Most of us wouldn’t think about buying travel insurance for a holiday in the UK. However, during a global pandemic, travel insurance is more important than ever. Even for a staycation.
With COVID-19 devastating last year’s foreign holiday plans the UK travel industry is hoping for a significant increase in demand for domestic tourism. EasyJet has recently announced new routes to Newquay from Manchester and Glasgow, following Eastern Airways which announced flights to Newquay from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Manchester and Teesside.
So, if you are considering holidaying within the UK this year, do you really need travel insurance? Yes!
All the benefits of travel insurance when travelling abroad still apply, even for holidays within the UK. The only bit which is not applicable is the medical cover which isn’t required, thanks to the NHS.
Some of the important bits of travel insurance to remember are:
COVID Cancellation Cover
COVID-19 cancellation cover is designed to insure the cost of your holiday in the event of you contracting coronavirus and being unable to travel. Each provider has subtlely different wording, so do check the specifics when buying a policy.
Generally, COVID-19 cancellation cover provides a refund on accommodation and travel costs in the event of:
- You, or anyone on the policy, or any person you have arranged to stay with during your trip receiving a diagnosis of coronavirus within 14 days before the start of the trip
- You, or anyone on the policy, being admitted to hospital due to coronavirus within 28 days of the start of the trip
- Your accommodation being required to close after you have checked in because of you, a guest or employee being diagnosed with coronavirus
- You, or anyone on the policy, being denied boarding following either a coronavirus diagnosis or a temperature test, or other medical test reading, which falls outside of the transport provider’s terms of travel
A positive NHS antigen test will be required by the insurer as confirmation if making a cancellation claim. If you are denied boarding as a result of coronavirus you must have documented proof of this from the airline.
Claims will be denied in the following circumstances:
- if you, your travel companion or a close relative had symptoms associated with coronavirus at the time of booking the trip or the travel insurance
- if you or your travel companion or a close relative are awaiting results after undertaking a coronavirus test or had tested positive within the 15 days before booking your trip
Lost, stolen, damaged or delayed baggage and possessions
If you are catching a UK internal flight and checking in luggage, travel insurance will still cover you in the event of lost or delayed baggage, just as if you were travelling abroad.
You’ll also get cover for damaged clothes, electrical items, cosmetic items etc throughout your staycation.
Travel insurance provides much more than most people think. Other features include personal liability cover, curtailment, winter sports cover (yes – you can ski in Scotland!), golf extension and legal advice – just to name a few.
And the cost?
Not very much. Cover starts from less than £30 for a family of five with ZERO excess. That’s peace of mind for the price of five overpriced Cornish pasties on a Newquay beach.
If you have any questions or want to talk to an expert, give our team a call on 01243 864663.
