Travel Insurance Tips
Interesting Tips
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Office Telephone downtime12 June 2023
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Germany lifts COVID entry regulations24 June 2022
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USA Pre-travel testing requirement lifted20 June 2022
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Switzerland and Italy: Covid 19 travel changes10 May 2022
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Thailand travel pass for visitors17 November 2021
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TIP: What to do when a flight is cancelled8 November 2021
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Busiest Airports in the world Oct 2114 October 2021
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Newsflash: Storm warning Florida31 May 2018
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NEW ZEALAND - GITA TRAVEL CHAOS - AIR NZ CANCELS FLIGHTS IN FIVE CITIES20 February 2018
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Maldives8 February 2018
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TAIWAN - PEOPLE TRAPPED AS HOTEL CAVES IN AFTER EARTHQUAKE - 6.4 MAGNITUDE7 February 2018
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TRAVEL ADVICE FROM AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE29 December 2017
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UK Travel Delays12 December 2017
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Special News Break - MADAGASCAR29 September 2017
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Refund procedures for cancelled Houston flights31 August 2017
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Flights cancelled as typhoon heads towards Hong Kong23 August 2017
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SAUDI ARABIA - TRAVEL ADVICE11 August 2017
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BA crew announce another two-week strike7 July 2017
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BA announce 16 day strike20 June 2017
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4 Day BA strike7 June 2017
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Alitalia strike4 April 2017
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Newsflash: Air France Strike7 March 2017
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FCO issues terror warning for Middle East24 January 2017
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Fastjet29 November 2016
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TUNISIA - TRAVEL ADVICE24 October 2016
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HONG KONG - HAIMA LASHES CITY24 October 2016
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TURKEY - ANKARA BANS PUBLIC GATHERINGS DUE TO TERROR ALERT24 October 2016
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ETHIOPIA - DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY12 October 2016
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Australia - South battles second day of storms after blackout29 September 2016
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Oz strike to cause delays19 September 2016
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India23 August 2016
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Zambia travel advice19 August 2016
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Thailand15 August 2016
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Turkey travel advice 15 August 2016
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Angola11 August 2016
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Telephone lines down call:8 August 2016
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US - DELTA FLIGHTS GROUNDED DUE TO SYSTEM OUTAGE8 August 2016
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UK - TRAINS MISERY AS SOUTHERN RAIL STRIKE BEGINS8 August 2016
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Turkey Travel Advice29 July 2016
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Turkey Travel Advice27 July 2016
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Saudi Arabia travel advice25 July 2016
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France Travel Advice25 July 2016
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Turkey Travel Advice21 July 2016
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Madagascar travel advice 2 June 2016
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Yellow Fever - Angola9 May 2016
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Angola travel advice 28 April 2016
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Egypt travel advice25 April 2016
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Fly Blue Crane22 April 2016
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Brazil Travel Advice21 April 2016
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Israel - Travel Advice21 April 2016
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Brazil Travel Advice15 April 2016
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France Travel Advice31 March 2016
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Pakistan Travel Advice30 March 2016
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Vietnam Travel Advice30 March 2016
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Tunisia Travel Advice24 March 2016
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UK - SCARLET FEVER WARNING ISSUED IN SOUTH WEST1 March 2016
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GHANA - TRAVEL ADVICE1 March 2016
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Travel adivsory for Malaysia24 February 2016
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Rate Change South Africa, Namibia and Botswana1 February 2016
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Travel News Rome25 January 2016
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BURKINA FASO - TRAVEL ADVICE22 January 2016
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NIGERIA - HIGH ALERT ON LASSA FEVER 22 January 2016
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SIERRA LEONE - NEW EBOLA CASE22 January 2016
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Flights to and from İstanbul Atatürk Airport 19 January 2016
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BELGIUM - WARNS OF SERIOUS AND IMMINENT THREAT TO BRUSSELS24 November 2015
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News Article: Paris19 November 2015
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Credit card Payments17 February 2015
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Experiencing problems with Credit Card payments16 February 2015
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Oojah Travel Protection 24 December 2014
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AFGHANISTAN24 November 2014
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Healix International is closely monitoring the current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa23 September 2014
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Air France17 September 2014
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Ebola Latest Bulletin Update27 August 2014
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SA - Cabinet Decision on Ebola22 August 2014
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SA - Travel Advisory to preven the importation of Ebola22 August 2014
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Information from Copago11 August 2014
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US banning uncharged mobile devices on flights4 August 2014
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Mozambique12 June 2014
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Telephones10 March 2014
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Hollard dominates short-term insurance category at FIA awards3 June 2013
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Boston marathon attack: travel insurance17 April 2013
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Friday, 22 March 201322 March 2013
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Credit card payments11 March 2013
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Credit card payments11 March 2013
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Credit card payments11 March 2013
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New telephone number and physical address21 February 2013
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Telephone lines down31 January 2013
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Flu Epidemic with Thousands of Cases in Vienna24 January 2013
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Freezing fog grounds British flights12 December 2012
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Flights grounded in Stockholm6 December 2012
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2 000 stranded on cruise ship in Cape Town30 November 2012
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Heathrow flights cancelled16 November 2012
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1Time flights suspended2 November 2012
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Air France strike26 October 2012
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AF: Flight disruption should remain limited23 October 2012
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Phone lines are currently out of order4 October 2012
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Why doesn't the Travel Insurance Company ask Medical Questions Before They Sell Me a Policy?25 April 2012
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7 Mistakes Travellers Make when Buying Travel Insurance20 April 2012
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What Every (Insured) Traveler Needs to Know about Pre-existing Conditions16 April 2012
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5 Worst Airports for Business Travel Delays-International13 April 2012
Key Points
- Travel insurance is a priority when considering travel.
