase your travel insurance in advance before your holiday season. By doing so you get the opportunity of snagging a better deal.
- Increase your Excess: You can minimize your insurance cost by opting for a higher excess. However, keep in mind that if your excess is too high, you might end up bearing most of your claim cost, which outdoes the purpose of having travel insurance.
- Consider travelling during off-peak season: By avoiding peak travel periods, you can lower your insurance cost. Travel insurance cost tends to be higher during peak travel season when there is increased demand and a higher risk of travel-related incidents.
How do I claim a Family Travel Insurance Policy?
To claim your family travel insurance, follow the following process;
- Report the incident promptly: If an unforeseen situation comes up during your trip which is covered by your insurance policy, be sure to promptly report the situation to your insurer because usually, most policies have a timeframe you have to claim when the situation occurs. Therefore, be sure to thoroughly check your policy documents to be sure of the deadline and the situations that are covered by your policy.
- Gather the Necessary Document: To make a claim, you have to present your insurer with the necessary information for the reason for your claim. Make the information clear. If you are claiming for a medical emergency, you might have to include a medical receipt for expenses, for loss of luggage or stolen items, you have to include a police report, and proof of travel expenses, for flight delay and cancellation, you have to provide your travel details, the reason for cancellation and other documents requested by your insurance provider.
- Submit your claim: Initiate the claim process with your provider. During the claim process, you might be required to fill out a claim form. This could be an electronic process or through the mail. At the point of submission, attach supporting documents needed to make the claim process easy.
- Follow Up on Your Claim: After submitting your claim, give your provider some time to process your claim but be sure to stay in touch with them to track the progress of your claim. While staying in touch, be prepared to provide any additional documents your provider may request.
- Receive your Claim Payment: Once your claim process is completed, if it’s successful, they will inform you of the amount that will be paid out as compensation then you will receive a payment. But keep in mind that the claim processing period varies depending on your provider and the nature of your claim.
Do I need a Family Insurance Policy?
Whether you need family travel insurance or not depends on various factors which include your circumstances, the nature of your trip, and your risk tolerance. You should consider the following to decide if you need family insurance for your trip or not;
- Health Coverage: There are some destinations where your regular health insurance may not provide coverage or if you are concerned about medical expenses during your trip especially if you have a family relation with a pre-existing medical condition. Then family travel insurance is important as it will give you the reassurance you need during your trip.
- Travel Risks: You should keep in mind that there can be some risks you could encounter during your trip which may require financial attention or losing money like natural disasters or political unrest. Consider if you are comfortable assuming those risks without insurance coverage. However, travel insurance will provide the required assistance and financial protection in cases of emergencies during your trip.
- Trip Expenses: Family travel insurance can help you protect all your financial investments in the trip by reimbursing you for prepaid, non-refundable expenses like situations if your tip gets cancelled, delayed, or interrupted due to illness, injury, accidents, or other covered reasons.
Whether you need family travel insurance or not depends on various factors which include your circumstances, the nature of your trip, and your risk tolerance. You should consider the following to decide if you need family insurance for your trip or not;
- Health Coverage: There are some destinations where your regular health insurance may not provide coverage or if you are concerned about medical expenses during your trip especially if you have a family relation with a pre-existing medical condition. Then family travel insurance is important as it will give you the reassurance you need during your trip.
- Travel Risks: You should keep in mind that there can be some risks you could encounter during your trip which may require financial attention or losing money like natural disasters or political unrest. Consider if you are comfortable assuming those risks without insurance coverage. However, travel insurance will provide the required assistance and financial protection in cases of emergencies during your trip.
- Trip Expenses: Family travel insurance can help you protect all your financial investments in the trip by reimbursing you for prepaid, non-refundable expenses like situations if your tip gets cancelled, delayed, or interrupted due to illness, injury, accidents, or other covered reasons.
When should I buy a Family Travel Insurance Policy?
When to buy a family travel insurance depends solely on your trip and the type of insurance you want for them. However, the best time to buy travel insurance is as soon as you have booked your trip. Buying the insurance right away means that you have been covered for any expenses or mishaps that can occur in the course of the trip.
Here are some reasons why you should consider buying a travel right away;
- Coverage for cancellation: You can’t be so sure of unforeseen circumstances. However, if any situation arises like an accident, injury or death that could lead to trip cancellation your travel insurance could cover it without you losing money if you buy them immediately. But in other situations, you could forfeit your trip without getting a reimbursement.
- Coverage for pre-existing conditions: Some travel insurance policy offers coverage for pre-existing medical conditions if you purchase your policy within a timeframe after booking your trip. Purchasing your insurance early ensures you are qualified for coverage for any pre-existing medical conditions you or any of your family members may have.
- Peace of Mind: Purchasing your insurance early reassures you that you are financially covered against unforeseen events. That could at any point disrupt your travel plans.