Travel insurance is a form of cover that may pay out if you suffer an injury when you’re away to cover the cost of medical expenses and any repatriation if it’s a serious injury. If your trip needs to be cancelled for some unforeseen reason, such as the illness or death of a close family member, then travel insurance may cover your losses. And if your baggage or belongings are damaged or lost, then travel insurance could compensate you up to a set limit.

Buying travel insurance gives you peace of mind and protects you if something goes wrong while you’re on holiday. If you do have a problem while you’re away, the first step is to contact your insurance provider. Most companies have dedicated claims lines, and you may also be able to file a claim online if it’s easier for you. You’ll normally need to pay for any costs upfront before claiming them back. So, keep any documents, such as hospital bills, you need to support your claim.

The Global Health insurance Card (GHIC) entitles you to medical treatment in certain countries for free or at a reduced cost. However, this isn’t a replacement for travel insurance as it won’t cover you for private medical costs, nor will it be useful for rescue and repatriation. It also doesn't offer additional protection for your belongings and possessions, accommodation, or flights. 

Your insurance excess is the amount you will need to pay when making a claim. If you have a policy with a £150 excess, for example, then you claim for a baggage loss of £800, you would pay the £150 and the remaining £650 would be paid out by your insurer.

If you need to make a claim on your travel insurance policy: 

• Keep your documents to hand: keeping your policy documents, including your policy reference number, can be hugely helpful when you contact your insurer to make a claim.  

• Contact the authorities: if you’re claiming as a result of a crime, you have to let the local police know and get an official police report. Some insurers may not pay out for a claim if you don’t alert the authorities within a certain time period, usually within 24 hours of the event. 

• Don’t delay: you should also contact your insurer as soon as possible if you think you’ll have to claim, to ensure that they’ll cover you for what you need. This could be particularly important for medical treatment, as some insurers may require you to confirm what treatment you’re getting and whether it’s covered before paying out. It’s worth checking your policy documents to see if there’s an emergency 24 hour contact number you can call. 

• Gather evidence: police reports, medical notes, or receipts to prove ownership can all improve the chances of your claim being accepted, and for some insurers they could even be necessary in order to validate your claim. 

You still need travel insurance if you’re staying in the UK for your next holiday (staycation). Although the NHS will cover the cost of any medical treatment, travel insurance can pay to transfer you to a hospital closer to home. Travel insurance will also bring you or a family member home if you have missed your flights, trains, coach or your family have to drive home separately. 

Travel insurance for the UK also covers you against the risk of holiday cancellation, baggage loss, losing spare cash and anything happening to your mobile phone and other gadgets while you’re away from home.

Yes, travel insurance providers generally consider Jersey and Guernsey as well as all other Channel Islands as part of the UK. Travel insurance is important here as while there is a reciprocal healthcare agreement between the UK and Jersey, it doesn’t cover things like repatriation - and will only last for visits under six months. There is no agreement between the UK and Guernsey. 

You can buy travel insurance up to your departure date, even last-minute.

However, some insurers will have earlier cut-off limits, and many will charge more for last-minute purchases.

Buying insurance earlier, ideally as soon as you book the trip, also means you will be covered if your trip is cancelled because of an event outside of your control.

In most cases, yes, there is travel insurance cover for pregnancy and this should be covered under a standard travel insurance policy. However, if you are having any medical concerns during your pregnancy, it is worth telling your insurance provider before you travel and checking what you are covered for.

Most travel insurance policies will cover medical costs while you're travelling if there is a medical emergency related to your pregnancy. However, your policy won't cover your medical bills if you require routine care or give birth.

Travel insurance hasn't changed very much for UK holiday goers in Europe. UK citizens are still able to access state-funded healthcare in most EU countries with the new GHIC card or if they still have a valid EHIC although there are limitations to the level of cover they will provide

It's recommended you also buy travel insurance policies for Europe, the only difference between these policies and worldwide policies is that your policy won't cover you if you travel outside of Europe.

Some insurers may allow you to extend your policy while you're away, provided your trip is within the 'length of trip' limit on your policy, while others may require you to take out a new policy.

If you plan to take a long trip or visit several destinations in one holiday, you may need long stay travel insurance. This type of policy will cover long trips and backpacking holidays.

Not every travel insurance policy will cover wildfires. When it comes to extreme weather and natural disasters, your insurance may not offer any cover or may require you to pay extra for cover. Even so, cover for these kinds of events can be complicated and there are certain hidden terms to travel insurance policies that may prevent you from being able to claim.

For example, when cancelling in the event of a wildfire or other type of national emergency, most travel insurance providers won't cover cancellations unless the FCDO has given a travel warning for your destination. If they haven't, or if that warning doesn't advise against anything except necessary travel, then your travel insurance won't cover cancellation costs. Similarly, your travel insurance may not cover any issues related to wildfires or extreme weather if they were forecasted before you travelled.

You can read more about what travel insurance will cover in our guide 'Will travel insurance cover natural disasters?'