- The travel insurance market is highly competitive and consumers have a range of coverage options.
- It is important to purchase cover that appropriately suits your individual circumstances and travel plans.
- Policies may contain some exclusions (for example, adventure sports), you should carefully read the policy before purchasing cover to ensure that it meets your individual needs.
Background
Travel insurance covers the policyholder for insurable events that may occur or on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Travellers without travel insurance can find themselves in significant financial difficulty in the event that they or a family member falls ill whilst travelling abroad. In addition to this the common occurrences of theft and/or loss of personal belongings can also cause a great inconvenience and undue hardship when travelling.
The cost of travel insurance is based on the type of cover requested, the age of the insured, length of stay and any pre-existing medical conditions. It is important to obtain the right type of travel insurance to suit your individual requirements.
When choosing a travel insurance policy you should:
- Always read the product disclosure statement prior to purchasing your travel insurance. Travel insurance policies are competitive so it may pay to shop around to find a policy that suits your individual requirements.
- Ensure that you understand exactly what your travel insurance covers, as travel insurance cover is not unlimited.
- Speak to your insurer to clarify any policy issues that may cause any confusion.
- Read the policy carefully to make sure you are aware of any excess and where it may apply.
- Ensure that any medical cover is adequate for possible expenses in the country you are going to visit. In regions such as the United States, Europe, Africa and some parts of Asia medical costs can be very expensive.
- Ensure you declare any pre-existing medical conditions you may have.
Personal Belongings
Generally, cover for luggage and personal belongings will be limited. It is important to know the total amount of cover along with any per-item limit that may apply to any expensive items you may wish to cover, such as cameras, laptops and/or jewellery.
Credit card insurance
Some financial institutions provide travel insurance as part of their credit card service to their customers. It is important to read your credit card provider’s policy terms and conditions carefully to determine the extent of the coverage provided by this policy and whether certain eligibility requirements need to be met.
Exclusions
Like most insurance policies there are standard general exclusions on most type of travel insurance policies. These can include acts of civil unrest, self-inflicted injury, loss/theft of unattended baggage, loss/theft of cash and pre-existing medical conditions.
Dangerous Activities
Travel insurance policies may exclude cover for dangerous or extreme activities, such as Ice Hockey, Quad Biking exceeding 250cc, Rock Climbing, Skiing off-piste, Snowboarding off-piste, Team sports played in competitive contests, etc. Most extreme activities require an additional premium. It is also important to note that most dangerous activities may be classified as general exclusions in most policies.
Prior to Travelling
It is important to review any special travel advisories issued at www.fco.gov.uk prior to booking your trip or travelling. Most policies do not cover cancellation as a result of a government prohibiting travel to a particular destination or changes to a travel advice.
Client Protection
Policy Holder Protection Rules
Rules which protect short term insurance buyers became law in 2004. The rules form part of the Short-Term Insurance Act, Section 55.
As the name states the rules are there to protect policy holders and they are applicable to all types of short-term insurance such as car insurance and travel insurance. The aim of the rules are to ensure that policies are based on sound insurance principles and practices and that the interest of all parties such as the insurance company and the insured person are protected – with particular emphasis on the protection of the insured public.
Some of provisions are:- Policy holders must receive written proof of any insurance contract entered into.
- You must receive full details of the available complaints procedure including the contact details of the ombudsman.
- If any claim you made on your insurance is rejected the insurer must give you written notice of the reasons.
- The insurers may not demand that you undertake a polygraph or lie detector test.
Please note this list does not contain all the protection rules.
FAIS Code of Conduct
On 1 October 2004, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (FAIS) Act came into force. This Act has been established for YOU, the client of the financial advisor. It is for your protection.
General Provisions
A provider [financial advisor] must at all times render financial services honestly, fairly, with due skill, care and diligence, and in the interests of clients and the integrity of the financial services industry.
a Licensed Non-Life Insurer and an authorised Financial Services Provider.
© 2012 Hollard Travel Insurance.