Buy It the Day You Book — Not the Day Before You Fly
The most common mistake is treating insurance as a packing item — something to sort out the week before departure. The problem is that cancellation cover starts the moment the policy is issued. If you book a £4,000 family holiday and buy insurance four months later, you are unprotected for four months of potential cancellation events: redundancy, a family bereavement, a diagnosis, a venue closure.
Buy your policy the same day you make the first payment on the booking. The additional premium for that extra cover period is typically a few pounds.
What the GHIC Actually Covers (and What It Does Not)
The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC, formerly the EHIC) is not a substitute for travel insurance. It gives you access to state-provided healthcare in EU countries and a small number of others at the same cost as a local resident — which in some countries means free, in others means subsidised.
It does not cover: repatriation to the UK (which can cost £20,000–£50,000 if you need an air ambulance); private medical treatment; dental treatment beyond emergency pain relief; cancelled flights; lost luggage; or any treatment in a private hospital. Always carry the GHIC but always have a full insurance policy as well.
Key Cover to Look For
When comparing policies, look beyond the headline premium. The sub-limits and excesses matter far more than the premium difference between a £20 and £35 policy.
- Medical cover: minimum £5 million for Europe, £10 million for USA or long-haul. Look at the emergency dental limit too.
- Repatriation: should be unlimited or very high — this is the figure that matters if you have a serious accident.
- Cancellation: should equal the full cost of your trip. Check that it covers job redundancy, not just illness.
- Baggage: look at the single-item limit, not just the overall limit. Most policies cap individual items at £250–£500.
- Missed departure: covers hotel costs if you miss your flight due to a traffic accident or public transport failure.
- Personal liability: protects you if you accidentally injure someone or damage property.
Pre-Existing Conditions — You Must Declare Them
Failing to declare a pre-existing medical condition is the most common reason travel insurance claims are rejected. A condition does not have to be actively causing problems — if you have ever been diagnosed or treated for it, you generally need to declare it.
Declaring a condition does not mean you cannot get insurance. It means the insurer prices the risk accurately. Specialist brokers including AllClear, Free Spirit, and Staysure cover conditions that mainstream insurers exclude. The premium will be higher, but a rejected £30,000 medical claim is considerably more expensive than a higher-priced policy.
Critical rule: if in doubt, declare it. Non-disclosure is the single most common reason medical claims are rejected. A phone call to the insurer before you buy takes ten minutes and can save tens of thousands of pounds.
Adventure Sports and Activities
Most standard policies exclude or limit cover for what insurers call hazardous activities. The definition varies significantly — some policies exclude mountain biking; others only exclude climbing above a certain altitude. If you are planning anything more adventurous than swimming and cycling on flat paths, check the policy schedule carefully.
Common activities that may require an upgrade or add-on: skiing and snowboarding, scuba diving, hiking above 2,000 metres, motorbiking, white-water rafting, and most water sports. Specialist providers (Campbell Irvine, BMC Travel Insurance) cater for adventurous travellers.
Annual Multi-Trip vs. Single Trip Policies
If you take two or more trips per year, an annual multi-trip policy is almost always better value than buying single-trip cover each time. Annual policies typically cost £50–£120 for an individual, cover an unlimited number of trips up to a maximum duration (usually 31 or 45 days per trip), and can be extended to cover more destinations or longer trips.
Check the maximum trip duration carefully. Many annual policies cap individual trips at 31 days. If you are planning a longer trip, you will either need to find a policy with a higher cap or buy standalone cover for that trip.