Travel Insurance For UK Holidays

Do I need travel insurance for a holiday in the UK?

While UK travel insurance isn't a legal requirement, it's worth thinking about.

When planning a holiday, it can be easy to think that you might not need to take out travel insurance for the UK. After all, you'll be covered for any emergency medical treatment you may need by the NHS.

But, there's plenty of reasons why it's worth taking the time to compare travel insurance for your holiday at home. Besides medical emergencies, there's other things that can go wrong on holiday. For example, trip cancellation and lost baggage. The right policy can help you financially in these situations, and save you from having to pay out of pocket. Cha-ching!

What does travel insurance for the UK cover?

• Cancellation cover. If you can't travel because of unexpected circumstances, your policy could compensate you. For example, like injury, or being called for jury service.
• Lost, damaged or stolen baggage. If your baggage is lost, damaged or stolen. Usually, policies also cover personal items.
• ABTA and ATOL protection. If you're going on a trip that includes travel by boat, train, or car, you may be covered by ABTA protection. But, if your trip involves flights, you could be covered by ATOL protection.
• Personal liability. If you accidentally damage someone's property or injure them. In this case, you'll be covered financially for legal costs if a claim is made.
• Hospital transfer and benefit. The NHS covers you for medical treatment, but some policies can offer a 'hospital benefit'. This is usually a small amount of money you can use to buy things to make your hospital stay more pleasant.

What isn't covered?

• Incidents involving alcohol and drugs. If illness, injury, or death occurs as a result of alcohol or drugs. In these scenarios, your travel insurance policy won't be valid.
• Medical cover. Your policy won't cover you for medical treatment. This is because any treatment you need will be covered by the NHS.
• If you stay too close to home. If you stay too close to home, it might not be counted as a trip by insurance providers. Check restrictions before you buy a policy to make sure you have cover.
• Extreme sports and activities. If you plan to do high-risk activities and sports, it's likely your standard policy won't cover you. So, you may need to buy a policy add-on, like adventure travel insurance.
• Staying with relatives. If you plan to have a staycation with family, you won't be covered by your UK travel insurance.

Could I be covered by a policy I’ve already taken out?

It's possible. Let's take a look at some scenarios in which you may already be covered by an existing policy:

• Contents insurance. Your home contents insurance may cover your personal possessions while you're away. This can include things like luggage and personal items. This may be the case if you're planning a camping holiday, but it's worth checking if you'll need a specialist camping insurance policy.
• Paid-for and premium bank accounts. Some bank accounts can include annual travel insurance policies in their standard packages.
• Annual travel insurance. If you've taken out an annual travel insurance policy within the last 12 months, you might be covered by it. This includes things like cancellation and personal possessions, but check to be sure.

Travelling with a pre-existing medical condition

When travelling abroad, you need to declare pre-existing medical conditions to your provider. This is so insurance providers can make sure they're offering the level of cover needed.

But for holidays within the UK, you're covered by the NHS for any medical treatment, so you won't need specialist medical travel insurance. So, this means that travel insurance for UK holidays won't cover pre-existing medical conditions.

Are the channel islands covered by UK travel insurance?

This depends on your policy. There are some UK travel insurance policies that can cover you for trips to the Channel Islands. Read your policy to know for sure whether or not you'll be covered.

In Jersey and the Isle of Man, you'll be entitled to receive medical treatment in an emergency. This is under a reciprocal healthcare agreement made with the UK.

But in Guernsey, you'll generally need to pay for emergency medical treatment. So, keep this in mind if you're planning to travel there. It's always important to check your policy wording and documents before you buy to make sure you're covered for everything you need when travelling in the UK.