10 Important Points You Must Know About Gap Year Insurance
Most 18 year olds who are soon heading off on a Gap year before they start work or College usually have far more important things to worry about than Travel Insurance. Youngsters often believe they’re invincible, and- Insurance costs money which is likely to be in short supply on a holiday lasting many months or even up to a year
- Health coverage is the most important part of travel insurance but there are also real risks towards personal property such as cameras, iPods and mobile phones etc. Remember, 90% of all Gap yearers will be living in cheap accommodation and travelling with rucksacks - perfect hunting ground for thieves
Look To Buy A Specialist Travel Insurance Policy
Normal travel insurance policies only last for a certain period, perhaps a 2 week holiday etc. But even if you get a yearly policy then it will usually only offer cover for a maximum period of 30 days at a time. The important thing is to therefore get what’s called an Extended Travel Policy or as some refer to it specialised travel insurance. Most, if not all Travel Insurance companies offer these types of policies these days.- Find.co.uk list of all Gap Year Insurance companies & brokers - Get special discount Online
10 Gap Year Insurance Points To Think About
- Do your research and don’t buy the first or even second policy you find or are offered - This is very important especially if it's a travel agent trying to sell it because they're notoriously expensive
- Gap Year insurance is popular these days so it’s ok to buy on the interest where prices are cheaper, using a broker will cost more but a good broker will be able to tailor make a policy for specific needs
- Don’t buy a 100% worldwide policy if you’re not going to certain countries, for example medical and legal costs are very expensive in the US so if you don’t plan on visiting then make sure countries such as this are excluded
- Look at the sports cover and see what’s covered or not - If going to New Zealand or Australia there’s a good chance you’ll be partaking in bungee jumping, white water rafting and scuba diving etc - not all policies cover these and other outdoor activity sports. Other policies have restrictions such as what level of rapids are included/excluded (a rapid classes as '1' is little more than a fast flowing river but a class of '4' is getting into serious white water), policies might therefore cover only rapids 1-4
- Go visit the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) website and see if they’re advising UK citizens not to visit certain countries such as in Africa or perhaps the Middle East – If the FCO advises against non-essential travel then your insurance policy won’t be valid .
