{"id":168441,"date":"2025-08-23T06:04:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T06:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/168441\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T06:04:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T06:04:26","slug":"eight-to-embark-the-abi-shares-top-travel-insurance-tips-as-claims-data-highlights-importance-of-cover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/168441\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Eight to Embark\u2019 \u2013 the ABI shares top travel insurance tips as claims data highlights importance of cover"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest data from the ABI highlights the essential role of travel insurance, as its members paid out \u00a3472 million across more than 500,000 claims in 2024.<\/p>\n

As a financial safety net, travel insurance is primarily designed to cover the cost of receiving emergency medical treatment abroad, which can run into tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Medical expenses were the most common reason for a travel insurance claim in 2024 and made up 34% of all claims \u2013 up from 29% in 2023.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the total value of medical claims reached \u00a3262 million, with an average payout of \u00a31,528. However, individual claims can be significantly higher, particularly when factoring in the cost of complex treatment overseas and repatriation to the UK, if needed.<\/p>\n

In fact, one of our members paid out more than \u00a31 million to a customer who was admitted to hospital for emergency treatment in the USA and who required repatriation back to the UK.<\/p>\n

\"Fraser_Lyall_500x500.png\"Fraser Lyall, Policy Adviser for General Insurance at the ABI, said: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith summer at its peak, there\u2019s no better time to prepare a packing list for your next getaway. While suncream and passports will certainly be necessary, travel insurance is one other essential that shouldn\u2019t be overlooked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTravel insurance can offer you peace of mind, knowing that you\u2019re covered for things like emergency medical care should you fall ill or suffer an injury abroad.\u00a0 Be sure to read the full terms and conditions and disclose any pre-existing medical conditions to make sure you have the right cover for you needs, and speak to your insurer if anything is unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the latest data underlining how important travel insurance is, the ABI is encouraging holiday makers not to forget their \u2018Eight to Embark\u2019 to protect themselves and their loved ones when abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ABI\u2019s \u2018Eight to Embark\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Buy before you fly (even better, when you book). <\/strong>As always, we urge travellers to buy travel insurance when they book their trip, and not leave it to the last minute.\u00a0 Taking out a travel insurance policy when you book your holiday can ensure you\u2019re covered should the trip need to be cancelled.\u202fBuying insurance when you\u2019re already overseas risks invalidating the policy and may prevent you from making a claim. While it is possible to buy specialist post-departure travel insurance when you\u2019re already abroad, it\u2019s best to play it safe and buy your cover before your trip starts.
    \u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. Consider your needs, not just price.<\/strong> Though it may be tempting to add the cheapest travel policy to your cart, it\u2019s important to buy insurance that meets your needs. For example, if you\u2019re looking for adventure, certain hazardous activities, such as sailing or scuba diving, are likely to be excluded from a typical policy. Your insurer may offer additional cover to meet your needs, so be sure to ask them about your options.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  3. Double check your policy. <\/strong>If you usually skip the small print, this one\u2019s for you. When taking out travel insurance, it\u2019s crucial to read your policy terms and conditions to fully understand the limits of your cover. Insurers expect travellers to take reasonable steps to protect themselves from harm. For example, an injury that occurs as a result of excessive alcohol consumption is unlikely to be covered.\n

    If you still have questions after reading your policy, speak to your insurer, who will be able to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. Disclose pre-existing medical conditions. <\/strong>The biggest cost that travel insurance is designed to cover is for emergency medical treatment that might be needed overseas. That\u2019s why it\u2019s vital to tell your insurer about any and all pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed medications or treatments when applying for cover. Failing to do so could invalidate your policy or cause issues should you need to make a claim.\u00a0\n

    Insurers will also want to know about conditions you\u2019ve had in the past, depending on the condition and how long ago you had it. This requirement may vary between providers, so if you’re not sure whether to disclose something, we’d recommend checking with your insurer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s important to note that physical, mental and neurodevelopmental conditions should all be declared when taking out travel insurance. More information about accessing travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions is available here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. Know before you go.<\/strong> Always check current \u202fFCDO advice<\/a> before going on holiday, especially since travelling against this advice is likely to invalidate your insurance policy.\u202fIf the advice changes once you are abroad \u2013 fear not \u2013 your cover will continue as normal.\u202f But be sure to follow all local health and safety advice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
  6. Understand your rights.<\/strong> If your trip has been disrupted or has had to be cancelled, you may be legally entitled to compensation or refunds directly from your airline, accommodation provider, tour operator or credit card provider. If you have travel insurance that includes cover for trip disruption, you may be able to claim for unrecoverable losses as a result of delays, cancellations or other disruptions outside of your control.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
  7. Pack your EHIC or GHIC.<\/strong> For trips to Europe, don\u2019t forget to bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you have one. If you don\u2019t have an EHIC, or your EHIC has expired, you can now apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) through NHS online<\/a>. While these cards entitle you to access state-provided healthcare when visiting the EU (and some other countries), they won\u2019t cover all medical costs or the cost of emergency repatriation back to the UK \u2013 so travel insurance is still essential.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  8. Know how to claim. <\/strong>Perhaps the most important thing to know before you go on holiday is how to make a claim on your travel insurance. Be sure to read your policy to understand this process, and keep your travel insurer\u2019s emergency contact details with you just in case. You should also share your policy details with someone you\u2019re travelling with and a trusted friend or family member back home in case they need to contact your insurer on your behalf.\n

    If something has gone wrong on your trip and you need to make a claim, be sure to save relevant photos, medical bills, receipts, booking reference numbers and police reports (if applicable) as your insurer may ask for these to process your claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For more information, check out our travel insurance FAQs<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0
    \u00a0
    For more advice to stay safe whilst travelling abroad, you can also check out the FCDO\u2019s     #TravelAware<\/a> campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest data from the ABI highlights the essential role of travel insurance, as its members paid out…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":168442,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[94375,96517,96513,210,1141,1142,11090,7337,14255,96515,1164,96516,4752,96514,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-168441","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-care","8":"tag-abroad","9":"tag-claims-data","10":"tag-eight-to-embark","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-health-care","13":"tag-healthcare","14":"tag-holiday","15":"tag-insurance","16":"tag-medical-costs","17":"tag-top-tips","18":"tag-travel","19":"tag-travel-claims","20":"tag-travel-insurance","21":"tag-travellers-ten","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115076573693112401","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}