When should you buy Travel Insurance?

Travelling is an amazing part of life. You can explore new places and cultures and get you out of your usual routine or comfort zone. Whether you are going on an adventure holiday, ski trip or even a city escape, there is one thing you should not forget about - travel insurance.

Travel insurance covers you for different scenarios both leading up to and during your trip - be it an injury or an illness before you go leading to cancelling your trip, or a medical emergency while you are away.

In this comprehensive guide to when you should buy travel insurance, we will examine why timing matters, whether you can purchase last minute, should you opt for annual or single-trip insurance, and the need to declare medical conditions.

1. Why timing matters when buying Travel Insurance

Timing is pivotal when it comes to buying travel insurance as although you may be tempted to save your money and wait until the last minute, there are good reasons why you shouldn’t risk it. Most importantly, if you book your cover as soon as you book your trip, you will know you have comprehensive cancellation cover if you need it.

2. Buying Travel Insurance as soon as you book your holiday

We recommend that you buy your travel insurance at the same time as you book your trip, or immediately after. Buy booking travel insurance at the same time as you make your flight booking you will protect you from unforeseen events that could take place before your scheduled departure.

For example, if you don’t book your travel insurance at the same time as your flight booking, you are not covered by any insurance and therefore wouldn’t be able to receive a refund from your cover if you cancelled your trip. Make sure you buy travel insurance as soon as you book your holiday to avoid this risk.

3. Can you buy Travel Insurance last minute?

Although we don’t recommend this, you can still buy travel insurance last minute, up until you leave for your trip. However, you may find that the cover is limited or certain benefits don’t apply.

4. Should you buy Annual or Single Trip Travel Insurance?

The question boils down to how much do you travel in a year? Single trip travel insurance is perfect for those who don’t travel very often, with cover starting from the moment you buy your policy until the end of your trip.

Annual multi-trip travel insurance will cover you for a period of 12 months so it makes sense if you are travelling more than once in a year. An annual policy may work out cheaper than individual single-trip policies for every trip you have too.

Also, cancellation cover on multi-trip policies usually begins on the policy start date that you select rather than when you buy the insurance.

5. When do you need to declare medical conditions?

You will need to declare any pre-existing medical conditions to your travel insurance provider when booking your policy and if you don’t declare this information, you may not be covered if you need to make a claim.

6. Buying travel insurance after you've already travelled: Is it possible?

You don’t want to be in this situation of trying to buy travel insurance after you’ve already travelled and in most cases, it just isn’t feasible as most companies require accurate information about your trip and any pre-existing conditions during the application process. Attempting to buy travel insurance after departure can end up with invalid cover or denial of claims in the event of an emergency.

7. How to get Travel Insurance

If you are looking for cover for your next trip, you can get a quote.